P: Revert UI to older Camera Raw UI (12.2.1) after Interface Changes

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

after updating photoshop , when i opened it for the first time there was option to use camera raw as it is (vertical film) or to change it to new UI (with new look and horizontal filmstrip ), i just clicked new UI to see how it looks , i thought if i dont like it i will just go back to using older UI but there is no option to select older UI , i contacted adobe but person who was helping me just suggested that i should install older version of camera raw or ask for help from this forum , i found it bit frustrating that if there was simple option to choose new UI so why not give option to revert back to older UI with newly updated software. maybe its bug or adobe forcing people to use new UI even if they dont like it

[TheDigitalDog]

Still incredibly frustrated at the infficient, illogical interface from recent ACR versions. Forcing power users to use Lightroom-style interfacing.

All you can do is upvote for a change (which isn't likely to happen if the history we see here is any indication: 77 votes over 2 plus years). 

I'll add there are many Lightroom Classic power users too. 

Your options otherwise at this point have been outlined earlier. 

[MaineMike]

Adobe is just not being too responsive for this issue which is out of character for them. I continue to make this a talking point every time I get to chat with folks at Adobe and they are aware of it – and I think Adobe is tired of me bringing this up so often. Hopefully more voices will be helpful.



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[TheDigitalDog]

They have been responsive in continuing to release new versions in the same direction since the 2+ old post here. They are not responding that they will alter the momentum they started over two years ago. 

[charlesb12994120]

You can get legacy versions of Photoshop through the creative cloud app. I
find Photoshop 2019 works best for me.

It's sad that I have to worry about the day I update my OS and 12.2.1 is no
longer compatible, or if I get a new camera. At that point I assume I'll
have to switch to capture1-- what's a good photoshop alternative then
though? I'd love to cancel my Adobe subscription asap.

[TheDigitalDog]

"It's sad that I have to worry about the day I update my OS and 12.2.1 is no
longer compatible, or if I get a new camera"

You don't have to update your OS (but it's a good idea to do so for if anything security updates if you're on the web). 

If you get a new camera, you can convert those proprietary raws to DNG with the free DNG converter and continue to use the old version of Adobe Camera Raw. 
As for C1, seems they are now cool with a subscription model.

[charlesb12994120]

Sorry, I was replying to michaelgfx above.

But I will have to update my OS eventually, I probably only have another
year left on this laptop. There's no guarantee 12.2.1 will work with
whatever OS comes on that (and Apple won't let you install an older OS on a
new laptop).

Does anyone have experience with ACR 12.2.1 on M1/M2 macbooks with the
latest OSX installed? Maybe it's already incompatible...

[Lumigraphics]

Adobe is not going to revisit this design change. Its time to move on.

[MaineMike]

You may choose to give up but there are many who would really like to see the change. The suggestion on the table would not adversely affect you so please do not totally dismiss this. If nothing else you would get an advantage if this comes to fruition.

Mike


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[Lumigraphics]

All developers have limited resources and can't make everyone happy. As for the current UI, I'm fine with it. I'd like to see Adobe fix a LOT of other things and not waste any more time on this. SO, no, it wouldn't benefit me.

[MaineMike]

If this was implemented it would not negatively impact you but would benefit a LOT of others. Just read through the thread if you are not convinced.

M

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[TheDigitalDog]

"If this was implemented it would not negatively impact you but would benefit a LOT of others. Just read through the thread if you are not convinced."

Actually, it could and hugely. But then it helps to have actual working experience developing and supporting software. Implementation takes time, costs money, needs alpha and beta testing and documentation, and removes resources for functionality that will aid a larger user group. Look at the new masking features provided since this original request. You may feel that the Adobe team should have put that on the sidelines to add a 2nd GUI you prefer. They thankfully did not. Nor is it likely, after all these years, they will. They have bigger and more important fish to fry (and yes, I and a few others here have some inside info about that that will be). 

There seems to be strong opinions about how software should be developed by people (AFAIK) without experience developing software. 

But look at the facts and feedback. The request was made over 2 years ago. As of just now, there are 5.6K views, 599 replies and 79 votes. With such facts, it would be rather absurd for Adobe to consider this a viable request. You say this will benefit a LOT of others; where are they, and can you get them all here to vote? 

[charlesb12994120]

Buddy, you are looking at the 2nd GUI they wasted the time on-- and it blows!!  Put the new features in the old GUI.  

I use these tools to make a living, and the new version slows me down tremendously, if I were forced to use it I would be losing money.  As soon as I find a viable alternative I'm out of here.

[TheDigitalDog]

Buddy, you are looking at the 2nd GUI they wasted the time on-- and it blows!!  Put the new features in the old GUI.  

I use these tools to make a living, and the new version slows me down tremendously, if I were forced to use it I would be losing money.  As soon as I find a viable alternative I'm out of here.

As soon indeed.

I am quite certain I am not the first person to tell you that you are not getting what you want. Sorry. 

The facts

[jaym54156493]

Developing software is and can be tedious, fix one thing, break another is very common. 

HOWEVER, having software designers and developers driven by marketing rather than users can come up with some pretty f'd up programs. 
For example, in most MS programs F1 brings up help, but if you're a mouse clicker, you go to Help on the toolbar, then have to click Help again because some designer/marketing/project manager decided they should overload Help with other things like contact support, feedback, show training, and what's new. Terrible user experience. 

So maybe Adobe needs to be more transparent about how decisions like this camera raw UI came about. 

On the plus side, this crapy UI experience has forced me to get more into shortcut keys (like for syncing changes in images...) for things no longer obvious on the UI. 

[Ash Mills Photography]

I would like to suggest a totally new and shiny cropping option for cropping images in ACR that works just like the legacy mode in Photoshop, (and ACR pre version 13)  

Basically it keeps the image still while you crop, like you would if you were cropping an image in real life.

[Fred Baxter]

@charlesb12994120 I have been running ACR 12.1.1 on an M1 Mini. It works. I am still running old versions of Bridge 10.0.4.157 and Photoshop 21.1.3. I have not updated them to not break anyting. I mostly rely on Bridge and ACR. Bridge is a hot mess. The Content window preview images are scrambled GPU nonsense. As far as I can tell from these boards this issue with Bridge hasn't been resovled in more than 2 years now even with the udated versions. People just have to "live" with it. The Preview window images are fine so it is not a total bust.

To open images directly into ACR you have to do left click and choose open in ACR. A double clip opens ACR and Photoshop. I have not moved past Big Sur either. One simple solution is to have a dedicated old machine i.e. Intel running ACR 12.1.1 for Pro editing use. Since ACR 12,1.1 will allows run in Roseta2 emulation on M1 you get better performance on Intel.

Adobe could have an ACR Pro option in the payment plans for Pro users to access a professional GUI instead of the UIX ACR is now. When you look at the Lightroom UIX ACR next to the GUI of ACR 12.1.1 one looks like you are about to buy something off the internet and the other looks like you are about to edit image files.

[Lumigraphics]

Bridge 12 runs fine on the M1, Bridge 13 is Apple Silicon-native but has a lot of bugs so I don't use it. As for the UI, that's all subjective. I'm a working pro who makes a living with a camera, and I don't think the current Camera RAW UI is a problem. Being non-scriptable is more of an issue for me as I rely heavily on scripts I write to extend Bridge and Photoshop.

[Fred Baxter]

@Lumigraphics If you see no problem with the current ACR UIX then you must not care about productivity. If you are working on a desktop computer with a mouse and keyboard compared to the GUI of ACR 12.1.1 the new UIX is unusable. When you switch between Tabs in ACR 12.1.1 it is a seamless transition were the eye doesn't even see it take place. The current UIX with all the scrolling drop down window triangle clicking to do the same thing within a few seconds the mind is like scrambled eggs.

The current UIX works well if you are a UNIX computer system. I am a human so I prefer a GUI.

[Lumigraphics]

@Fred Baxter Ad hominem attacks don't help your argument. I've been using computers since the mid-1970's and have seen quite a few different interfaces. I guess I'm just able to adjust.

Realistically, I don't see Adobe going back to the old UI. So you have a choice, shake your fist or move on and learn to use the current version. Not sure what else we can offer.

[TheDigitalDog]

@Lumigraphics If you see no problem with the current ACR UIX then you must not care about productivity.

So the Adobe Camera Raw team and everyone who doesn't share your opinion about the current UI doesn't also care about productivity; that is your stance here? That is hardly true and hardly constructive. Again, why are there merely 79 upvotes since June 2020? There have been over five thousand views of this topic since then. 770 replies but all of them are moot expect the 79 votes, because these 79 share your opinion. I ask that you examine this idea that anyone who doesn't share your opinion with the other 78 who took the time to vote here may be fine with the UI in production. If you want Adobe and others to take your opinions seriously, consider the above concepts and facts provided. 

Current count here as of 12/30/22

[Ash Mills Photography]

There are several reasons the number of upvotes and votes in general have been low is that the number does not tot up when threads are merged.   When I returned to revisit this thread recently my vote was not on there - it was 78 when I clicked it, who knows exactly how many have been lost overall with threads moving, disappearing, marked as "solved" etc.

Another reason is that this place to vote for change is tucked away.   Not many of the (presumably hundreds of thousands at least) users of ACR will have ever been to this "community."

Acting on the detail of what we were commenting on became ever more frustrating, partly from the attitude of some, particularly those who mostly use Lightroom,  or those that don't throughput thousands of photos to clients a year, or both.  I get that the interface of ACR will never return to the slick, efficient UI it was before, and I personally have moved on to using alternative software where possible.   I'd still very much like an option to have the Legacy crop mode that Photoshop has.

[Ash Mills Photography]

Why has my idea for a new crop tool for ACR been moved to this thread?  It has nothing to do with the UI. It is a feature.

[TheDigitalDog]

"There are several reasons the number of upvotes and votes in general have been low is that the number does not tot up when threads are merged".

Sorry, but no, that isn't the case. 

Sorry, the facts remain merely 79 upvotes since June 2020.

There have been over five thousand views of this topic since then. 770 replies.

There simply isn't evidence here that Adobe should take the request seriously. 

Sorry even if there were 779 votes, Adobe doesn't have to, nor have they in the past, nor are they required to build their products by outside consensus. 

"Another reason is that this place to vote for change is tucked away.   Not many of the (presumably hundreds of thousands at least) users of ACR will have ever been to this "community.""

Then you and a few others have a lot of work in inviting them here to vote. Again, the facts are you can get a lot more votes (good luck considering the stat's thus far), but in no way does Adobe guarantee change. 

Worth repeating: Some Adobe customers hate two things: Change and the way things are. 🤔

Worth repeating: we (and I mean all of us), don't always get what we want. Now, what constructive alternative comes next? 

[Ash Mills Photography]

Well, It is a fact that my previous vote on this subject had been "discounted" and that threads have been merged with the subject becoming "off topic" to many of the merged-in threads, (ie. the Crop tool!)   as well as advice that is out of date.

I agree that Adobe is of course free to ignore votes, in fact it is questionable why they are there at all.

ACR is many times better to use than when 12.4 or whatever it was first released, and the 2 years of development to now 15.1 or whatever we are on have made many improvements and some great steps forward. 

However, there remain plenty of things that were easier and faster in 12.1, that could still come in time, and still lessons in that UI.   In the meantime, we keep pushing for further improvements, and I think we have ALL helped with getting where we are now.  I do not believe our efforts on here have been as pointless as you continue to insist.  

[TheDigitalDog]

Well, It is a fact that my previous vote on this subject had been "discounted" and that threads have been merged with the subject becoming "off topic" to many of the merged-in threads, (ie. the Crop tool!)   as well as advice that is out of date.

We can't help you with your voting irregularities. 

A moderator had to have merged your request, and it is up to them to do so; that's why they are moderators. I have no idea who did so; I'm not privy to this information. 

"However, there remain plenty of things that were easier and faster in 12.1, that could still come in time, and still lessons in that UI".

If you wish to find older versions of Adobe Camera Raw, they are here: 

https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/kb/camera-raw-plug-in-installer.html

I do not believe our efforts on here have been as pointless as you continue to insist.  

I have not insisted on that. I have outlined the number of years this thread has gone on, the number of votes and page views, and the facts that more are needed (which is your burden, not mine, I'm fine with the current UI), and have explained, you may not get all (or any) of what you request here. 

Now, what constructive alternative comes next? How about rounding up more votes?