Issue with photoshop elements 2023

@TXn25 said:  Is there a way to change the default to be a simplified layer? 

I'm not sure if this will help you, but there is an option in Edit>Preferences>General to Disable Smart Objects.

Thanks for bringing this back up. I think Adobe needs to revisit their target market for PSE. Are the majority of users interested only in photo editing? I think not as there are so many edits readily available even on the phone used to capture the photo. What is your intent Adobe? To lose users as you continue to make upgrades that do not work for those who use the product to create scrapbook pages digitally? I'd really like to get a response directly from Adobe.

I agree with you... I've had 5 or 6 versions of PSE and am very unhappy with the latest.  I also scrapbook and have 50 or 60 layers...  My biggest problem is the layers being "not simplified"  -- I have to simplify every layer.  Bought a new laptop with plenty of memory and it was full in 6 months.  I am actually considering leaving PSE and moving away from Adobe.  I figure it will take less time to learn a new program than it does to manually change EACH layer.  I am trying to find an answer to this... Is there a way to change the default to be a simplified layer?  

I am very frustrated with the latest version after upgrading from 2020. I use the software for digitial scrapbooking and all my layouts have many layers. When I place an element on to a layer it jumps around as if it were trying to snap to something. I have unchecked all the "snap to" boxes though I went back and looked at 2020 and they were all checked. Unchecking did not help. Also when resizing something by using the bounding box with the move tool the element continues to resize smaller ever after releasing the mouse button. Finally I use file place to add to my layers and when I do that somehow I am on a different layer so the item is added in the wrong place. I checked with another friend who also upgraded and the same things happened to her. She has since gone back to her earlier version. Honestly I do not want to pay for a product I cannot use. I have been using PSE for many years and this is the first time I hsve had these issues. I cannot use this version as it stands since it's important for items I place to end up correctly. Frames are outside of photos, leaves are on the incorrect layer. Alpha characters resize to small etc. I have to be so careful every step of the way. I hope the answer is not what I would consider to be a step backward like unchecking the auto select box. I couldn't find the answer here via search so if you can point me somewhere I would appreciate it. I got a message that support is closed. Thanks in advance.

By @beatricemi

Hi @beatricemi ,

What you are describing is typical of scrapbooking users who have been used to the old way of  "placing" new items on their canvas. I don't do scrapbooking, I create my own family books, where each page is like a custom scrapbook page, using all the usual scrapbooking techniques.

I would NEVER go back to the old way after having discovered the simplicity and power of dragging and dropping items from the photo bin to the canvas, and as a result, getting my layers as 'smart layers' in the layers palette.

So, before going into the new concept, I need to check if your problem is the common one, or if it is something different.

Let's say you are dragging a photo item from the photo bin to the canvas. You are NOT copying your item as a new layer. You are simulating, previewing, the result of the dragged image in your canvas. By default, that preview image is placed centered in the canvas. If the dragged image is smaller than the canvas (at the ppi resolution of the canvas), it is shown at the same resolution as the canvas. If it is bigger, the preview is resized to fit in the canvas.

Look at the layers panel:  the layer icon has the small square tag of 'smart layers'.

The original file of the dragged item is now ready to be saved entirely together with your working file.

Since you are seeing a 'preview', you have to tell PSE what you want to do with the preview:  resizing, moving, tilting... You can add multiple new assets to your page. You can change those changes any time without losing quality. You can change the order of the layers, and most often, when you are safisfied, you can 'simplify' layers to transform them into normal layers and discarding the copy saved with each 'smart layer'.

So, to be sure, can you confirm that you are using the new concept, with the result of having smart layers in your layers palette?

"Frames are outside of photos, leaves are on the incorrect layer. Alpha characters resize to small etc. I have to be so careful every step of the way. "

Are you working with a purchased commercial template?   If so, which one?      99% of all templates are designed to work on Photoshop, not pse.

I forgot to say I am on a PC on windows 10. I have finally gotten some additional response from the digital scrapping community and all but one user stated they are having similar problems. I am going to continue to try to contact Adobe. With all these glitches I feel it should not be for sale unless they add a caveat with all the issues users are experiencing. I have reinstalled 2020. At this point I can only recommend NOT purchasing the software at least if you use it as a digital scrapper. That makes me sad as I have been using PSE for many years and always trusted Adobe to release a good product.