Clone Layer Has Color Cast

[michael e stern]

In the attached screenshot, a student ofm ine has retouched on a layer using the Clone Stamp and the Spot Healing brush. He did so after using a Levels adjustment layer. I checked his settings, the Blend mode in the tool options bar at the top of the monitor is set to normal. Protect tones was off. I tried replicating his set up on my end and got the expected clone layer without the blue cast seen in the screenshot below.

Any ideas as to what is causing this color cast from the clone stamp?

Thank you.

[D Fosse]

Check the sample options:

[michael e stern]

All Layers was properly selected. That isn't the issue unfortuately.

[davescm]

Your two screenshots are different. On one the levels adjustment is below the cloning layer and the other it is above.

'All layers' sampling frequently causes the issue you describe. If there is an adjustment layer above the layer being sampled and the layer being cloned onto (which there is in your second screenshot), then the sample is taken 'after' the adjustment. Then, when painting, it gets adjusted again - hence the change of colour.

Try setting the sampling to 'Current and Below'

Dave

[michael e stern]

The adjustment layer is below, it's in my screenshot. The layer order is bg, adjustment layer, clone layer. The clone layer drills down thru the adjustment layer and puts the cloned data on top. That is a proper way to retouch, been doing it this way for years with All Layers selected.

[davescm]

It is not below in both screenshots

Dave

[michael e stern]

Look again. It is correct in the first screenshot and in the 2nd one I moved it up to show it's affect on the clone layer.

[D Fosse]

The layer order is bg, adjustment layer, clone layer.

By @michael e stern

And that's exactly when this happens if sampling is set to "all layers".

The only other possibility, if that's not the layer order, is corrupt preferences and a reset should fix it. Preferences are prone to corruption because they are rewritten on every application exit, as opposed to read-only program files. Any irregular application shutdown can corrupt the preferences.

[michael e stern]

I thought of that too and will try that but the issue at hand appeared on only this single photograph. No issues before or after the image at hand. He's literally retouched 100's of images that past year, most going through a protcol I designed for him to follow. Thanks for contributing. Thank you everybody.

[Earth Oliver]

your student messed up and cloned above the adjustment instead of below.

[michael e stern]

Thank for replying but you are incorrect. I've been retouching in this manner for decades, it is an efficient and proper procedure.