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Question

Clone Stamp Tool application area issue

Forum|Forum|28 days ago
August 18, 2026
12 replies
177 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.

E

Ena_Ellanhi

Participant

Clone Stamp / Healing tools broken in Photoshop 27.10.0, but work correctly in 26.11.1

I can confirm that the issue is still present in Photoshop 27.10.0 on Windows 10.

The Clone Stamp Tool and healing tools behave incorrectly and produce distorted/smeared areas instead of the expected sampled result.

I performed the following troubleshooting:

– Tested in a completely new RGB 8-bit document
– Tested directly on a pixel layer and on a separate retouching layer
– Reset the Clone Stamp Tool
– Completely reset Photoshop preferences
– Disabled GPU acceleration and restarted Photoshop
– Restarted Windows
– Completely uninstalled and reinstalled Photoshop 27.10.0

None of these steps fixed the problem.

I then installed Photoshop 26.11.1 on the same computer, without changing Windows, hardware, or input devices.

Photoshop 27.10.0 — Clone Stamp / Healing tools are broken
Photoshop 26.11.1 — the same tools work normally

This is fully reproducible on my system and strongly suggests a regression in Photoshop 27.x.

Anshul_Saini

Community Manager

Hi @Ena_Ellanhi @apostolosk27568848 @Cadae

Thank you for the detailed testing and especially for comparing Photoshop 27.10 with 26.11.1 on the same system. The fact that the behavior persists after resetting preferences, disabling GPU acceleration, and reinstalling 27.10, while 26.11.1 works normally, is useful information.

Could you please go to Help > System Info > Copy in Photoshop 27.10 and paste the complete System Info here?

I’d also like to rule out two remaining variables:

1. If you have a Wacom or another pen/tablet device installed, please temporarily:

Disconnect the tablet/pen device.
Uninstall its driver.
Restart Windows.
Test Photoshop 27.10 using only a standard mouse or touchpad.

If you have any other specialized input devices or their associated software/drivers installed, please temporarily disconnect/disable those as well for this test.

2. Hold Shift while launching Photoshop. When prompted to Skip loading optional and third-party plug-ins, choose Yes, then test Clone Stamp and the affected Healing tools again.

3. Finally, could you please install the latest Photoshop Beta from Creative Cloud Desktop > Apps > Beta and run the same Clone Stamp/Healing test there? Please let us know the exact Beta version and whether the behavior is the same.

Since you’ve already done extensive troubleshooting, there’s no need to reset your preferences or reinstall 27.10 again.

These results, along with your System Info, should give us a much cleaner reproduction case to take forward.

Best,
Anshul Saini

A

apostolosk27568848Author

Participating Frequently

Good evening dear Anshul,

despite my first try of the new version where things seemed to be working well again, I still experience the same issues.

I will try to also follow those steps described above (including the Beta version), if you don’t mind.

Lastly, I have 3rd part plug-ins on my photoshop, but they were installed and used way before the latest Ps upgrade.

thank you

Anshul_Saini

Community Manager

Thank you for the recording and for the additional update, @apostolosk27568848. The fact that you’re now seeing similar behavior with the Magnetic Lasso Tool is particularly useful.

Before I take this further with the team, could you please do one final test now that Photoshop 27.10 is available?

Please update to Photoshop 27.10 and test both:

Clone Stamp: Alt+click a source > paint normally

Magnetic Lasso: trace around an object and check whether the cursor/path exhibits the same unexpected movement

If both problems remain in 27.10, please go to Help > System Info, then copy and paste the contents here.

Regarding your preferences folder, don’t worry about that for now. Since you’ve provided a recording, another user has reported similar behavior, and an older Photoshop version works correctly, I’d rather establish whether the current 27.10 release still reproduces the problem before asking you to make further changes to your system.

And yes, if the issue is disrupting your work, it’s reasonable to continue using the previous Photoshop version that works correctly for you while we investigate. You can keep the current version installed as well for testing.

@Cadae, if you have an opportunity, please also test Photoshop 27.10 and let us know whether the Clone Stamp behavior remains there.

If the issue persists in 27.10, I’ll consolidate the results from both of you and forward the reproduction details.

Thanks again for sticking with the testing.

Best,
Anshul Saini

C

Cadae

Participant

I have had this problem to and add the following:

Photoshop 27.9.1: Clone Stamp does not work correctly with either my Wacom tablet or mouse.

I reverted the same computer to Photoshop 26.11.7 without changing my hardware or working setup. Clone Stamp immediately works normally again, exactly as it has in previous versions.

This therefore appears to be a regression introduced in Photoshop 27.x/27.9.1 rather than a Wacom, mouse or preference issue. Clone Stamp is a fundamental retouching tool and this regression has made the current Photoshop release unusable for my normal restoration work.

I have reverted to 26.11.7 and would appreciate Adobe escalating this to the Photoshop engineering team and confirming when the regression has been fixed.

A

apostolosk27568848Author

Participating Frequently

thank you so much for this reply.

Yes, I have the feeling I will have to do the same.

For the time being, I am helping the Adobe team register the bug and hopefully resolve it.

A

apostolosk27568848Author

Participating Frequently

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

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

A

apostolosk27568848Author

Participating Frequently

Hello there,

first of all, a big thanks to all your team for the support.

Second: I tried to locate the Preference AppData folder on both my Users name and my Admin’s one, but I wasn’t able to. So I was not able to try this fresh preference move. Apologies.

Third: Here’s the recording. https://we.tl/t-qiMdwYaMMH49RbYy

I did it through my mobile phone. I hope it’s clear enough for you.

I preferred it to the screen recording, because the screen recording was not showing the pop-up screens and menus on Ps. I don’t know why!!

So, I really hope this is helpful enough for your team to resolve it.

I wanted to ask you if you recommend that I return to the previous versions until the issue gets resolved.

thank you,

best regards,

Apostolos

Anshul_Saini

Community Manager

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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