When it comes to retouching and removing blemishes, nothing beats the good old-fashioned Clone Stamp tool (S). One thing that isn’t old-fashioned (although it’s been possible for a few years now) is the ability to clone onto a new blank layer. This is the way to go, because you can always use a layer mask to brush away areas that aren’t working or when you’ve gone overboard. Create a new layer and choose the Clone Stamp tool. If you start cloning on the new layer, you’ll notice that nothing happens. The key here is to set the Sample drop-down menu in the Options Bar to Current & Below.
This tip previously appeared in Colin Smith’s Photoshop Tips column, in the August, 2018 issue of Photoshop User magazine.
