3 Messages
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300 Points
Wed, Jul 13, 2011 4:54 AM
Implemented
28
Photoshop: Don't understand the undo/redo system
Unlike most modern apps, Photoshop only has a single "undo". If you press command-z a second time, Photoshop will redo the change instead of continuing to undo. Not even Illustrator or InDesign works this way at this point.
To work around this issue, I customize my keyboard shortcuts to use "step backward" (command-z) and "step forward" (command-shift-z). For the most part this works great and I've been very happy with it.
But it brings up a new problem: if I change the selected layer, then press command-z ("step backward") then the layer change is undone as well. This is a constant frustration for me, and it seems there's no solution to get both the behaviors I want.
To me, there are two possible ways to fix this problem:
• Adopt a standard undo/redo system with multiple levels of undo/redo
• Make layer selection a separate step in the history
Personally I don't care that much, I'd be happy with either. But adopting a standard undo/redo system makes more sense to me, for consistency amongst the CS apps (as well as other apps). Perhaps it could be an option if there's disagreement over what works best for people.
To work around this issue, I customize my keyboard shortcuts to use "step backward" (command-z) and "step forward" (command-shift-z). For the most part this works great and I've been very happy with it.
But it brings up a new problem: if I change the selected layer, then press command-z ("step backward") then the layer change is undone as well. This is a constant frustration for me, and it seems there's no solution to get both the behaviors I want.
To me, there are two possible ways to fix this problem:
• Adopt a standard undo/redo system with multiple levels of undo/redo
• Make layer selection a separate step in the history
Personally I don't care that much, I'd be happy with either. But adopting a standard undo/redo system makes more sense to me, for consistency amongst the CS apps (as well as other apps). Perhaps it could be an option if there's disagreement over what works best for people.
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2 years ago
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Official Solution
JeffreyTranberry
Adobe Administrator
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15.8K Messages
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295K Points
9 years ago
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpo...
Sr. Product Manager, Adobe Digital Imaging
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Official Solution
JeffreyTranberry
Adobe Administrator
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15.8K Messages
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295K Points
6 years ago
Sr. Product Manager, Adobe Digital Imaging
4
marc_edwards
133 Messages
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5.1K Points
10 years ago
I don't know if there's any technical issues with including layer selection as a history state, but that seems to make sense as well.
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john_nack
1 Message
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60 Points
10 years ago
1. The keyboard shortcuts used for undo/redo
2. Layer selection changing upon undo
1. Photoshop's unusual Cmd-Z mapping is due to the fact that the app lets you toggle across multiple history states in one keypress.
For example, you might do something, then click 10 steps back in the History panel. Let's say you then hit Cmd-Z. Would you expect Photoshop to undo the most recent operation (getting you back to where you'd been prior to the last click), or to go to the 11th-back history state (that is, to go further back in time)? I'd expect PS to do what it does now: it undoes the click instead of digging me deeper.
I'm not sure it's possible to preserve the current (and to my mind correct) behavior while also making Cmd-Z work in the more common way (which is also correct). Of course PS could ask customers to make a choice via a dialog, but that's just a recipe for blank stares.
2. I can't think of a good reason for the current behavior. It seems like a rough edge that didn't get polished when PS added multiple layer selection. It's worth asking the team whether it can be changed.
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michael_piontek
3 Messages
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300 Points
10 years ago
Sounds good on issue 2 though, I'd be very happy if that was changed. If there's some disagreement, perhaps an option could be added in the "History Options" section of the History palette. There's already an option "Make Layer Visibility Changes Undoable". Adding a "Make Layer Selection Changes Undoable" option could be one way to address this.
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sergey_kritskiy
54 Messages
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1.4K Points
9 years ago
The common issue with this looks like that:
You change current layer from A to B. You make a stroke. You hitg 'Step Backward'. Photoshop undoes stroke AND selects layer A. You continue to work on layer A thinking you're actually on layer B.
This thing bugs _lot_ of people.
Can you please consider to add an option to make layer selects undoable?
It could be the same History option like with 'layer visibility' right now: turning this on allows you to undo layer visibility changes.
Please please please
This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
Make layer selects changes undoable!.
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brett_gilmour
59 Messages
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1K Points
9 years ago
It even happens after I've done several steps on the current layer but only undo one step. WHY would it jump to a layer from 3 steps ago?
Brett Gilmour
Brett Gilmour Photography
This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
Photoshop: After "undo", different layer are selected.
www.brettgilmour.com
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juho_ruuttunen
3 Messages
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120 Points
9 years ago
Thanks a lot for the script, but would it really be so hard to make a "don't switch layers automatically EVER!"-tick in the preferences menu?
edit:
AWESOME!
The script works perfectly! I can't stay mad, this thing did everything I wanted. Thank you Jeffrey!
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allen_w
88 Messages
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1.6K Points
9 years ago
This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
Make "step backward" command maintain current layer selection (like the "undo" command's behavior)....
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allen_w
88 Messages
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1.6K Points
9 years ago
but in the meantime, someone make a script you can use to workaround the issue...
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showth...
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rory_lutter
37 Messages
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776 Points
9 years ago
[] layerA
[] layerB
And you have layerB selected:
[] layerA
[] layerB < selected
Then you select layerA:
[] layerA < selected
[] layerB
Then you paint a brush stroke on LayerA
[] layerA < selected, now with one brush stroke
[] layerB
Then you undo that brush stroke. (CTL+Z)
What you get is:
[] layerA < brush stroke removed
[] layerB < selected,
It undoes not only the brush stroke but the layer selection operation.
What I'd prefer would be to end up with:
[] layerA < selected, with brush stroke removed.
[] layerB
I can't tell you how many times I've been working on an image with multiple layers, selected a new layer, painted something that I didn't like, undone that operation, and then discovered sometime later that I've been painting on the wrong layer for a while because of this behavior.
It's not a huge deal of course, and there are plenty of workarounds, but the behavior seems a bit strange and unintuitive. Lesser programs could not be bothered with such minor issues, but Photoshop, and the near pinnacle of perfection that the program represents, might have the motivation to address this tiny blemish on it's smoothly polished interface.
It's like a chip in the paint of a car. For an ordinary car, this wouldn't matter, but Photoshop is a Lamborghini, and it needs to shine.
This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
Photoshop: Can't understand why step backward changes layer selection.
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photoshop_faq
Adobe Administrator
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158 Messages
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14.3K Points
9 years ago
"Why does the "Step backward" command also switch back to the layer that
was previously selected? It forces me to make dummy strokes before
painting on a new layer so I don't accidentally switch back."
"Please stop photoshop going back to the previous layer when undo, it gets tiresome having to reselect the layer over and over again when experimenting with changes."
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antonis_makriyannis
10 Messages
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192 Points
9 years ago
So, if you have made say a brush stroke and you want to just undo it and try again, you have to take the extra time and reselect the layer.
Anyone else with the same "problem"?
This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
Photoshop: Poor undo functionality?.
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allen_w
88 Messages
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1.6K Points
9 years ago
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gene_poole_4217892
4 Messages
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110 Points
9 years ago
Any instructions on how to install and use the script you provided?
Thanks.
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