A

Anonymous

Answered

Where is the "Adjust Variations" option in Photoshop CS6?

Forum|Forum|13 years ago
April 18, 2012
14 replies
89438 views

Hi all,

I often use the Image>Adjust Variations option in Photoshop but do not see the option in Photoshop CS6. I know we are still only in the BETA stage but I am still curious. I hope it is not going to be dropped. I like to use it for quick fixes on small portions of the image every now and again:)

Thank you in advance for your help,

Christine

Correct answer

As the previous post indicates, the Image > Adjustment > Variations menu item and function has been dropped in all 64-bit versions of Photoshop from day one, ever since Photoshop CS4 Windows and CS5 Macintosh (there was no 64-bit version of CS4 for the Mac).

For the time being, at least, there's no Macintosh 32-bit version of the CS6 beta, so the Variations will not be available to you in CS6 beta if you're on a Mac.

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

I think that it is telling that it is 2021 and no "enterprising" developer has written a replacement plug-in or standalone application that recreates variations.

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patrice_0628

Participant

Damn shame, I looked everywhere (now 2025) for this function as it is SO MUCH EASIER to use, I cannot recreate the same level of Variations used to, with the new version of PS. I am so disappointed. 😞

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hieul55017494

Participant

i have the same error, sbdy help please.

Jeff Arola

Community Expert

Unfortunately variations doesn't seem to work in photoshop cc 2015.5 or 2017, so i suspect there is nothing to be done on the user end and it was a change by adobe in the photoshop code that caused the plugin to quit working.

spiders_here

Participant

YOU CAN USE VARIATIONS IN ANY VERSION, you just need to use a plug-in.

Simply download the file from the link, (Variations.8BF file), place is in "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC 2015\Required\Plug-Ins\Filters "

Idk who uploaded it, or whether it's legal or not, but [it is not legal; link removed by moderator] here is the link I downloaded it from.

Its a few kB file.

I pasted the url, it automatically generated a link.

If the link above doesn't work, copy the following to notepad, Replace every * \ * with * / *

p.s. - you don't need to create an account on Dropbox, find an option to download anyway on the page.

RonnieNelis

Participant

spiders.here; i managed to keep it working for nearly all versions, but now i've updated (more or less by accident) to the latest version, CC 2015.5.1, but I can't get it to work anymore. There's an error message when loading Photoshop now (regarding the variations.8bf file) and when clicking the feature in Photoshop (it does appear) it says "Disk Error" and does not do anything. My disk is not broken

Any suggestions to get it working again / does it still work somewhere else in this version ? Thanks!

M

MissNetra

Participant

Photo Filter function is nothing like Variations. Photo Filter has also been included in previous versions up to CS2 which I still have. And very happy I do as well as other versions of this software CS4 included...still available and working great on my PC. Adobe is so lame for removing these as they were very popular and useful. Same with the pattern maker.

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jbraatz111

Participant

Pretty much the same thing can be accomplished by going to 'image->adjustments->photo filter' in the latest photoshop release. It doesn't come with presets but it is a bit more powerful than the old method.

S

Sjl74

Participant

i too am horrified that this has been taken off ..i work as an illustrator and sometimes have to make quick fixes this was great for me ...please bring back variations

camerond1

Participant

I just want to keep this thread going, and ask that Adobe please reconsider putting variations back into 64. I use(d) it all the time.

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PanicoPaul

Participant

You may want to try Adjustments: Color Lookup Adjustment (sic) and create your own set of variations, or download avilable presets. Select within the Properties in the Adjustment layer panel.

J

Jp_Cooper

Participant

This is late in the Discussion. BUT no one actually pointed out the reality of the VARIATIONS option in PS.

THe very same functionality can be achieved using several different methods.

Curves - Levels - Hue/Saturation all will do the same thing. PS has always been a tool that can accomplish the same end result using different approaches from the beginning - this is nothing new.

That being said - Variations - was merely another method that PS used - except that it was a visual approach rather than a technical approach. I admit that I found myself using it much more in recent years than most other methods for color corretion and adjustment - while inthe same breath chastising PS for including way too many Items that catered to Begining Users - Intermediate and Advanced Users alike. While towing with it titles such as PS LE / Elements and Express to primarily cater to beginning users with way too much overlap.

I'll miss the feature (Variations) but I can accomplish the same results using other options and features in PS - and it's good that they are cleaning house somewhat while trasnitioning to he 64-bit mode. Many other things I'd wished they'd get rid of those and streamline the primary title for professionals.

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Akelei

Participant

I agree that Variations needs to be brought back. I use Variations all the time in my artwork. A lot of times I'll render part of a drawing on a seperate layer and decide that it needs to be a little bit warmer, a little less yellow or a little lighter. Despite what others have said, Hue/Saturation, Brightness and Contrast and Curves and Levels do not achieve the same results and are no substitute for the subtlty you can get with Variatioins.

dean.p

Inspiring

Just FYI, I've been in Pre-press for over 9 years and graphic design for another 10 so been using Photoshop for a while. Variations (being now dropped in CC 2014) was hugely useful as it was a very quick (and had instant visual que) for adjusting your Hi and Low color channel percentages. You would get a visual que that your percentages were in fact 100 or 0 percent when adjusting single color channels (very useful to know especially in preparation for flexo printing).

Yes I can use levels, curves, but adds a few more steps and no real visual que. Then of course there's color variations, which can be done with Photo filter or Select Color, but in some cases with able to select amount, dark, mid-tones and highlights, Variations was again faster and easier to get quick results.

Not having Variations is a pain. Now I have to use levels, magic wand, select adjustment blah blah

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pierat1959

Participant

Two weeks ago I switched from Windows7 to Mac OS-X. I eagerly installed Adobe CS6. Can you imagine my disappointed when I found out the Variations command is NOT available under OS-X? So switching from Windows7 to OS-X made me loose an important feature in Photoshop.

ADOBE replies that the Adjustment is only available as a 32bit plugin. But is it really so hard to make a 64bit plugin of the Variations? I can't imagine. Very, very disappointing...

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