Photoshop CC: Path transformation error

Attempting to transform a path with ether no x or y dimensions - in other words a single vertical or horizontal line - returns the following error message: "Could not transform the path because the selected portion of the path does not enclose any pixels."

Jason Emry

6 Posts
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Posted 5 years ago

5 years ago

Chris Cox

20280 Posts
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Which product are you using?
Which version?
Which OS version?

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2019-01-31T23:53:32+00:00

charls varghese

1 Post
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just go to the path and delete path. this will do.

5 years ago

Jason Emry

6 Posts
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Sorry for not being more specific:
Photoshop CC
14.1.2 x64
OSX 10.9.1

Also some strange behavior I noticed after attempting to transform the above mentioned paths. Sometimes many duplicates are generated in place on the same layer so that when I delete a path which I drew only once, there are several more exactly like it remaining.

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5 years ago

sean hotter

1 Post
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I am getting this issue too. Could not transform the path because the selected portion of the path does not enclose any pixels. There are clearly pixels on the layer.

PS CC
OS X 10.9.1

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5 years ago

Jeffrey Tranberry, Sr. Product Manager, Digital Imaging

15078 Posts
2141 Reply Likes

Do you have the 14.2.1 update? http://adobe.ly/PS-Up-To-Date

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5 years ago

Jason Emry

6 Posts
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Updated. But these issues persist.

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5 years ago

Jeffrey Tranberry, Sr. Product Manager, Digital Imaging

15078 Posts
2141 Reply Likes

Hmm. I can't readily reproduce. Can you post a sample file and video of your steps?

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5 years ago

Jason Emry

6 Posts
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How can I do that? This comment thingy strangely doesn't seem to upload PSDs.

I can tell you that you have to attempt to transform the path itself, not the entire layer.

As for the issue of paths randomly copying themselves, I can't consistently reproduce this.

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2014-03-14T21:35:49+00:00

Jeffrey Tranberry, Sr. Product Manager, Digital Imaging

15076 Posts
2135 Reply Likes

Dropbox or another sharing service is usually what I recommend.

2016-10-13T19:33:47+00:00

Michael Sean

1 Post
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I had the same issue. Save the file and closed Photoshop completely. Reopened the file and the problem was solved.

2016-10-15T14:35:51+00:00

Jeffrey Tranberry, Sr. Product Manager, Digital Imaging

15076 Posts
2135 Reply Likes

Strange. If we can determine the steps to reproduce, we can look into.

2016-12-11T10:34:03+00:00

Sa Rah

0 Posts
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Hi,
I had the same problem. I made my path on a new layer and the problem was gone!
try it.

5 years ago

Jason Emry

6 Posts
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I guess that is if there is a stroke applied to the shape layer. If not, even trying to transform the layer that the path is on will return an error.

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5 years ago

Jeanette Dickens

1 Post
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I was having this same problem this evening. (I'm on deadline... no bueno!) Anyway, I drug all my layers into a new psd file and it corrected the issue. I guess my problem was a file corruption of some kind. I was doing changes on an old file that has had many rounds of corrections and is possibly many years old. Hope y'all figured out your fix!

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2015-09-01T14:30:54+00:00

Theresa Fiorani

2 Posts
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Thanks. This solution worked for me. Ugh, frustrating!

2019-02-15T10:14:12+00:00

Alex Stenzel

1 Post
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I just saved the same file again as a copy and it worked again. Looks like same idea as above without the work of moving layers.

(Edited)

5 years ago

Davy Agten

2 Posts
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I also have this issue. All X-Y lines can't be "free transformed". When you draw a skewed line the transform option works.

I've tested it on 4 different Mac devices. 10.8 and 10.6.
Is there a solution?

My workaround for now is to add an angle, rotated and remove the extra line.

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5 years ago

Julian Celaj

2 Posts
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This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
PHOTOSHOP: "could not transform the path because the selected portion of the path does not enclose any pixels" bug.

Whenever I press ctrl + T to transform a layer, it gives the "could not transform the path because the selected portion of the path does not enclose any pixels" statement and doesn't do the action. I don't understand if this is a bug or if there is some solution to this silly problem.

I've restarted Photoshop and tried it on several different layers...

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5 years ago

Davy Agten

2 Posts
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I think it's a bug. I think I'm going to open a support ticket for this issue.

keep you posted.

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5 years ago

David Price

1 Post
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I had this same issue. My work around was to copy the layer to a new image, apply the transformation & copy it back into the original image.

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5 years ago

Nicole Cooksey

2 Posts
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I'm having the same issue. There are obviously pixels, but I can't transform any of it. If I start a new document, I can transform pixels there. It's as if the PSDs I made are corrupted. I can't copy/paste anything from the layers of those PSDs into a new document either... Very frustrating...

I tried reinstalling PS CC, restarting the computer, but the same problem persists with my 20 psds that I made just the other day...

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5 years ago

augustine castillo

1 Post
5 Reply Likes

Check your paths window, if there's a active path 1 or anything hung up there then Photoshop CC thinks your attempt to transform that path instead of the layer you're actually working on.

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5 people like this

2014-10-23T18:19:39+00:00

Mark Amadio

1 Post
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This is what worked for me. Went into the paths window and deleted the path and all was right with the universe.

2014-10-24T00:30:48+00:00

Nicole Cooksey

2 Posts
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Thanks to everyone for your help.

2014-11-25T21:16:24+00:00

Kurt Lorence

1 Post
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this worked for me, thx!

2015-01-04T01:27:52+00:00

Thomas Macgowan

3 Posts
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this was the issue, thanks!

2015-07-27T02:20:29+00:00

Matt Rock

1 Post
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Worked for me as well. Thanks!

2016-05-05T18:56:45+00:00

Katja Børseth Barca

1 Post
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Worked! Thanks!!!

2018-02-16T14:40:18+00:00

Ofer Cohen

1 Post
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life saver you are !

5 years ago

ozgu ozden

1 Post
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I found the solution here:
http://www.photoshopforums.com/creati...

good luck

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5 years ago

echolock

4 Posts
1 Reply Like

SOLUTION:

1.
Select all the Layers.

2.
Right-click on Layers and select Duplicate. Use a New Document in the drop down.

3.
Double-check the layer(s) can now be transformed. BOOM, done.

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1 person likes this

5 years ago

Andy Ruiz

2 Posts
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Like mentioned above, just click on the PATHS tab, where the LAYERS window is, and most likely there will be a path of some sort there. Just make sure you deselect it and everything should be okay. No need to copy or duplicate your file. Its not a bug!

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4 years ago

Polina korneeva

1 Post
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What helped me is creating just a random separate layer and trying to transform it. Afterwards other layers also became free to transform.

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4 years ago

Laureal Richardson

1 Post
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I had this same problem last week..and couldn't find n answer besides the duplication of layers...but ironically the same "Could not transform the path because the selected portion of the path does not enclose any pixels." happened to me again today, luckily I was working on a white background when I noticed the error came from a pen tool. Looks like I had just placed a point without finishing the pen tool selection...so SOLUTION: just click the PEN Tool and find the point(dots) and remove it then hopefully that works..worked for me rather than the whole duplication layer.. Good Luck

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4 years ago

Richard Robin

1 Post
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I have a similar problem, and I find it hard to believe that this is not a bug. In PS 2014 (Dell PC 64 bit, Windows 7), I often create a shape (a shape, not a path) with the pen tool. Once the shape is closed, I use Transform, Warp to modify it. When done, I click on the selection tool and am asked if I want to apply the transformation. I answer yes. So far, so good. But now, without moving off the current layer containing the shape I just warped, I try to do some fine-tuning to the warp. I try to repeat the warping operation. I choose Transform => Warp again. But this time, I am told the selected portion of the path does not enclose any pixels. Really? Because if I repeat the exact same procedure ONE MORE TIME, (staying on the same layer and choosing Transfer, Warp, I can indeed continue warping. In other words, after the initial transformation, without changing layers, I must first read the “no pixel selected” message before making another successful attempt. This sounds like a bug!

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4 years ago

Jeanne Rubbo, Employee

125 Posts
27 Reply Likes

Hi Richard,

I am unable to reproduce this issue using the steps you've provided. Do you get the error message every (first) time you attempt to fine tune the warp? If not, is there something that seems to trigger it -- number of anchor points, type of anchor points, presence of other layers in the document, etc.?

If you have a video that demonstrates the issue, that would also help me track it down.

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1 year ago

cliff wong

1 Post
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This might be late and already solved but i don't see the solution, so i will post what worked for me. Go to Edit,keyboard shortcuts,selection,transform selection,type in the usual shortcut cntrl T (the button,don't type cntrl) you will get the message that this shortcut already exists, ignore this and go to menu on top right and choose Accept. You will now notice that the shortcut actually is listed now as before no menu item was listed. I believe the shortcut was/is broken and you have to rebuild it.

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1 year ago

Jack Helliquinn

1 Post
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Go to the path tab and Delete the path then it will work

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9 months ago

Djorn Jyames

1 Post
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Question: I want to be able to warp path to match previously warped layer, using transform path again feature

when I warp a layer then go to transform path again, the again is greyed out in the menu, I only have path selected in pallet not the layer I just warped layer. free transforming layer allows the transform path again feature to work fine.

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