From what you’ve described, it seems like the Content-Aware Scale tool might not be functioning correctly, and the fact that the option appears checked and always active could indeed be related to the issue. Here are a few steps you can try to resolve this:
Check the Tool Settings: When you select "Content-Aware Scale" (Edit > Content-Aware Scale), look at the options bar at the top of the screen. Make sure the "Protect" dropdown isn’t set to an alpha channel or skin tones that might be interfering with the scaling. If you don’t need to protect specific areas, leave it set to "None."
Reset the Tool: Sometimes tool settings can glitch. Right-click the Content-Aware Scale icon in the options bar and choose "Reset Tool" to restore its default behavior. Then try scaling again.
Layer Confirmation: You mentioned rasterizing the layer, which is good since Content-Aware Scale doesn’t work on locked or Smart Object layers. Double-check that the layer is still unlocked (no lock icon next to it in the Layers panel) and that you’re working on the correct layer.
Free Transform Interference: Since you noticed the "Free Transform" option seems active, it’s possible there’s a conflict. After selecting "Content-Aware Scale," ensure you’re not accidentally triggering Free Transform (Ctrl+T or Cmd+T). If the bounding box looks like Free Transform (with corner handles only), press Esc, then reselect "Content-Aware Scale" from the Edit menu. manga
Software Bug Check: Photoshop 2025 is still new as of April 10, 2025, so this could be a bug. Try restarting Photoshop to see if the issue persists. If it does, go to Help > System Info, copy the details, and check Adobe’s support forums to see if others are reporting similar problems with this version.
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