How to use the Clone Stamp tool

The Clone Stamp tool paints an exact copy of one part of the picture onto another. Use it to cover something up or to repeat a detail.

Where to find it

It has its own button in the toolbar. Press S to pick it.

Choose the tool. Press S, or click the stamp in the toolbar.
Set the source. Alt-click (Option-click on a Mac) the area you want to copy from.
Paint where it should go. Drag over the spot to cover. A cross shows where the copy is coming from as you paint.
Change the source often. Alt-click a new source every few strokes so no pattern repeats.

Size, Hardness, Opacity: The brush diameter, how soft its edge is, and how strongly the copy covers. A soft edge hides the join.
Aligned: On: the source follows the brush at the same distance across strokes. Off: every stroke starts copying from the source point again.
Sample: Current Layer, Current & Below or All Layers: what the copy is taken from.

Unlike the Healing Brush, the Clone Stamp does not blend colour, so it is better along hard edges and straight lines.
Choose All Layers and clone onto a new empty layer, so you can erase a mistake without touching the photo.

No source is set yet. Alt-click (Option-click on a Mac) the area to copy first, then paint.

Photostar is a free online Photoshop alternative that runs in your browser. There is no account to make, and your files stay on your device.

Checked 13 November 2026 in the current editor.