Adobe Configurator and deprecated Flash-based panel support in Adobe CC products

[AnthonyK]

Does Configurator 4.0 (or Configurator 3) support the creation of HTML5-based panels?

I received the following email from Adobe: 

Photoshop CC, starting in the middle of 2014, will remove support for Flash-based extensions. All other Creative Cloud products have already marked Flash-based panel support as deprecated at this time, meaning no future enhancements or bug fixes will be coming for Flash-based extensions.

The current version of Photoshop CC already includes support for a new type of HTML5 based panel. We are currently working on a new version of Adobe Extension Builder designed specifically to support the creation of these HTML5 based panels.  You can download a free preview here: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/extensionbuilder3/.

Details about developing HTML5 extensions for Photoshop as well as for other Creative Cloud products are available in the Extension Builder pre-release program here: https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=6V6IgvE0yLQQ7bgadxNXaw .   You can also join the Photoshop developers' prerelease program for details specific to Photoshop.  If you're interested, please let me know and I will get you setup.

Will the panels created by Configurator 4.0 work in PS CC after the middle of 2014 when support for Flash-based extensions is removed from Photoshop CC?  For that matter, will the panels created in Configurator 3.0 work in PS CC after the middle of 2014?

[Travel-Images-Photo-Tours]

An old post, but still VERY much relevant!

[C-Wave]

I came to this thread, sadly, because this morning's update to Photoshop CC 2014 broke the custom panel of my top 20 tools that I've used and considered a time saver for several years now.  Of course, it also broke GuideGuide and Coolorus, too.  To me, this just represents a further fragmenting of the Photoshop ecosystem, with more reasons for people to be running older versions of Adobe software, instead of the promise offered by CC at it's rollout that it would make it more likely for more users to be running the latest and greatest version of everything.  In general, I love HTML5, and am not a big fan of Flash, but this change in compatibility had better have significant upside that is not readily apparent, because otherwise, I'm having a hard time getting behind it as a good thing.

[NightSkyGuy]

C-Wave wrote:

I came to this thread, sadly, because this morning's update to Photoshop CC 2014 broke the custom panel of my top 20 tools that I've used and considered a time saver for several years now.

I suspect it's situations like yours that made Adobe allow installation of THREE different Cloud versions of Photoshop: CS6, CC, and CC 2014. Though curiously the ACR update to 8.5 must be run 5 times... once for each Photoshop, once for Adobe Bridge CC and once for Lightroom. I don't understand that since it seems to take an equally long time download and install each version

I noticed another interesting behavior... Photoshop CC 2014 auto installed in an odd location C:\Tools\Adobe on my Windows machine.

[mayoi rithwic]

I just want to be sure I understand the current situation correctly. I've spent hours developing an extension panel for my own use that has significantly increased the speed of my workflow. As of today, with the release of an entirely new version of CC, I can no longer use this panel -- and Adobe has NO solution for me whatsoever. All the time I spent creating it is wasted, all the efficiency I gained by using it is lost, all because Adobe doesn't provide any viable alternative for me. Does that pretty much sum it up?

[C-Wave]

That certainly seems to be the lay of the land, as I understand it as an end user.

I suspect that this is all complicated, from a corporate communication standpoint, by the fact that this is largely driven by Adobe dropping Flash compatibility from their API.  Politically speaking, they'd rather deal with a little flack by having some surprised and disgruntled users than publicly addressing the fact that Flash has been dealt another loss.  Although I use Photoshop well over 40 hours a week, I wasn't even aware that Flash was used by Photoshop for extensions/panels until now.  I suspect that they'd rather see it just ebb away slowly than call any attention to the fact by alerting users as to the ramifications of this "minor" update by mentioning that support has been dropped in the API. Adobe has embraced HTML5 as the future, but don't want to see any more bad press about the "death" of Flash.

[Andreas Resch]

I used a color picker panel called "Coolorus" which is Flash-based for my daily work all the time and I know a lot of fellow illustrators used this one or similar panels too. Adobe's decision to eliminate this kind of panels makes the new version not usable for me for nowe. So much for "spring cleaning" and the productivity of individuals. For now I will have to stick with the the old version and load the new version in case I need one of the new features. I don't think that this is the way Adobe wants users to handle their products.

Not a good decision in my opinion.

[PECourtejoie]

I feel so sorry, I knew those reactions would happen.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I feel so sorry, I knew those reactions would happen.

One would assume that some people at Adobe had that kind of foresight, too, and it just did not matter enough to either change the decision or to invest into developing a comparable html5 alternative to Configurator in time.

[Eggi]

Just installed the new version of Photoshop CC and noticed that my panels are no longer working. Used to place all functions and actions I need in a panel, in the order I use them in my workflow, so I could quickly edit my photos. Without that I'll need much more time to click through the menus or to remember the keyboard shortcut I'll need next. And no replacement for configurator in the near future ! Thanks Adobe ...

[Nekosumi]

I'm very surprised this morning that the latest release of Photoshop suddenly dropped compatibility of custom panels made with Configurator. Until today I couldn't even imagine that they'd shut down such an useful feature because I was using my own custom panels for many many years.

I understand that it is important to throwing away outdated technologies such as Flash to keep things clean, but I believe Adobe Configurator was a software that magnificently useful and highly necessary for the modern Photoshop user experience.

Are they making an new version of Configurator that capable of creating panels based on HTML5 technology? I strongly hope so, because if they aren't, I must use older version of Photoshop for rest of my life. I can't stand anymore that using the standard tool panel instead of my own design.

Configurator, I really need you back.

[weymouthsteve]

So lets get this straight, I will be forever paying a regular subscription for a Photoshop cc version that is not the latest and will no doubt never be updated in the future unless I give up a feature that I have come to depend upon. No opt out clause, that just sucks. It great to know that some people in the know `knew these reactions would happen`  that really makes me feel so much better.

[mayoi rithwic]

What surprises me is that when Adobe made the decision that they would no longer support Configurator Panels, and that they would not provide a tool for migrating existing panels, that they still left the page for downloading stating that Configurator 4 can be used to create panels for CC. Even now, users going to that page will be led to think it will work just fine for the current CC. Though I suppose in a way it doesn't matter from Adobe's perspective. Like weymouthsteve said, even though some of us will not be able to upgrade to CC 2014 because of this, we will still have to keep paying our monthly rental fee -- so there's certainly no financial impact from Adobe's approach. Just another example of why the subscription model is great for Adobe and terrible for customers. Previously we could use our wallets to ensure that Adobe kept customer satisfaction a priority. But now it simply doesn't matter -- no matter how infuriated customers may get over Adobe's decisions, they will still be paying a monthly fee. The subscription model makes customers powerless to influence how a product is updated. Unless Corel is miraculously able to come up with a viable competitor, Adobe is free to make any decision they want, not matter how negative an impact it has on customers -- with this decision to remove custom Panels being a prime example.

[hd_tom]

Yesterday I received the Photoshop CC 2014 Update (German). Like other people allready told: I absolutely can't understand that I can't use my Panels in future. In the past I created some Panels with my favourite tools under configurator 4. It was really easy to do this. I'm not willing to learn coding due to Adobe's unbelievable desicions..

During my daily work I need this panels; otherwise I waste a lot of time all day. I can't do this, my competitors aren't sleeping.

Adobe: What do think what People are working with Photoshop, Indesign...? Coding People or Designers?

Hope Adobe can offer a solution for this problem soon. It's poor to know that I've to work with PS CC 14 in the future to be able to do my work in short time and have to pay a monthly fee for a product I can't use in production.

[XR21]

Here is the same

Installing CC2014 jsut to discovered that my workflow that I spend hours elaborating with configurator is just f.... up !!

This is total nonsense not to give an HTML version of configurator.

You give tools to professional then remove them without giving any alternative.

I have allways supported the CC system and defend it with my colleague now them just can tell me that they were right... No more customer conscience in adobe team. Shame on you

[DomiPro]

I second this !

[hd_tom]

In Photoshop CC 2014 I'm also missing the Panels I've created with Configurator. Hope there comes a solution soon.

Working with PS 2014 is poor in Moment. Changing several times during work at one file between PS CC and PS CC 2014 is also no solution.

Helpful should be a video  or at least an instruction how to code a simple html5 Panel with Eclpise / Adobe Extension Builder and use it in PS 2014.

[DomiPro]

I second this too !

[Chuck Uebele]

While Adobe has informed us that Flash would be removed from their apps for a while now, the impact isn't felt until it actually happens, and now it has.  Other than the fact that Flash has been removed is the fact that Adobe may not have realized how many people used features like Configurator.  They look for metrics of people posting their panels on their sites, like the former Adobe Exchange.  The trouble with this is that most people create scripts, panels, and extensions for themselves, so Adobe doesn't have a good indication of how much they're used!  Hopefully they'll see how much people use features like this now, and provide an easy way in html5 to create them.  In the new release of CC 2014, there is a new feature that is on by default that sends metrics back to Adobe about the features that you use.  I would strongly recommend that you leave this on, as we want Adobe to know what feature we do use!!!

[Vic-Boss]

ok. Just another person here wishing he could use his Configurator panel in the newest version.  My custom panel is absolutely ESSENTIAL. I will not be using CC 2014 until I have some way of either using my existing panel or remaking it with something else.  

[XR21]

Ok some feel sorry. But now it's time to act. There are solutions. I tryed the eclipse pluggin and couldn't make it work with cc 2014. Though it works with cc. Let explain us how to make it work with cc 2014. We need precise tutorial in how to make a HTML button like interface to script and action. Maybe even some template and example. That is not to hard to setup. Could be online within hours or a very few days.  You knew it would happened it has happened. Eclipse is not as simple as configurator but with some step by step tutorial I am sure people can make it work for simple like configurator panel...

Then try to convince someone at adobe to write a configurator converter to export HTML panel from old configurator file.

We have followed adobe in his cc way. Supported you , your jobs , your bussiness, you exist because we are here, making bussiness with your tools. So now it's time to recognize one mistake and repair it... Sure it'll cost you some money but it happens all time.

It's like the oil painting thing. Some people do really rely on this to make their bussiness and now they have to pay for the cc and the update every month and just can't update because adobe deprecated some major functions of its software. Spring cleaning they call that. We are doing bussiness. Your tools are not toys. We invent ways of earning our life with the tools you give us. You can't just decide to get rid of them. Don't make old functions evolve ok but don't suppress major feature like configurator or oil painting without giving alternative.

It's time adobe realize their responsibility. People lifes, family, bussiness rely on the tools you make to earn their living. We need to be inventive, creative, and so some of us use every tiny bits of function you give us to improve their bussiness and find new clients, every single line of code you make can chage some people life. Being a geek at Adobe is certainly fun, inventing new functions, deciding that one other is too hard or to boring to have some attention, but we all have responsibilities, you too, we dont need new feature though we like to have them , but we need our working tools tools to work everyday , event faster , even better, that is what we need

Everybody at adobe should be aware of that.

Stop being sorry. Now it's time for action.

Thanks.

[Jonathan_Ferman]

Hi all,

If you are interested in developing HTML panels I recommend some of the post on Davide Barrnaca's website, he has converted all his panels to HTML from Flash so he knows what's involved.

Photoshop, etc. | Random thoughts on Photoshop, Coding and all the rest

In terms of Configurator, I love the passion of all the users on this forum and it's really spurring me on to see what we can do as a sort of replacement. I am having high level discussions with Photoshop engineering and others currently and I don't want to make any promises but I do want to be able to offer a visual way to create panels and perhaps that could be developed by the community rather than Adobe. It's way too early to know what's possible at this stage but I wanted to at least let you know that your comments are not being ignored by any means!

Jonathan

[RPotter_Can]

Just echoing the sentiments of most everyone here: I rely EXTREMELY heavily on a giant custom panel I created for PS in Configurator. It saves me immeasurable amounts of time I'd otherwise spend digging through the menu system to access filters/scripts/etc.

I don't  care if I have to recreate the whole damn thing in a new HTML 5 version of Configurator. It would be worth the relatively short amount of time it would take, compared against the long-term frustration it will save me (and my wrists) using complicated keyboard shortcuts and menu surfing all day.

[jaybirdbird]

While I understand why Flash got the boot, it seems absolutely insane that Adobe would remove extensions as everyone knew them and NOT provide an equivalent tool to rebuild them. The fact that Extension Builder Preview isn't compatible with CC 2014, the very product that we now need new extensions for, is baffling to say the least. I really hope you do continue this discussion further with the Photoshop team, using both CC and CC 2014 is not a solution that should be suggested. That is a hack.

[C-Wave]

Wow, Jonathan, those are the most encouraging words I've heard since the v2014 rollout.

Keep in mind that since Configurator offered the opportunity to completely customize panels for individual needs, the degree to which they were shared or sold on the Exchange site is not necessarily the best metric for how much utility users were getting out of it.  My custom tool panel was perfect for my needs, and saved immeasurable time for me, but I never shared it with others because it had some of my specific needs baked into it that few others would have wanted.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I wanted to at least let you know that your comments are not being ignored by any means!

Thanks for your continued feedback and good luck with the endeavour!