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August 5, 2026

Smart Filter canvas preview does not update while dragging sliders when Modern User Interface is enabled

  • August 5, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 75 views

When editing an adjustment applied to a Smart Object as a Smart Filter, such as Hue/Saturation or Curves, the canvas does not update continuously while dragging a slider or adjustment control.

Instead, the Smart Object temporarily displays its original, unfiltered appearance while the mouse button is held down. The adjusted result appears only after the mouse button is released.

This makes it difficult to evaluate small or incremental changes because the adjustment can’t be previewed in real time.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open an image in Photoshop.
  2. Convert the image layer to a Smart Object.
  3. Apply an adjustment through Image > Adjustments, such as Hue/Saturation or Curves.
  4. Double-click the adjustment beneath the Smart Object to reopen the Smart Filter controls.
  5. Confirm that Preview is enabled.
  6. Click and drag one of the adjustment sliders without releasing the mouse button.

Expected result

The canvas should continuously redraw and display the Smart Filter result as the slider or adjustment value changes.

Actual result

While the control is being dragged, the Smart Object reverts to its original, unfiltered appearance. The new adjustment is displayed only after the mouse button is released.

The issue occurs with multiple adjustments, including Hue/Saturation and Curves.

Workaround

The issue could be connected to Photoshop’s Modern User Interface technology preview.

Disabling the following setting resolves the problem:

Photoshop > Settings > Technology Previews > Enable Modern User Interface

After disabling Enable Modern User Interface, Smart Filter adjustments once again redraw continuously while sliders are being moved. No restart required.

Additional observations

  • The issue remains present in the latest available version of Photoshop (27.9.1).
  • Preview is enabled in the adjustment dialog.
  • Disabling Modern User Interface consistently restores the expected live-preview behavior.

System information

Photoshop version: 27.9.1
Operating system: MacOS Tahoe 26.5.2
Computer/GPU: MacBook Pro (16-inch, Nov 2024) M4 Max 128GB
Document color mode and bit depth: RGB/8 Bit
Modern User Interface enabled: Yes
Issue occurs: Yes
Modern User Interface enabled: No
Issue occurs: No

    Pinned Reply By Srishti Bali

    Hi ​@VoiceOfClayton 

     

    Thanks for sharing the details. I've shared this with the team for review. 

    3 replies

    Torsten.H
    Inspiring
    August 10, 2026

    I’m seeing a reproducible issue with the Brightness/Contrast adjustment when used as a Smart Filter.


    Steps:

    1. Select a Smart Object.
    2. Apply Brightness/Contrast as a Smart Filter.
    3. Adjust Brightness or Contrast.

    The preview is inconsistent. Sometimes it updates correctly, but most of the time it does not.

    More importantly, even when the preview appears to work, after clicking OK the actual result on the layer looks different from what was shown in the Brightness/Contrast dialog.

    There is a workaround: if I switch the Preview checkbox off and on again while the dialog is open, the preview updates correctly and then matches the final result.

    So the problem seems to be the live preview not refreshing properly. Toggling Preview manually forces it to update, but having to do this every time is quite annoying.

    I already tested the commonly suggested GPU-related troubleshooting steps, including disabling GPU Compositing and restarting Photoshop. This did not change the behavior.

    Other adjustment tools do not seem to be affected — I only see this behavior with Brightness/Contrast.
     

    TechsSpecs:

    • Windows 11
    • Intel Core i9-12900K
    • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 with 8 GB VRAM
    • 64 GB RAM
    • 3× 4K monitors
    • Photoshop 27.x

    Troubleshooting already tested:

    • GPU acceleration enabled
    • GPU Compositing disabled for testing
    • Photoshop restarted afterwards
    • No change in the issue
    • Other adjustment tools do not appear to be affected.
    Participant
    August 7, 2026

    When applying an adjustment (Hue/Saturation, Curves, etc.) directly to a layer as a Smart Filter on a Smart Object, the canvas does not update in real time while dragging the slider with the mouse. The image only refreshes to show the adjustment after releasing the mouse button — while dragging, it briefly shows the original, unfiltered image.

    This does NOT happen when the same adjustment is applied as a regular Adjustment Layer (not as a Smart Filter) — in that case, the preview updates live as expected.

    Workaround found: using the arrow keys (↑/↓) on the numeric field instead of dragging the slider does trigger a live update, confirming this is specific to mouse-drag events on Smart Filter dialogs.

    Steps to reproduce:

    1. Open an image and convert the layer to a Smart Object.
    2. Apply Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation (or Curves) directly to the Smart Object layer, so it's added as a Smart Filter.
    3. Double-click the Smart Filter to reopen its dialog.
    4. Click and drag the Hue slider without releasing the mouse button.

    Expected result: Canvas updates continuously while dragging.
    Actual result: Canvas only updates after releasing the mouse button.

    System info:

    • Photoshop version: 27.8.0
    • OS: Windows
    • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU
    • Driver version: 610.88 (NVIDIA Studio)

    🇧🇷 Português

    Título: Preview de ajuste em Filtro Inteligente (Matiz/Saturação, Curvas) não atualiza em tempo real ao arrastar o slider

    Descrição:
    Ao aplicar um ajuste (Matiz/Saturação, Curvas, etc.) diretamente em uma camada como Filtro Inteligente sobre um Objeto Inteligente, o canvas não atualiza em tempo real enquanto o slider é arrastado com o mouse. A imagem só é atualizada com o resultado do ajuste depois que o botão do mouse é solto — durante o arraste, ela mostra brevemente a aparência original, sem o filtro.

    Isso NÃO acontece quando o mesmo ajuste é aplicado como Camada de Ajuste comum (sem ser Filtro Inteligente) — nesse caso, o preview atualiza normalmente em tempo real.

    Workaround encontrado: usar as teclas de seta (↑/↓) no campo numérico em vez de arrastar o slider dispara a atualização em tempo real, o que confirma que o problema é específico do evento de arraste do mouse nas caixas de diálogo de Filtro Inteligente.

    Passos para reproduzir:

    1. Abra uma imagem e converta a camada em Objeto Inteligente.
    2. Aplique Imagem > Ajustes > Matiz/Saturação (ou Curvas) diretamente na camada do Objeto Inteligente, para que seja adicionado como Filtro Inteligente.
    3. Clique duas vezes no Filtro Inteligente para reabrir a caixa de diálogo.
    4. Clique e arraste o slider de Matiz sem soltar o botão do mouse.

    Resultado esperado: O canvas deve atualizar continuamente durante o arraste.
    Resultado obtido: O canvas só atualiza depois que o botão do mouse é solto.

    Informações do sistema:

    • Versão do Photoshop: 27.8.0
    • Sistema operacional: Windows
    • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU
    • Versão do driver: 610.88 (NVIDIA Studio)
    Srishti Bali
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    August 5, 2026

    Hi ​@VoiceOfClayton 

     

    Thanks for sharing the details. I've shared this with the team for review. 

    Thanks, Srishti Bali | Community & Engagement Strategist, Digital Imaging | Adobe