Move Tool annoyance in Photoshop CS6.
I use the move tool alot in my work, with high fidelity mockups for interface design. I rely on precision and predictability in my workflow. In Photoshop CS6 with the move tool set to auto-select layer, i would suspect the move tool to select the excact element im targeting at which it doesn't. it automatically selects nearby elements, which is a HUGE annoyance and disturbance. It ruins the workflow, and it's unpredicable.
Is there at least an option to remove this behaviour and just make it precise as in previous versions of photoshop?
I use the move tool alot in my work, with high fidelity mockups for interface design. I rely on precision and predictability in my workflow. In Photoshop CS6 with the move tool set to auto-select layer, i would suspect the move tool to select the excact element im targeting at which it doesn't. it automatically selects nearby elements, which is a HUGE annoyance and disturbance. It ruins the workflow, and it's unpredicable.
Is there at least an option to remove this behaviour and just make it precise as in previous versions of photoshop?
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- frustrated, annoyed, considering alternatives
Posted 7 years ago
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I myself noted this problem in July: http://forums.adobe.com/message/4695525. Then another noted the problem: http://feedback.photoshop.com/photosh.... In fact I've seen more including this back in April: http://forums.adobe.com/message/4302292 which includes a video clearly showing the problem.
I still have not seen any response saying this will be fixed. Most seem to suggest video card problems. I'm using a MacBook Pro... We can not be the only ones frustrated.
On another note anyone agree with this post from 2005? http://hanfordlemoore.com/v/photoshop...
I still have not seen any response saying this will be fixed. Most seem to suggest video card problems. I'm using a MacBook Pro... We can not be the only ones frustrated.
On another note anyone agree with this post from 2005? http://hanfordlemoore.com/v/photoshop...
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Going Crazy here. We should form a support group.
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It's funny how you can work around other bugs so easily and yet for those that use shapes this particular bug just continues to niggle until you break in frustration. With other bugs users aren't as annoyed but reading through the various reports of the same problem I sense designers are on the brink of throwing their computers across the studio in anger!
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Yeah, that's also my impression. I think it's because that the nature of the issue is so basic, and the amount of times you encounter it during a day of work makes it so agonizing
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Honestly, this program has WAY to many bugs to justify it's astronomical price.
I can't believe the community is so overly tolerant.
I can't believe the community is so overly tolerant.
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Regardless of whether you are on a PC or Mac, or whether you have Auto-select on or off, this problem occurs. It only occurs with smart objects in the mix. If those objects are rasterized, there's no selection issue - everything is then accurate.
This issue is not something that is easily overlooked. It's painfully obvious with your first run of CS6, which makes me think it was an intentional inclusion.
I'm unfortunately back in 5.5 until this issue is fixed. Trying to work on files that require pixel accurate selection is impossible.
This issue is not something that is easily overlooked. It's painfully obvious with your first run of CS6, which makes me think it was an intentional inclusion.
I'm unfortunately back in 5.5 until this issue is fixed. Trying to work on files that require pixel accurate selection is impossible.
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I have upgraded today and noticed this epic issue in less than 10 mins.
Hey - adobe - I have just spent out on 4 web premiums and 1 master collection... I am seriously going to get a refund and going back to cs5 for this error, more because there is no sign of this being fixed!
It would help out the whole community if you could give an indication A) you are aware of this error and B) that when it will be fixed - you may even save me from refunding...
This occurs too many times to bare!
"community help" - ha 5 months to not get a reply... where is the help?
Hey - adobe - I have just spent out on 4 web premiums and 1 master collection... I am seriously going to get a refund and going back to cs5 for this error, more because there is no sign of this being fixed!
It would help out the whole community if you could give an indication A) you are aware of this error and B) that when it will be fixed - you may even save me from refunding...
This occurs too many times to bare!
"community help" - ha 5 months to not get a reply... where is the help?
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I would love to see this problem 'acknowledged' or marked as 'in progress'... It kills me, I've been making all my vectors smart objects but this becomes annoying when resizing vectors. Come on Adobe!
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@matt shaw - I don't think I want adobe "dethroning" - the creative suite is worth every penny. The only thing I take issue with - is the lack of support having got your money. It makes for a poor experience and then - like yourself - you end up resenting them, wanting to shop elsewhere except we all know you have no choice.
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[off-topic] hehe right
For the record, I'd hate to see Photoshop "dethroned". It's by a long shot my favorite software - always has been. Been using it since v5. But . . . we all know what a little competition does. Though, for any organization/company to compete with Photoshop, they'd first have to catch up to Photoshop, development-wise. PS is a very evolved program. What . . . GIMP? Haha yeah right!
Nah, it's all good. As with anything else in the digital world, you just take the good with the bad. Computers/software will never be perfect. They're only tools. There will always be headaches. [/off-topic]
For the record, I'd hate to see Photoshop "dethroned". It's by a long shot my favorite software - always has been. Been using it since v5. But . . . we all know what a little competition does. Though, for any organization/company to compete with Photoshop, they'd first have to catch up to Photoshop, development-wise. PS is a very evolved program. What . . . GIMP? Haha yeah right!
Nah, it's all good. As with anything else in the digital world, you just take the good with the bad. Computers/software will never be perfect. They're only tools. There will always be headaches. [/off-topic]
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Same problem! Very unhappy and disappointed about this!
I'm now constantly zooming in and out to get past the 9px "selection assist" buffer zone around vector objects.
I'm now constantly zooming in and out to get past the 9px "selection assist" buffer zone around vector objects.
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Just adding to the topic with the same frustrating problem. All my illustrations are done in Photoshop and are built of 100's of vector shapes and raster layers small and large and using "auto select" is the only way to work, which you now cannot use very well but worked great in every previous version of Photoshop. Have been using Photoshop since the first Photoshop 6.
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Good News:
I thought I should point out that at the top of the feed it now says acknowledged
Bad News:
Now all we need do is wait a further 5 months for a resolution. ;)
Tip:
For all of you finding this a big pain in the behind like me - there is a usable workaround I found. If you just moving or selecting items hit ctrl + H to hide the transform controls you instantly get accurate selection. Not ideal but better than nothing to hold you all over.
On another note:
Does anyone else find that when you have the colour picker open the flick panning doesn't work correctly? - in that you cant flick twice until the first animation is complete... may be hardware specific as this requires gpu support.
I thought I should point out that at the top of the feed it now says acknowledged
Bad News:
Now all we need do is wait a further 5 months for a resolution. ;)
Tip:
For all of you finding this a big pain in the behind like me - there is a usable workaround I found. If you just moving or selecting items hit ctrl + H to hide the transform controls you instantly get accurate selection. Not ideal but better than nothing to hold you all over.
On another note:
Does anyone else find that when you have the colour picker open the flick panning doesn't work correctly? - in that you cant flick twice until the first animation is complete... may be hardware specific as this requires gpu support.
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Yup, it's reassuring to see the issue being aknowledged officially. Our only hope now is that the when there is some news on whatever might be going on backstage, it will be shared regardless of a long time frame, it's just nice to know what the scope is (This was a friendly plead to you Chris Cox :) )
On your other note:
I just tried the flick panning out, I have the same issue.
On your other note:
I just tried the flick panning out, I have the same issue.
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It seems to be okay to me so far. I am using a Mac Pro with OS X 10.7.5 if that is relevant information.
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UPDATE:
Yeah I found out last night that this is windows only it seems... I have added the bug in a separate feed.
http://feedback.photoshop.com/photosh...
Yeah I found out last night that this is windows only it seems... I have added the bug in a separate feed.
http://feedback.photoshop.com/photosh...
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This issue is comically frustrating for me because I use CS5 (which doesn't exhibit this selection issue) at work, but then go home and use CS6, and when I do I suddenly have to "re-adjust" to the unwanted selection buffer. Always takes me aback the first time it happens - I automatically assume I'm not clicking in the right spot or there's some non-visible pixel I'm clicking by accident.
In other words, my personal experience with this issue well illustrates the uncomfortable disparity in cursor behaviors because unlike most users that just switch from CS5 to CS6 ONCE, I switch back and forth constantly haha.
(My constant switching isn't Adobe's fault of course. And it makes dealing with other changes difficult as well, even positive ones.)
In other words, my personal experience with this issue well illustrates the uncomfortable disparity in cursor behaviors because unlike most users that just switch from CS5 to CS6 ONCE, I switch back and forth constantly haha.
(My constant switching isn't Adobe's fault of course. And it makes dealing with other changes difficult as well, even positive ones.)
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Hey matt - did you see my work around - its not so bad...
Workaround / Tip:
If you are just moving or selecting items hit ctrl + H to hide the transform controls you instantly get accurate selection. Not ideal but better than nothing to hold you all over till the fix comes.
Workaround / Tip:
If you are just moving or selecting items hit ctrl + H to hide the transform controls you instantly get accurate selection. Not ideal but better than nothing to hold you all over till the fix comes.
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Thank you for re-highlighting that, FT. Good find.
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Am I missing something... How does hiding the path or transform controls remove the issue?
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To be honest I haven't tested this yet (still at work). Maybe it only works when Transform Controls is turned on??? That's one of the first things I turn off with a new Photoshop install . . .
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The hiding (ctrl h) tip doesn't work for me.
On a side-note - Speaking of switching between CS5 and 6, I do the same. How annoying are you finding the removal of the 'arrange documents' button in CS6?
So useful in CS5 and now only accessible from the menu dropdown in CS6.
Slows the workflow down, bigtime.
On a side-note - Speaking of switching between CS5 and 6, I do the same. How annoying are you finding the removal of the 'arrange documents' button in CS6?
So useful in CS5 and now only accessible from the menu dropdown in CS6.
Slows the workflow down, bigtime.
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Removal of the arrange docs buttons sucks!
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Likewise... Who ever switches on 'show transform controls' or 'auto-select layer/group'? Simply hold ctrl and click to select a layer and then use ctrl-t for transform when you require it... Hiding the path or transform controls doesn't remove the problem. For a second I thought there was an actual work-around ha ha. Oh well...
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The arrange docs button made it into illustrator and indesign, but not photoshop. Major wtf.
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At least there is a work-around for that one within Windows > Arrange, albeit a little lengthier. You can create a short-cut if you do need quick switching.
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True that, still, I like that button.
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Well on a windows machine - hiding the transform controls makes my auto select work as per cs5 (you click and select what you are clicking not a nearby object).The only drawback is you have turned your controls off so knowing what you have selected is a little trickier (but you can hit ctrl + h to get them back up again or ctrl + T if you are actually wanting to transform)
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It boils down to ui theory - what is the right balance? Should PS devs give us every button conceivable accessible in ONE click -OR- or hide most buttons and create a "nicer" looking ui?
In this case, there's blank toolbar just sitting there so why not use it? Furthermore, why remove it when it was there previously? I'm all for progress and the progressive refinement of Photoshop . . . but this was a bad choice, IMO.
K . . . what was this thread about again? haha I guess a little off-topic action is ok if within replies to a post, rather than making new posts. Forum etiquette! whoo (now I'm getting off-topic, in an off-topic subject; off-topic'ception.
But, continuing with the ui thing . . . WHAT IF . . . PS adopted more of the "ribbon" approach (like Microsoft Office Work, Excel, etc)
-AND-
allowed the customization of the tabbed ribbon toolbar? How great would that be?

In this case, there's blank toolbar just sitting there so why not use it? Furthermore, why remove it when it was there previously? I'm all for progress and the progressive refinement of Photoshop . . . but this was a bad choice, IMO.
K . . . what was this thread about again? haha I guess a little off-topic action is ok if within replies to a post, rather than making new posts. Forum etiquette! whoo (now I'm getting off-topic, in an off-topic subject; off-topic'ception.
But, continuing with the ui thing . . . WHAT IF . . . PS adopted more of the "ribbon" approach (like Microsoft Office Work, Excel, etc)
-AND-
allowed the customization of the tabbed ribbon toolbar? How great would that be?

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Hey FT, is that even when the two shape layers (and this problem is specifically with shape layers) are overlapping with less than 10px of the lowest layer visible? Cheers, B
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OK - no excuses - I was pretty sure that the work around was indeed working - it must have been a moment of insanity - I just went and tested and I was wrong.
Sorry for the false hope.
Sorry for the false hope.
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:) You're forgiven... Now Adobe since there is no work-around please get a move on and fix the problem. Thanks.
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I have recently gotten my company to invest in CS6, I am desiging high fidelity web design mockups, and also GUI's for apps and interfaces,
This is driving me to the edge, it's incredibly frustrating to have photoshop ignore the location of my mouse cursor and to assume that I am making a mistake and 'correct' it for me.
My cursor is where I want it to be, and I am clicking on what I intend to be clicking on. I need precision, I don't want photoshop to second guess my movements. It's really disrupting my work and I'm considering downgrading to CS5.
This is driving me to the edge, it's incredibly frustrating to have photoshop ignore the location of my mouse cursor and to assume that I am making a mistake and 'correct' it for me.
My cursor is where I want it to be, and I am clicking on what I intend to be clicking on. I need precision, I don't want photoshop to second guess my movements. It's really disrupting my work and I'm considering downgrading to CS5.
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Well put.
Adding to your post - the ones most troubled by this change are the ones doing ui it looks like - the guys that deal with lots of little tiny layers, often VECTOR layers. We've spent years honing our mouse accuracy/hand-eye coordination. I can guesstimate pixels on the screen quite well, move my mouse very accurately pixel by pixel, I know exactly where my cursor's hotspot is, etc etc. . .
But now PS is saying, "Oh, you clicked 9px away from your actual target, silly! Here let me default to selecting that layer you didn't even click for you! High-five pal, we got it!!!"
Errrrr no . . .
To the dev(s) responsible for the 9px buffer variable, just change the "9" to a "0". There. I'll pay you anything. Kidding, kidding. But seriously . . .
Adding to your post - the ones most troubled by this change are the ones doing ui it looks like - the guys that deal with lots of little tiny layers, often VECTOR layers. We've spent years honing our mouse accuracy/hand-eye coordination. I can guesstimate pixels on the screen quite well, move my mouse very accurately pixel by pixel, I know exactly where my cursor's hotspot is, etc etc. . .
But now PS is saying, "Oh, you clicked 9px away from your actual target, silly! Here let me default to selecting that layer you didn't even click for you! High-five pal, we got it!!!"
Errrrr no . . .
To the dev(s) responsible for the 9px buffer variable, just change the "9" to a "0". There. I'll pay you anything. Kidding, kidding. But seriously . . .
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Big update today and yet this issue is not fixed... WHY????????????????????
FFS this is annoying. It has soured the new features in the update for me. I really don't care for looking at the new features now after seeing that this has not been fixed.
FFS this is annoying. It has soured the new features in the update for me. I really don't care for looking at the new features now after seeing that this has not been fixed.
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I've found the solution, I just downgraded to CS5.1 :) I've used CS6 for 1-2 days only
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Please FIX/CHANGE this, I really am considering "downgrading" back to CS4 because it's that critical to my workflow. It's all too important that our move tool is as accurate as possible, I don't see how this is seen as a "feature"
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I'm running Ps CS6 on Windows 7 x64 and while I did notice this behavior several times when I first installed a couple months ago, I cannot replicate the issue now.
I've created an image similar to the ones posted in this thread and cannot seem to make the problem occur. Anyone else with the same setup try it and get back to us with what you find?
I've created an image similar to the ones posted in this thread and cannot seem to make the problem occur. Anyone else with the same setup try it and get back to us with what you find?
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Did you create the image using shapes? This is an issue with selecting shape layers not normal art layers. Certainly, and annoyingly, I still have problems selecting shape layers on the same set up you are running.
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Y'know what? I did not, no. I'll check using shapes. I hope Adobe updates this quickly given that it's been an issue for a long time.
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Can we get a delivery date on this bugfix already? I've been silently following the issue for five months and am rather appalled by the lack of support so far. This is a critical issue for customers paying a lot for something broken.
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I agree with the above comment, that there has been no mention except for an acknowledgement of the problem a couple of months ago. An update (even if it was "still working on correcting it" would be nice. PS6 has so many really great improved features from previous Photoshop versions, it is a shame that it has this major problem when working with vector shape/layers.
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Yes, any communication would be very appreciated!
If it makes any difference could be inspirational, i tried illustrating a suggestion for a helpful solution (in my world anyway :) ). Target assist would actually be the most awesome feature in the world, if implemented according to its uses. Normally, your eye-hand-screen coordination is trustworthy enough. But with very thin elements that are difficult to target, temporary target assist would make very much sense. So a simple solution could be for instance if you use the move tool and hold down Ctrl, target assist would kick in for when targeting those annoyingly thin or tiny elements.

If it makes any difference could be inspirational, i tried illustrating a suggestion for a helpful solution (in my world anyway :) ). Target assist would actually be the most awesome feature in the world, if implemented according to its uses. Normally, your eye-hand-screen coordination is trustworthy enough. But with very thin elements that are difficult to target, temporary target assist would make very much sense. So a simple solution could be for instance if you use the move tool and hold down Ctrl, target assist would kick in for when targeting those annoyingly thin or tiny elements.

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Surely the more people that actively post here - the more likely this will get noted *hint hint*
I really wish our team hadn't got cs6 - the first ever suite upgrade I regret down to such a basic issue! (this and the memory issues!)
I really wish our team hadn't got cs6 - the first ever suite upgrade I regret down to such a basic issue! (this and the memory issues!)
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"I really wish our team hadn't got cs6 - the first ever suite upgrade I regret down to such a basic issue!"
Exactly how I feel except its me who is in charge of upgrading my team. Right now its just me using CS6 and I won't be upgrading the rest of the team until they fix this issue.
Exactly how I feel except its me who is in charge of upgrading my team. Right now its just me using CS6 and I won't be upgrading the rest of the team until they fix this issue.
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Happy New Year! What would make it even happier would be an estimate time when this is likely to be fixed... This was raised 8 months ago and although 'acknowledged' worry that it's not actually 'in progress'... Would anyone at Adobe be able to give us any idea as to when this will be fixed? Some time estimate would be extremely appreciated.
Thanks!
Thanks!
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I second Billy Stagg's concerns - this is a serious hindrance to my design workflow. I shell out the bucks to stay current on Adobe products and it's unfortunate when the cost extends to lost productivity.
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instead of auto-select I have changed my workflow to manual-direct selection (name?) - you may get carpal tunnel fomr the keystroke but it is:
ctrl+cmnd+option then click the item - it will select the exact layer your cursor is on.
You can also add +shift to select multiple layers. I love this ability- I use it CONSTANTLY.
I even have the bottom and top side-button set to these keystrokes on my wacom.
*Note you MUST be in the move-tool (V) for this to work.
ctrl+cmnd+option then click the item - it will select the exact layer your cursor is on.
You can also add +shift to select multiple layers. I love this ability- I use it CONSTANTLY.
I even have the bottom and top side-button set to these keystrokes on my wacom.
*Note you MUST be in the move-tool (V) for this to work.
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Does this have anything to do with the 9px selection buffer issue ("Un-Precise Targeting) brought out by the OP???
On a PC, I just hold CONTROL while left-clicking with the Move Tool to "toggle" Auto-Select on the fly, just like holding SPACE to pan on the fly.
On a PC, I just hold CONTROL while left-clicking with the Move Tool to "toggle" Auto-Select on the fly, just like holding SPACE to pan on the fly.
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Nice to see status change to
"IN PROGRESS" :)
Any possible news on how this is being implemented/fixed/designed Chris? Or even an eta.?
"IN PROGRESS" :)
Any possible news on how this is being implemented/fixed/designed Chris? Or even an eta.?
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Yes, the fix is being implemented in the next major release. I mean, given that we've already payed for this piece of sh*tware, why would they bother fixing it sooner.
Ulrik Groth Andersen
Thanks for bringing these to our attention. It's difficult to find these discussions since its hard to describe a "feature" that has no name :)
Hopefully we can rally people here.