Healing and Cloning in Photoshop

In this tutorial, I’m covering a helpful, quick tip when healing and cloning inside of Photoshop. Check out the video and article below to see how I non-destructively edit an image inside Photoshop!

Watch the Photoshop Healing and Cloning Quick Tip Video

Step 1: Create a Blank Layer

Many editors create a duplicate layer so they can make changes to it without affecting the layer below. This is a good way to non-destructively edit a photo, but there is a simpler approach. What I do is create a blank layer. From here, I select the healing Brush or Clone Stamp tool.

Step 2: Change Sample Setting

Typically, these “tools” come default to Sample “Current Layer” which we don’t want. If we try to use the Healing Brush or Clone Stamp, nothing is going to happen. If we change the sample to “Current & Below,” the tool will sample from the blank layer as well as the layer below it.

Step 3: Retouch Your Photo

Now you can start retouching your image. If you hide the background layer, you can see all the changes you’re making on the blank layer. This is an advantage when retouching, because if you decide you want to delete some retouches at any point in time, you can simply erase it from the blank layer.

Conclusion & More Info

For those of you who are getting started in Photoshop retouching, this is a great tip to keep in mind. We hope you enjoyed this tutorial. For more tutorials like these, be sure to check out our YouTube channel.