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sebastianm
Known Participant
October 17, 2018
Open for Voting

Photoshop: Option to disable live preview of layer blending modes

  • October 17, 2018
  • 31 replies
  • 3245 views
The AdobeCare twitter informed me there is no such thing and to post it as a request here, so, here we are.

With the Photoshop CC 2019 update came a live preview of layer blending modes. While I appreciate this will help people who aren't entirely familiar with what each blend mode will do and aren't sure about which one they would rather use, for me this 'feature' is a huge problem.
To get the simple part out of the way first, I'll just say that I have no use whatsoever for a preview of the layer blend modes. I know what each mode does, I know the results I'll get, I use the layer blend modes in very specific ways for very specific tasks and I've no need for a preview of the results.
The more complicated part which needs more explanation is that I have a significant sensory disability which is not entirely unlike epilepsy. (It's not the same, but that's the quickest way to illustrate to you what I'm talking about.) When I pull up the layer blend mode menu now, due to the live preview, I'm assaulted by one of the more extreme blend modes right away and then am treated to a painful lightshow as I move to the layer blend mode I actually want. As a result, for the last couple of days when using Photoshop I've had to just close my eyes and pick the blend mode blindly; the effect of moving down the list of blend modes is that painful.

So for the sake of my sanity (not needing the previews) and my physical health (not needing my eyes burnt out by a kaleidoscope of abstract colour and contrast), please add, as soon as humanly possible, an option to disable the layer blend mode live preview.

    31 replies

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    Denyerpro
    Denyerpro
    Known Participant
    October 30, 2018
    Agreed. Makes it unusable on my system - Needs an option to disable it ASAP just like the "Realtime preset" preview in LR.
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    FeedbackCommunityMember
    Inspiring
    October 22, 2018
    I agree 100%... It's not only jarring, but it makes it much more difficult to compare two blend modes that are not next to each other. Say, Multiply, then Overlay.  You basically have to switch between multiple layers, then do undo, etc.  Not easy. 

    Furthermore, let's say you're on Overlay and want to try Color.........click the blend modes, and your Overlay is automatically switched to Multiply because that's where your mouse is....and I want to see Color quickly...not Multiply, then every other blend mode.  This is adding many extra steps.  PLEASE give us the option to disable this.  
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    OwenLloyd
    Participating Frequently
    October 17, 2018
    I searched of for this option for 30 minutes last night after updating - not only does it assault your eyes with fireworks, it makes the blend mode menu stutter, and stick as it tries to render each one of them in quick succession.    
    Kukurykus
    Kukurykus
    Legend
    October 17, 2018
    I wonder too, otherwise you have to save that file and restart Photoshop it worked.
    Warren Heaton
    Community Expert
    Warren HeatonCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 17, 2018
    Yes, it would be great to have a preference that enables/disables the new Blending Mode preview on mouse over.
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    sebastianmAuthor
    Known Participant
    October 17, 2018
    Cheers, that's one problem taken care of. When it's just a single line in a text file like that, makes you wonder why it can't be a checkbox or option within the software itself.
    cameronrad
    cameronrad
    Inspiring
    October 17, 2018

    https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/whats-new.html

    To revert to the legacy transform behavior, do the following:

    1. Use Notepad (Windows) or a text editor on Mac OS to create a plain text file (.txt).
    2. Type the text below in the text file:
      TransformProportionalScale 0

    3. Save the file as "PSUserConfig.txt" to your Photoshop settings folder:
      • Windows: [Installation Drive]:\Users\[User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC 2019\Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 Settings\
      • macOS: //Users/[User Name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 Settings/

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    sebastianmAuthor
    Known Participant
    October 17, 2018
    Oh, nice, that's a bonus; I was going to ask about how to revert the free scaling and shift key behaviour, too. Thanks for mentioning it, I'll go take a look into that.
    cameronrad
    cameronrad
    Inspiring
    October 17, 2018
    Yea, true. I feel like there has to be some flag or something you can add into a text file to disable it. There's one to revert to the old free transform method.
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    sebastianmAuthor
    Known Participant
    October 17, 2018
    I do, but they're a pain to use while drawing (where the keyboard is out of the way; not to mention, some of the combinations require both hands) and not as intuitive as simply being able to disable the preview.
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