When using the clone stamp to remove a small spot, use a brush slightly larger than the object you are removing and select a piece of the image to copy from that is the same colour as you want the cloned region to become. (nothing exciting so far)
If it is a dark spot on a light background, use the tool in the 'lighten' mode, not 'normal'
If it is a white spot on a dark background, use the tool in the 'darken' mode, not 'normal'
That is indeed a very useful tip. I was just playing around with that yesterday as a matter of fact. Everyone, go try it, you will be pleased. Thanks for posting things like this gordon, it is much appreciated.
Works like magic, compared to trying to do it in 'normal' mode.
You end up only changing the thing you wanted to change, rather than everything you move the brush over, makes a much more seamless change, compared to doing it in 'normal'
Also varying the opacity can help - depends if you care more about cloning the colour/hue/tone (low opacity - 50% or so) or cloning similar textures (high opacity)
I'm sure it's a given. But I would also add, depending on the image, resample often. You might not notice it while cloning but when you're finished and look at the whole photo you can see a pattern.
