Photoshop Clone Stamp paints nothing on a new layer: check sampling
Choose a sampling range that includes your photograph, set a source point, and retouch on a separate layer.
On a blank retouching layer, Current Layer gives Clone Stamp no image detail to copy. Change Sample to Current & Below if the photograph is underneath, then Alt-click on Windows or Option-click on macOS to set a source point.
In this guide
Photoshop desktop on Windows and macOS. Clone Stamp on a pixel layer; Smart Object contents and adjustment layers use different editing workflows.
Let Clone Stamp sample the photograph
Keep the photograph on its own layer. You can then remove an unwanted stroke without changing the original pixels.
Check the selected layer
Select the empty pixel layer where you want the retouching to appear. Adjustment layers cannot serve as Clone Stamp targets. If the selected layer is a Smart Object and Photoshop says it is not directly editable, use a separate retouching layer or edit the Smart Object's contents.
Choose a source with an obvious feature—an edge or a small detail—rather than a uniform patch where a successful stroke could be hard to see.
Choose the sampling range
Adobe's Clone Stamp guide describes three choices:
| Sample setting | What it includes |
|---|---|
| Current Layer | Content on the selected layer |
| Current & Below | The selected layer and visible content below it |
| All Layers | Visible content above and below as well |
For a blank layer directly above a photograph, start with Current & Below. Use All Layers only when you also want content from higher layers. A visible label, overlay, or previous retouch can otherwise become part of the sampled image.
Set a source and try a short stroke
- With Clone Stamp selected, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (macOS) on the detail you want to copy.
- Paint a short stroke on the retouching layer.
- If nothing is visible, check the tool's mode, opacity, and flow. Note your settings before changing them.
- Toggle the retouching layer off and on to see what changed.
If the copied detail appears but looks wrong, the tool is painting. Check the source point, visible layers, and brush settings next. Flattening the photograph or resetting all Photoshop preferences would make this problem harder to isolate.
Sources
Based on official documentation; not independently tested. Sources checked Sep 27, 2026. How we review guides
Something out of date? Let us know.
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