To deal with your last question first: at the very moment, NOT (no compensation). But if our new Community Expert Hub platform would work (because the system has been down for many weeks now), I believe I'd get 2 points for an answer, which stands for a few dimes worth in getting some Adobe-related swag or software. But I don't care about that at all. As a matter of fact, I hate this gamification of voluntarily sharing thoughts and solutions in a community like this. I've been doing this for decades, no matter what badge or title Adobe uses to honor me, and most of time I've done it without being hooked to some tallying system with benefits.   BTW: I give Adobe credit where credits are due, but as you might have noticed, I'm not afraid of pointing it out and refer users to other (non-Adobe) valuable tools or solutions, when Adobe is clearly making a mess of something... I'm quite independent in my contributions.   What I have learned, that is that every time when Adobe makes a decision about discontinuing software (and I've seen their graveyard grow since LiveMotion, PageMill, GoLive, FreeHand, PageMaker, InDesign DPS, Edge, Muse, XD, and many others), I see similar reactions and sentiments. And I've learned from these reactions too !   Lesson 1: when Adobe moves and shakes its tail, don't oppose to it. They've given it a lot of thought, and they run their shop, with visions and goals we don't always know. Lesson 2: open your blinders, find other, newer, better tools and ways to do stuff, and jump ahead. Adobe is not a monopoly. (Dominant at best, off and on, in some areas). Lesson 3: don't dwell on the cost of the tools. We're getting an increasing lot of apps and services for relatively less money. For a pro, CC's pricing shouldn't be a worry. If you think you can do without Adobe, feel free to do so ! ... View more

I understand the loss of Aero feels bad, and we may question why Adobe doesn't have a roadmap for its continuation aftre the break-up (due to platform maintenance constraints) on December 3rd.    But it's nothing less than reasonable that certain new and extra services which costs them a lot of energy/money each time we use it, may lead to new tiers and prices. And a raise of $10 (per month) isn't that problematic. It's actually far less than the normal inflation, calculated from 2012...   Please describe a bit more precise why you think/believe/feel you are paying more for less ? If you're on the full Creative Cloud plan, you actually gained every year more apps, more services, more features, more combined value for money, even if the prices are going up a notch.   To be honest, I think I'm thankful for having been able to try out this kind of stuff (for free) for a few years. Now that I know how things work, I can consider other (paid) tools. These might not be directly compatibe with Aero's files and materials, but I already have an inkling other tools will at least be better suited and organised, more stable, and easier to implement in viewing applications, compared to Adobe Dimension / Shaper / Aero workflows... ... View more

Very wise to have such a disclaimer in your client contract ! When you're in digital media (either as a creator, producer, contractor, client, or even as consumer) you're never sure of the future.   I remember an interview by a colleague with Russell Brown (Photoshop's Godfather) about Photoshop's 20th anniversary, in which he was asked "What do you think of the f..." and he immediately interrupts the question, saying jokingly: "Oh no, no, not the future question. Well thank you very much, it has been great talking to you !" I think it was back in 2010, and I still have the cherished audio snippet which I used in one of the first Digital Publishing Suite issues (see enclosed file). Another technology and toolset which co-incidentally went from hero to zero in 5 years (and it wasn't even a Beta...) ... View more

@Jeremie Noguer (who worked for Substance since 2006 and now for Adobe) mentioned: "This decision and timeline was necessary due to platform maintenance constraints that will prevent the team from supporting Aero beyond December 3rd". Sounds like a serious technical issue. I'll even hold my breath on that December 3rd, for what might happen to other Adobe cloud services... 😉   Since you've already tried out a few other alternative tools, could you point out some specific pros and cons of them ?  ... View more

I'm afraid you're all out of luck, since Adobe explicitly and continuously stated that this Aero software has a "Beta" status. So you can't legally expect or claim anything. 😕 ... View more

HA !! Good catch. Thanks 👍 I'll take note of that and edit the list. ... View more

Hahaa, all those "Plus", "Pro" and "Star" next to the "Standard" tiers, they all show an initial underestimation of their own value ! Or... is it all planned ? I don't know, I'm not a marketeer.   But to be honest, Adobe has raised its price from ± € 50 to € 65 (exclusive. VAT) in the course of 13 years. I think that's a reasonable raise/inflation. And each year you're really getting much more value for your money ! So I wouldn't say one pays more for less. The fact that they take out our pet peeve is cruel, but it's their choice.   Sometimes companies decide they've bet on the wrong horse. Technologies evolve, popular file formats change, programming turns out to be hard to upscale or extend in new directions. Especially in new territories like XR and AI, and in the way how tools work (e.g. from desktop apps to web-based SaaS, and from single to multi-user) things have changed drastically. So you have to pull the plug. And often this also forces us as users to open our own blinders, to develop new and better workflows.  ... View more

If you want to be there for the creative community, make sure that their creations cannot vanish in thin aero.   The pun is priceless (like air and Aero) and I know it's not what you want to read, but:  If you want to use a Beta tool, be aware that your creations might just vanish in thin air... On the other hand, developing a tool as "Beta" for 6 years, does raise some eyebrows. Users obviously will start to think of it as an established comfort. ... View more

The sheer content was incredible ! But the problem always rose: how to embed it, how to spread it, distribute it ?   Adobe doesn't like to create (new) types of media, without being able to measure its eyeballs and impact. "What's the point of creating media if you can't measure them ?" an Adobe spokesperson once very wisely said to me (when the Marketing Cloud was announced...) That has been the missing link for many new media tools, and maybe also for Aero.   I don't have a clue what Adobe might have up their sleeves. They've tested the waters for quite a few years with 3D and XR in Aero. I guess they learned enough from it to either just leave it alone, or maybe change for the better – who knows ? But for now: no plans, no signs, nothing. You can't blame a company for having a well-considered focus. Just like with what Adobe decided about web and app design after the Figma break-up: Not our cup of tea. We'll leave that to Figma (and others). ... View more

Whooooo, the extraction teams are already lifting us up and away from Adobe grounds ! Sure looks nice and promising, this stuff. (ChatGPT clearly dind't know of it, yet.) Good tip ! Since Adobe doesn't have any plans or new tools, we might is well take a good look around. From the FAQ:     ... View more

This sure is a bitter decision !  Aero (in combination with Dimension and Shaper) has been a joy to explore and to work with. Granted, I also had my fair share of misery with it, learnt some tricks and hacks to achieve what I wanted, but all-in-all it was a fascinating phenomenon and tool to work with.   Like many of us, I'm also looking for a way to continue my experiences and experiments with other tools.  Adobe is innovating in various directions with 3D (Substance Viewer, Neo, Firefly 3D model), but it all seems too fresh and fragile, and none of it is going into any VR/AR direction, yet.   So I asked ChatGPT: Hey Chatty, Ive been using Adobe Dimension, Substance Stager and Aero to design and import 3D models and create AR environments. But are there other (similarly easy) tools to do such things ?   The reply mentions quite a lot of tools. I haven't had the time yet to check which ones meet my list of crucial features (surface, image, and location-based creations, QR code, in-browser viewing). Aero was quite capable of doing a lot ! So we're out in the woods. Here we go:   You're already using Adobe Substance Stager and Adobe Dimension (for static 3D scenes/renders) and Adobe Aero (for AR scenes), both of which are super designer-friendly and tie nicely into the Adobe ecosystem. But if you’re looking for other tools with a similar level of ease — maybe with different capabilities, platforms, or export options — here's a curated selection of easy-to-use alternatives for 3D + AR content creation, depending on your goals:   Designer-Friendly 3D Scene Builders (like Adobe Dimension and Substance Stager)   Spline Web-based, very intuitive UI (like Figma meets Blender). Great for real-time, interactive 3D scenes, animations, and web embeds. Has basic AR/WebXR export (still developing). Mac-native app also available. Vectary Web-based 3D editor focused on product design, web embeds, and AR. Drag-and-drop ease, PBR material support. Exports to USDZ for iOS AR or glTF for broader use. Built-in AR viewer via QR code. Luma AI / Genie iOS and Web AI + NeRF-based tools for scanning real-world objects (with photorealistic results). Convert to 3D assets and easily place them in AR. Luma has AR previews and iOS USDZ exports built in. 4. Scenery Well-versed in the Apple eco-system; Android viewer on its way. [See other posts about it below.]   Simple AR Creation Tools (like Adobe Aero)   8thWall (now part of Niantic) WebAR platform – users don’t need to install an app. You can use drag-and-drop tools or custom JavaScript if you want. Ideal for AR websites, marketing, or interactive posters. Zappar / ZapWorks Very user-friendly no-code web tool. Create AR experiences that work in-browser or in-app. Also supports image tracking, world tracking, etc. Reality Composer For Apple iOS/macOS Native, easy, node-based AR scene builder from Apple. Works with USDZ and RealityKit. Excellent if your target is iOS. Meta Spark Studio [EDIT – Discontinued] Meta’s platform for Facebook/Instagram AR filters. A bit steeper than Aero, but manageable. Has a visual programming interface like Quartz Composer.   Honorable Mentions / Crossovers   Blender + Verge3D Blender is complex, but Verge3D adds a visual logic editor for interactive scenes + WebXR export. Powerful combo if you dare. Unity MARS or Snap AR Studio More advanced, but Snap has a few entry-level templates for quick prototyping.   ... View more

The Content Reference feature was in the Beta for a while, then it vanished for a while, but returned in Beta version 26.11 !   The panel now offers an option to perform Background Removal, if you think it's not too difficult for the AI to figure it out. In case of more difficult backgrounds, it might be wiser to prepare the reference image beforehand. ... View more

Eevery year or so, I get a similar question from some one, and every time I also repeat the same answer: No, Adobe officially does not support working directly off non-local locations including network servers, cloud-based synced folders and even external drives. It's not safe, so don't call me when your file gets corrupted. But 2 years have passed by now – any change ? I noticed some posts in which Adobe mentioned that Illustrator is getting more robust in working directly off remote storage.   On the other hand: it even got worse with those "Adobe Cloud documents", being even more exotic, exclusive, and unpractical (especially when placing files in InDesign). Some one asked me if they should consider going 100% online with Adobe Cloud storage, but I think that's a definite road to havoc...   BTW: I'll look into that DAM MediaBank solution ! ... View more

Next time, when you use the Image Trace feature, deselect the recently added "Group automatically" option. This will try to let parts cleverly belong to certain groups, i.e. have the mouth, ears, and nose, separately grouped, on top of a solid underlying black shape. So some red parts might belong to the one group, and others to another...     ... View more

Well... InDesign did offer such a panel, a few versions ago !! Mini Bridge 😄 https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/indesign_cc_mini_bridge_faq.html?x-product=Helpx%2F1.0.0&x-product-location=Search%3AForums%3Alink%2F3.6.6 But, as you can read: it has been removed since 2015 (it was based on Flash technology) and Adobe was touting their Creative Cloud Libraries enormously and rightfully so. Some one developed some alternative plug-in to mimic it, but I can't find that one either anymore.   Nevertheless: to still find your way, literally, you can jump-start Bridge from within InDesign, by using the File – Browse in Bridge (or simple quick swap to Bridge with any other system shortcut) and use some pre-set Favorite Folders and Views from there. Or is this too low-key to cater for a scripting, tinkering, fine-tuning power-user like you ? 😉 ... View more

Many (if not most) interactive features have become a bag of hurt, due to fact that there's so little (and even decreasing) support for the various kinds of interactive output InDesign is capable of exporting. It's not so much about how all these features work, but in which export format they might work ! It's crucial to first define and decide which kind of distribution and/or platform you're going to use.   More and more technical barriers are rising, to let PDFs perform any Java-scripted interactions (only plain hyperlinks and some form fields and options might work). While ePub Reflowable has been very successful for many decades, ePub Fixed Layout never gained any traction from the industry to manufacture or develop hard or software readers for it (only Apple supports it). Adobe's Publish Online (not Share for Review) works quite well with interactions and even animations, but simple visual stuff like transparancy and shadows seem to be tricky (I haven't checked for 2 or 3 years...) The recently added Export to HTML5 promises a lot (did Adobe finally acquire in5 plugin or what ?) But you know: I don't trust any of it anymore... Maybe that HTML5 thing is the solution you should be looking for, judging by your example. 😄   So the question actually is: are your viewers willing and capable to download a file and maybe some better app along with it to open it, in stead of using their browser or simple standard or free viewer ? Or do you want them go to a website and view it online ? Do they have a Mac or an iPad ? Is it just for setting up some display in a trade booth or shop, and are you in total control of that device ? These questions (and the answers) define which distribution(s) and file format(s) you're going to use. And then you can decide and design the interactive features you're allowed to use. ... View more

Seeing and hopefully understanding correctly what you're trying to accomplish, I think it might be impossible or at least unfavorable to get a grip on creating, selecting, and editing elements quickly, based on Groups and Layers. These are hierarchically/physically very strict ! And it's visually not much more than a simple stacking order, in which only parent pages and masks can perform some exclusive side steps, but not with the ease of use you'd prefer or need.   You need style tagging, so you can control any visual expression and functional feature without messing with or within these Layers and Groups their hierarchical construction. Object Styles might help with that a lot ! Even the diamonds can be created, edited, and managed as one single text frame with an Object style ! They can define all visual and functional properties of any object, not just a simple Line and Fill setting.    To create the "Negative Decision" object style, I used Corner Options to create the diamond shape, I used Vertical Alignment to center the text in de middle and add some inset, I connected it to a Paragraph Style to make the text the right font, white, horizontally centered, etc. I even restricted its Width to a set size, leaving the Height to whatever is necessary, and set it to always be Positioned left-aligned at 0mm from the right margin.   It takes a while and some thinking and discipline to set them up, but editing the size and appearance of objects will become just a matter of applying or Redefining their associated styles. Leaving Layers and Groups to control all objects their visual stacking, selecting, and relating.   Keep in mind to name styles semantically. E.g. not "Black Diamond with White Text" but i.e. "Negative Decision". So when you need to edit or overhaul a style its appearance, its name still makes sense. And of course, you can always override any setting or or even disconnect any style locally/manually. ... View more

I see Eugene also replied again 🙂  I hope it resonates with what I'm explaining as well.   Note: if a printer is telling to completely deploy all pages in the size and order they need them, just tell them they should have "impositioning" software to do just that. Supply them with your PDF file of all pages (no spreads) and a sample of the intended publication, as seen and used by readers. ... View more

If you're typically trying to stick the back page to the left of the front page, then select that last (left) page, go to the side menu of the Pages panel and look for Numbering and Sections Options. Set the page to intentionally start with that last (even) page number. You can see the little triangle appaearing above it, just like with its right page next to it. The page will behave like a left page now, and won't push the existing right page away. However, this right page automatically gets this last page number +1, so you have to tweak that numbering option as well, to explicitly restart with 1 (and the others will follow). You'll end up getting two pages with triangles at the top.     Keep in mind that InDesign is not a printer's tool, but 'reader-inclined'. So all page layout approaches and features work at their best when you mimic what the user sees and uses to navigate (with regards to pages and columns), and not what a printer might find useful and efficient. Eventually, you're always in charge and can always tweak things to let the PDF reflect how the printer needs the pages to be ordered, but that's not InDesign's #1 priority. But InDesign does hold on to any proper regional way of counting pages... ... View more

I'm glad that it somehow solved itself by restarting the computer.  But it's indeed not a comfortable thought that such a thing can suddenly happen. Maybe it's wise to check if the storage memory of your computer or any additionally assigned Photoshop 'scratch' memory is almost fully used ? https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/scratch-disks-preferences.html And if you haven't done so, making a backup might be a good idea as well, in case there's some technical fault showing its early signs... Keep an eye on it ! ... View more

Hey Hagan, that makes a serious bug more plausible... But do try resetting the preferences first, as Ged described in his earlier reply.  ... View more

That's odd ! And I can't think of a use case in which this would logically be a viable option... This is definitely a bug in the software or a glitch in your installation. And if you'd select one of these options (juts for the sake of testing), what happens next ? ... View more

My guess so far would be that there are files being corrupted somewhere in the process, either by writing to a memory storage, or reading into Photoshop. But it's not clear to me yet whether this is a one-off incident or something that's happening more often and to more files. And in case it's the latter: does it happen with files coming from one source (client, disk or other physical storage memory), or upon opening all or certain files ?   To be honest, there's no trick to clean this file up automatically. But it's crucial to know if this is or will be happening continuously or intermittently, and to discover the cause of it. So hang in there and provide some more answers and be prepared to do some more test, please... ... View more

Okay, so you've checked your disk access. An since you're able to save other file (formats) in different areas, this doesn't seem to be the problem. However, maybe some older commands to Save or Export certain file formats might have a problem with trying to initially open into a previously folder or volume, which is not there anymore ?   Let's first try resetting Photoshop's preferences, by going to the Settings in the Photoshop menu, and in the General section: Reset Preferences on Quit (or some similar wording in that button – mine is in Dutch...) Note: this reset also will switch any custom preferences (if you've made any) in all these Settings categories back to default. Check those and change them again later on, if you want or need to. After quitting and restarting Photoshop, try saving again.   Did it help ? If not: could you please state which command(s) you're using exactly, and in which version of Photoshop, that give you this error ? ... View more

Are you confusing the new Contextual Bar (often floating around, in an almost stalking manner) with the older and still very useful Options bar (nomally positioned at the top) ? Don't worry, that old one is still around. You can find it almost at the bottom of the Windows menu, or simply switch to (or Reset) the Essentials workspace.   If it's something else, then could you make screenshot of what you're seeing ? ... View more

Some more precise information would be helpful to diagnose the problem. Is it just with this Save for Web command, or also with other Save commands ? Is it the old Save for Web (legacy) command or any other command to save web files ?   Are you aware of Mac applications requiring rights to access certain files and folders ? Most of the apps handle that automatically (upon installation), but maybe something has been messed up on your Mac. Depending on your system version, you can check it in the Settings, under the category Privacy & Security, the tab Files & Folders.   And maybe one quick possible fix: the command Save for Web (legacy) has a limit of some-thousand pixels W x H. Does it work with a small test file ? ... View more

It's better to ask/post this question/issue in the Download & Install Community: https://community.adobe.com/t5/download-install/ct-p/ct-download-and-install?page=1&sort=latest_replies&lang=all&tabid=all Maybe a moderator might take action to move it ? ... View more

Well, one problem is that most EPS files contain at least some pixel data, to serve as a proxy for the true vector data.   EPS was developed for the sake of letting early software like Aldus PageMaker quickly show a rough pixel-based depiction of the image on the screen (encapsulated as a separate part in the EPS file), while parsing the vector-based Adobe PostScript part directly to a printer, without actually interpreting it (that was/is handled by the official Adobe PostScript/PDF RIP in the printer). So PageMaker could handle PostScript imagery from drawing tools like Aldus FreeHand, without the costly and slow on-screen processing of the PostScript language. That's how EPS begun.   But in the 80's and 90's, developers have created dozens of use-cases of an EPS for certain reasons. An EPS with a huge bit-image and a vector-based clipping masks, a lo-res EPS to connect 4 color-separated hi-res EPS files (DCS), an EPS containing one huge bitmap and some PostScript to define 2 or more color curves (e.g. Duotones), etcetera... These have all been declared legacy (Photoshop files can hold such features natively now), but they're still around !   And in many other cases less proficient designers simply toss a bitmap image (like a logo or icon) in Adobe Illustrator, save it as an EPS or Illustrator file, hoping/thinking it becomes a vector image, and call it a day. Such an Illustrator file contains a tiny bit of PostScript (a vector rectangle, which holds a bunch of bitmap data). It probably also has been saved with "PDF complaince", meaning that it's actually wrapped as a PDF file, containing some extra AI resources (the PostScript and the bitmap), with an ".ai" extension slapped on it as the file name (so Illustrator will open it when double-clicking it...)   And to make it worse: especially in an AI file, there might rightfully be a creative mix of vectors and bitmap-based parts in it. And the same can be true for a PSD file.   So unless you're truly looking into the coded content of an AI, EPS, or PSD file, or simply look at it on-screen and zoom-in a lot, you never know what the file actually contains.  ... View more

Ouch, that really looks worrying !  At first glance I'd say these are signs/symptoms of a faulty graphics card. But since you state that you're actually able to (and need to) remove these dots from the image, it must be something else. It looks like a TIFF file, with incorrectly tagged data.  But I could speculate on many more causes.   Could you elaborate a little more on what you were doing or working on when these dots appeared ? And does it always happen, or just in certain sitiations, or with certain files, or actions ? It's definitely not anything standard or a common bug. So some more information (like circumstances, actions leading to this behavior, what this or the rest of the image should look like, etc.) would really be helpful. ... View more

I've also encountered that alert a few times. Just hit Generate again, it might already be better the next second. ... View more