Danny, that what I was asking about: with that parameter/box switched to any of the options it does not work. Thanks for trying though.

Pattle, it is consistent with new image files and after restarting.

There are other bugs too, like the Smudge tool draws a black brush stroke unless the opacity is turnead down to 1%.

I hope all these bugs are addressed and have to assume they are. However, it would nice to get some feedback on the forum from Adobe on the status.

I see that they have announced officially the release of PS CS6 in the next 30 days.

I went to my iMac and think the problem is with my Wacom tablet and pen.

I opened a regular image file made from my Canon .cr2 raw file and got similar behavior. At first it would only clone with the  pen lifted after each stroke and then it starting working properly again.

However, I could not get it to pass the cloning to the layers below.

I dropped my tablet over six months ago and lately it is starting to act flakey. Looks like a good excuse to upgrade to the Intuos 5.

Regards and thank you,

BTW, here is my sys pref info. Bought new Dec/2011.

Hardware:

Model Name:          iMac

Model Identifier:          iMac12,1

Processor Name:          Intel Core i5

Processor Speed:          2.7 GHz

Number of Processors:          1

Total Number of Cores:          4

L2 Cache (per Core):          256 KB

L3 Cache:          6 MB

Memory:          4 GB

Boot ROM Version:          IM121.0047.B1F

SMC Version (system):          1.71f22

Software:

System Version:          Mac OS X 10.7.3 (11D50)

Kernel Version:          Darwin 11.3.0

Boot Volume:          Macintosh HD

Boot Mode:          Normal

Computer Name:          Francis’s iMac

User Name:          Francis Stellitano (francisstellitano)

Secure Virtual Memory:          Enabled

64-bit Kernel and Extensions:          Yes

Time since boot:          13:16

Welcome back gang.

Made a couple new discoveries while double checking.

Again, the same four layer setup: Background-Background copy-HSB Adj layer-Levels Adj layer.

The problem replicates with the Adj layers clipped or not.

The key is any tweak in the Adj layers will cause the issue.

Any Adj layer tweak seems to get exaggerated when smudging on a layer.

For example, increasing the gamma or center slider in the Levels box will cause all bright pixels to go white and darker pixels to go black.

I do not know the threshold luminance pixel value but I would guess it is at 128/128.

Modest tweaks to the Adj layer, for example raising the gamma slider to 1.20 will cause the smudge to posterize or turn white.

Tweaking the HSB Saturation slider to +12 will cause color posterization.

Counter to what I had stated upstream, any setting of the Smudge tool will cause this to happen.

Also, as said upstream, the performance goes down such that the spinning balls appear frequently.

In other words, it does not appear to be a 1-to-1 relationship of tweaks made in the Adj layer to the effect of the Smudge tool.

My guess is that the Sample All Layers option is multiplying the color and luminance values fo the layers together.

Plus, it was probably designed to do so but I do not think it was to be so pronounced.

Still amazes me that the situation never occurred or did I notice it until now, and the issue exists in CS5 too.

When did PS add the Sample All Layers option to the Smudge tool?

Anybody else?

================================

Adobe Photoshop Version: 13.0 (13.0 20120305.m.415 2012/03/05:21:00:00) x64

Operating System: Mac OS 10.7.3

System architecture: Intel CPU Family:6, Model:42, Stepping:7 with MMX, SSE Integer, SSE FP, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2

Physical processor count: 4

Processor speed: 2700 MHz

Built-in memory: 4096 MB

Free memory: 1738 MB

Memory available to Photoshop: 3384 MB

Memory used by Photoshop: 75 %

Image tile size: 1024K

Image cache levels: 4

OpenGL Drawing: Enabled.

OpenGL Drawing Mode: Advanced

OpenGL Allow Normal Mode: True.

OpenGL Allow Advanced Mode: True.

OpenGL Allow Old GPUs: Not Detected.

OpenGL Version: 2.1 ATI-7.18.11

OpenCL Version: 1.1 (Dec  4 2011 16:53:18)

Video Card Vendor: ATI Technologies Inc.

Video Card Renderer: ATI Radeon HD 6770M OpenGL Engine

Display: 1

Main Display

Display Depth:= 32

Display Bounds:=  top: 0, left: 0, bottom: 1080, right: 1920

Video Renderer ID: 16915206

Video Card Memory: 500 MB

Video Rect Texture Size: 16384

Serial number: Tryout Version

Application folder: Macintosh HD:Applications:Adobe Photoshop CS6:

Photoshop scratch has async I/O enabled

Scratch volume(s):

  Macintosh HD, 930.7G, 700.7G free

Required Plug-ins folder: Macintosh HD:Applications:Adobe Photoshop CS6:Adobe Photoshop CS6.app:Contents:Required:

Primary Plug-ins folder: Macintosh HD:Applications:Adobe Photoshop CS6:Plug-ins:

Additional Plug-ins folder: not set

Installed components:

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   AdbeScriptUIFlex.framework   AdbeScriptUIFlex   6.2.29.18602   66.490082

   adobe_caps.framework   adobe_caps   5.0.11.0   1.256674

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   AdobeAGM.framework   AdobeAGM   4.26.17.19243   66.492997

   AdobeAXE8SharedExpat.framework   AdobeAXE8SharedExpat   3.7.101.18636   66.26830

   AdobeAXEDOMCore.framework   AdobeAXEDOMCore   3.7.101.18636   66.26830

   AdobeBIB.framework   AdobeBIB   1.2.02.19243   66.492997

   AdobeBIBUtils.framework   AdobeBIBUtils   1.1.01   66.492997

   AdobeCoolType.framework   AdobeCoolType   5.10.31.19243   66.492997

   AdobeCrashReporter.framework   AdobeCrashReporter   6.0.20120201  

   AdobeExtendScript.framework   AdobeExtendScript   4.2.12.18602   66.490082

   AdobeJP2K.framework   AdobeJP2K   2.0.0.18562   66.236923

   AdobeLinguistic.framework      17206  

   AdobeMPS.framework   AdobeMPS   5.8.0.19463   66.495174

   AdobeOwl.framework   AdobeOwl   4.0.93   66.496052

   AdobePDFL.framework   AdobePDFL   10.0.1.18562   66.419471

   AdobePDFSettings.framework   AdobePDFSettings   1.4  

   AdobePIP.framework   AdobePIP   6.0.0.1642  

   AdobeScCore.framework   AdobeScCore   4.2.12.18602   66.490082

   AdobeUpdater.framework   AdobeUpdater   6.0.0.1452   "52.338651"

   AdobeXMP.framework   AdobeXMPCore   66.145661   66.145661

   AdobeXMPFiles.framework   AdobeXMPFiles   66.145661   66.145661

   AdobeXMPScript.framework   AdobeXMPScript   66.145661   66.145661

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   aif_ogl.framework   AdobeAIF   3.0.00   62.490293

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   amtlib.framework   amtlib   6.0.0.75  

   boost_date_time.framework   boost_date_time   6.0.0.0  

   boost_signals.framework   boost_signals   6.0.0.0  

   boost_system.framework   boost_system   6.0.0.0  

   boost_threads.framework   boost_threads   6.0.0.0  

   Cg.framework   NVIDIA Cg     

   CIT.framework   CIT   2.0.5.19287   145486

   data_flow.framework   AdobeAIF   3.0.00   62.490293

   dvaaudiodevice.framework   dvaaudiodevice   6.0.0.0  

   dvacore.framework   dvacore   6.0.0.0  

   dvamarshal.framework   dvamarshal   6.0.0.0  

   dvamediatypes.framework   dvamediatypes   6.0.0.0  

   dvaplayer.framework   dvaplayer   6.0.0.0  

   dvatransport.framework   dvatransport   6.0.0.0  

   dvaunittesting.framework   dvaunittesting   6.0.0.0  

   dynamiclink.framework   dynamiclink   6.0.0.0  

   FileInfo.framework   FileInfo   66.145433   66.145433

   filter_graph.framework   AdobeAIF   3.0.00   62.490293

   hydra_filters.framework   AdobeAIF   3.0.00   62.490293

   ICUConverter.framework   ICUConverter   3.61   "gtlib_3.0" "." "16615"

   ICUData.framework   ICUData   3.61   "gtlib_3.0" "." "16615"

   image_compiler.framework   AdobeAIF   3.0.00   62.490293

   image_flow.framework   AdobeAIF   3.0.00   62.490293

   image_runtime.framework   AdobeAIF   3.0.00   62.490293

   LogSession.framework   LogSession   2.1.2.1640  

   mediacoreif.framework   mediacoreif   6.0.0.0  

   PlugPlug.framework   PlugPlug   3.0.0.383  

   UpdaterNotifications.framework   UpdaterNotifications   6.0.0.24   "6.0.0.24"

   wrservices.framework        

Required plug-ins:

(removed)

Optional and third party plug-ins:

   Perfect Effects Free 3.0.2, Copyright © 2012 onOne Software.  All rights reserved. - from the file “Perfect Effects Free.plugin”

   Perfect Effects Free Filter 3.0.2, Copyright © 2012 onOne Software.  All rights reserved. - from the file “Perfect Effects Free.plugin”

   Perfect Effects Free Smart Filter 3.0.2, Copyright © 2012 onOne Software.  All rights reserved. - from the file “Perfect Effects Free.plugin”

Plug-ins that failed to load: NONE

Flash:

   onOne

   Mini Bridge

   Kuler

Installed TWAIN devices: NONE