Convert focus merge layer to a standard pixel layer - How?

[lphilpot]

It's probably something simple I'm overlooking, but...

I create a focus merge and use the clone brush in conjunction with the individual images in the Sources panel to correct any merge issues. No problem. But now I want to use the clone brush on my merged layer in the usual manner, not with the individual source images in the Sources panel. I've tried duplicating the merged layer, rasterizing it, merge visible, flatten, etc., all to no avail. Every time I select the clone brush, it goes back to the source images. The delete icon in the Sources panel is greyed out, so I can't do that.

How do I turn my merged stack into a conventional pixel layer so I can clone from one place to another?

Thanks.

[lphilpot]

Follow-up

I had the (saved) document just sitting there for a while in Photo, in the background, while I took care of other tasks. When I went back to it I noticed there were some other focus merge artifacts I had overlooked and needed to correct. I activated the eye button on the Sources panel, selected the correct source image and tried to clone out the artifacts. Nothing doing -- No changes to the image. Tried again, checked this, that, etc. Finally saved the document (again), restarted Photo and reopened the document.

Bang - The source images are gone and the layer can be edited normally.

...but of course now there are those other artifacts that need fixing, but can't be since the source layers are gone. Naturally.

Who knows...

[walt.farrell]

51 minutes ago, lphilpot said:

Bang - The source images are gone

They are discarded in the Saved document. There have been requests to maintain the Source information.

[lphilpot]

Just now, walt.farrell said:

They are discarded in the Saved document. There have been requests to maintain the Source information.

So effectively the way to make a stack into a pixel layer is to save, close and reopen I guess... Seems a bit less than optimal.

[Old Bruce]

3 hours ago, lphilpot said:

I create a focus merge and use the clone brush in conjunction with the individual images in the Sources panel to correct any merge issues.

I am rather surprised that you can use the Clone Brush in a Focus Merge file. It doesn't seem to work for me.

[lphilpot]

It initially worked as advertised* for correcting an issue, but later on it didn't. But as I indicated in a subsequent post, Photo stopped painting entirely when I was trying to edit a mask (on a High Pass layer). Multiple issues, apparently.

* Select the eye button on the Sources panel, find the good image, deselect the eye button and use the (active by default) clone brush to brush in the parts of the good image. But later when I returned, no good.

[walt.farrell]

21 minutes ago, lphilpot said:

So effectively the way to make a stack into a pixel layer is to save, close and reopen I guess... Seems a bit less than optimal.

Merge Visible or Flatten should do it. I'm not sure why they didn't work for you.

[lphilpot]

Since I also has the concurrent painting issue, maybe they're both related to some internal issues in (the current instance of) Photo. Dunno.