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apostolosk27568848
Participant
August 18, 2026

Clone Stamp Tool application area issue

  • August 18, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 40 views

I recently updated to the Adobe Photoshop Version: 27.9.1 20260803.r.1 65900e1  x64 (final, Release). Once I import an image and I use the Clone Stamp Tool, it doesn't work as it used to. I use Alt+Click to select an area to clone, but then, when I click on a target to clone on, it uncontrollably clones other areas of the image, at a linear manner. I haven't seen such a behavior before. 

      3 replies

      A
      apostolosk27568848Author
      Participant
      August 19, 2026

      Dear Anshul, 

      thank you for your reply. 

      For starters I can say that this didn’t help. I tried al points mentioned, except from the DPI scaling override one, which honestly I wasn’t able to locate. (On Photoshop.exe > right click > properties, there was no compatibility option.).

      All others were tested. 

      Regarding your questions:

      • First I tried simple Jpeg images. From both my laptop hard drive and an external HDD. The same effect. Then I tried TIFFs of different bit depths. The same. 
      • I am using a standard mouse. But the effect also took place while using my laptop’s tab. 
      • It is set to “current layer”. Never changed it. 

      I will keep the last version for now, until you figure anything out and decide an action. Please let me know if you need any support/evidence from my side. I could video it with my mobile and send it over. 

      I also have a desktop, with a 2nd installed Photoshop (on the same license, but a previous version: 26.5.0). Things still work well there! 

      Anshul_Saini
      Community Manager
      Anshul_SainiCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      August 19, 2026

      Thanks for testing all of those steps and confirming that the behavior occurs across JPEG/TIFF files, different storage locations, and different input devices, ​@apostolosk27568848.

      Before I escalate this, I’d like you to try one more test by manually resetting Photoshop’s preferences:

      1. Quit Photoshop completely.
      2. Navigate to the Preferences folder:
      C:\Users<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop <version>\Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings
      3. Instead of deleting, move the Adobe Photoshop <version> Settings folder to another location, so you retain it as a backup.
      4. Launch Photoshop again. Photoshop will create a completely fresh preferences folder.
      5. Without restoring or changing your previous settings, immediately test the Clone Stamp Tool again.

      If the issue persists even with completely fresh preferences, please make a screen recording directly on Windows rather than on your mobile. This will give us a much clearer view of the cursor, Clone Stamp source, and resulting behavior.

      You can use Windows’ built-in screen-recording functionality. Instructions are available here:
      https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/screen-record-in-windows

      Please start recording before opening the affected image and capture the complete workflow, including Alt+clicking the source point and then applying the Clone Stamp.

      You can upload the recording to Google Drive, Dropbox, WeTransfer, or a similar service and send me the download link via DM.

      If the issue remains reproducible with fresh preferences, the recording should give us what we need to take the next step with the product team.

      Best,
      Anshul Saini

      Anshul_Saini
      Community Manager
      Anshul_SainiCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      August 18, 2026

      Hi ​@apostolosk27568848,

       

      Thank you for reporting this. The behavior you're describing, where the Clone Stamp applies from an unexpected or shifting source position in a linear manner after Alt+clicking, is unusual and worth digging into. Since this started immediately after updating to 27.9.1, let's narrow down the cause:

      Troubleshooting steps to try:

      • Check the Clone Source panel settings (Window > Clone Source) Open this panel and verify there are no accidental transform values applied. If the offset (X/Y), scale, or rotation values are anything other than defaults (100% scale, 0° rotation, 0px offset), reset them. A stray value here can make the clone appear to pull from a completely different area than expected.
      • Check the Aligned option in the Options Bar if it's currently unchecked (or vice versa) and test again. When Aligned is checked, the sampling offset remains fixed relative to your cursor continuously, which, if corrupted by a settings issue, could explain "uncontrollable linear cloning" from unexpected areas.
      • Check the DPI scaling override by right-clicking Photoshop.exe > Properties > Compatibility > ensure "Override high DPI scaling behavior" is unchecked.
      • With the Clone Stamp selected, click the tool preset picker (top-left of the Options Bar) > gear icon > Reset Tool. This will clear any corrupted tool-specific settings.

         

      If this doesn’t help, a couple of questions would help narrow this down further:

      • Does this happen on all images or only specific ones (e.g., images of a certain bit depth like 16-bit or 32-bit, or a certain color mode)?
      • Are you using a Wacom tablet or other pen input device, or a standard mouse?
      • In the Options Bar, what is your Sample dropdown currently set to, "Current Layer", "Current & Below", or "All Layers"?

       

      Let us know how it goes. This will help us investigate whether the 27.9.1 update introduced a regression in Clone Stamp behavior or not.

       

      Best,

      Anshul Saini

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