photoshop 26.1 clone stamp will not define a source with option click. I'm running Tahoe 26.5

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I can’t use clone stamp since it will not define the source. I am only on one layer. I tried flattening image, copying image. Nothing works. I am using Mac Tahoe 26.5 system and Photo shop 26.1

gcindy152Author

Participant

Thank you. I just realized that it is my intuos pen that isn’t working properly. The clone stamp works when i use the laptop pad, but not when i use the attached pen and tablet. So now I have to figure out how to fix the wacom pen.

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Astonished_portfolio467f

Participant

A few things to check when Option+click won’t set the clone source on a Mac:

Watch the cursor. When you hold Option with the Clone Stamp selected, the brush cursor should change to a small target/crosshair. If it doesn’t change, macOS isn’t passing the Option key to Photoshop — check System Settings > Keyboard for anything intercepting Option (Sticky Keys, custom shortcuts) and quit any utilities that remap keys or manage windows.

Reset the tool. In the options bar, right-click the Clone Stamp tool icon and choose “Reset Tool” to clear any stray settings.

3. Check the options bar: make sure “Aligned” is checked and “Sample” is set to “Current Layer” (or “Current & Below”). Also confirm the layer isn’t locked — a locked Background layer can cause exactly this behavior. Double-click it to convert it to a normal layer.

4. Try holding Option on the other side of the keyboard in case one Option key is faulty.

If the cursor changes correctly but still no source sets, try restarting Photoshop with preferences reset (hold Command+Option+Shift while launching) — that fixes a surprising number of tool issues after updates.

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JohanElzenga

Community Expert

Did you use ChatGPT or some other AI to generate this answer? A lot of this advice is good, but some is total nonsense. “Aligned” has nothing to do with setting the clone source using Option+click. A locked background layer also has nothing to do with this. You do not have to change the background layer into a normal layer in order to use the Clone Stamp tool.

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-- Johan W. Elzenga

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

Johan, you are making a valid point, but at the same time resources like Goggle Summarizer are incredibly useful now. You are not fobbing off a poster when using it, so long as you use it as additional information to back up and test what you already know.

For example (thank goodness for hyperlinks. That URL is just short of a mile long (if you use the appropriate font))

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JohanElzenga

Community Expert

Did you check the Opacity & Flow settings of the brush? If the Opacity or Flow is (close to) zero, then it may seem the tool does not pick up the source.

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-- Johan W. Elzenga

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