P: Add/Subtract to mask using Brush does not allow L&R Brackets to adjust brush size.

[Nature Light]

If I make a gradient mask adjustment, then select subract using brush, the left and right bracket keys no longer manage the brush size but instead increase or decrease the star rating of the image.  The brush mask itself works fine with the bracket keys changing the brush size.  It seems only to happen when the brush is being used to modify an existing mask, although I did not test beyond the example cited.  Is there something I'm doing wrong or is this a true bug?

[drtonyb]

@defaultu7do08p0haxk 

Yes, you are not alone and it's not your fault either, nor your LrC or Windows configuration. I've been battling with this and its related issues for nearly a year now. I can replicate it on the Desktop PC, my Laptop PC and two of my friends who use LrC can also replicate it on their Windows PCs.

The more complaints, the more likely Adobe will listen and fix it.

[drtonyb]

@defaultu7do08p0haxk 

This is such a wierd problem. I just found something else:

Add a new Brush, ensure that the Show Overlay is Off (unchecked) and test the function of the [ ] keys

If they change the Brush size, then click the Show Overlay On and Off, then try the [ ] keys (for me, they now change the Rating)

Now turn Show Overlay On and try the [ ] keys (for me, they now change the Brush size)

I have found that if I quickly toggle the Show Overlay Off - On - Off or On - Off - On, then the [ ] keys change the Rating. If I change the Show Overlay to On or to Off, then try the [ ] keys, they change the Brush size.

There seems to be so many variables with this bug, it's no wonder some users can't replicate it.

[johnrellis]

"I submitted a bug on the Sky/Subject mask issue coming up to 11 months ago for LrC 11.1"

Can you please post a link to that?  I can't find it here.

[johnrellis]

Here's a bug report, acknowledged by Adobe, of similar symptoms. One person experiences the same symptoms as originally reported here, another with somewhat different symptoms:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-add-subtract-to-mask-using-brush-does-not-al...

I'm not able to replicate either set of symptoms.

[johnrellis]

"I would like the developer simply remove the [] from the shortcut of rating adjustment. Nobody does that, nobody."

Please file a feature request in the Ideas section:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-ideas/how-do-i-write-a-feature-request/idi-p/123863...

It's not likely Adobe would see your request in this thread, though they do read everything in Ideas.

While waiting for Adobe to implement that idea (likely many months, at least, if ever), I think your only option is to change or remove the shortcuts for Increase/Decrease Rating.  That would eliminate the accidental changes in ratings, but you'd probably still have [ and ] being ignored until you actually start brushing.

I don't think we have any concrete evidence that the increase/decrease rating shortcuts are rarely used. I'm often surprised at the shortcuts people report here using.

[drtonyb]

No, I can't. It is not on the public forum.

[drtonyb]

I don't believe that changing the shortcut key assignments for changing the Rating is a fix for the problem. It will prevent the Rating getting accidentally changed, but when this issue arises, the [ ] keys will then do nothing.

In my view, the problem is that the shortcut key presses are being passed to the wrong handler in the LrC software and that needs to be fixed.

[drtonyb]

This issue just gets more bizarre the more I test.

When the Brush is in the state where the shortcut keys [ and ] change the Rating, pressing the Space Bar toggles the Show Overlay checkbox!

After pressing the Space Bar, moving the Brush causes its cursor to disappear and in the Histogram panel, the RGB values change to the image shooting values (ISO, etc.). If a brush stroke has been made, then the Edit Pin disappears too (Show Edit Pins is set to Auto). With each press of the Space Bar, the Show Overlay checkbox state toggles, but the Show Overlay text remains highlighted. Moving the cursor around the LrC window doesn't respond in any way at all (eg. moving over the Global Exposure Slider should show Exposure and its value under the Histogram, but it doesn't) It is behaving as if the LrC window has lost focus completely. Clicking on the LrC window restores things to normal again.

[johnrellis]

"No, I can't. It is not on the public forum."

That's too bad -- without a report in Bugs, it makes it harder to gather all the user reports in one spot and to assess how many are affected.

[johnrellis]

"I don't believe that changing the shortcut key assignments for changing the Rating is a fix for the problem. It will prevent the Rating getting accidentally changed, but when this issue arises, the [ ] keys will then do nothing."

Agreed, as I wrote above.  It's just a palliative to avoid accidental changes to ratings.

[johnrellis]

@Rikk Flohr: Photography, please merge with this existing bug report:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-add-subtract-to-mask-using-brush-does-not-al... 

Also, consider changing the title of that thread to, "Brackets sometimes interpreted as Increase/Decrease Rating when Brush tool is open", which encompasses the symptoms described here and by @craigr12288421 in that other thread.

[drtonyb]

The Adobe LrC team are fully aware of this problem and others that seem to be related. However, it seems that some users can reproduce the issue while others cannot. That makes it difficult to debug.

[drtonyb]

Just to follow up on this a bit more, I have a Desktop Windows 10 PC and an old Laptop running Windows 10. The problem reported here is reproducible on both my machines. I have test Windows 11 disk on my Desktop and it also has the issue. I have asked a friend to try it on his Windows 10 PC as he uses LrC 11.5 too and he can also reproduce the Brush size shortcut issue.

I have found that the key to reproducing this problem is to double-click the Show Overlay checkbox, which seems to be a guaranteed way to trigger the issue. If you click twice on the Show Overlay checkbox too slowly, then the issue is not triggered.

[defaultu7do08p0haxk]

Just updated to LrC 12 (Oct, 2022).

Very sad, the [] keep +/- rating but brush resizing.

Look forward to LrC 13 or someone really cares.

[Nature Light]

Lightroom has a most annoying bugs when using the healing tool.  After you make just a single click, the right and left bracket keys no longer adjust size of the brush and instead increase or decrease the rating for the image.  Moreover, the page down key doesn't work either.  This is a giant pain when dust spotting because I zoom to 100%, hit "home" to move to upper left of image, click on dust spots and then use page down to move down and repeat.  Earlier versions of LR this page down defect did not occur but the inability to change brush size with bracket keys has been there forever and I wish Adobe would spend as much time making existing tools work right as they spend on "nifty" new tools or features

[SeanMcCormack]

Might be time to reset preferences as this isn't current or expected behaviour. Preferences>General. Hold Alt to make the Reset Preferences button appears. Click. 

[Nature Light]

More information:  The behaviour I describe is only for the new content aware option.  If I simply clone the dust spots, I can then make a develop preset that only affects "healing".  When the spots are removed using content aware, the healing option is not displayed.

*****sigh*****   I guess I will reset them again, but resetting preferences is too necessary with this software and as a result, it's something that I virtually automatically do these days before seeking help elsewhere. 

At any rate, many thanks for the input.  I appreciate you taking the time.

[Jill_C]

I just tried it in Healing/Content Aware mode, and I was able to adjust the brush size after clicking; so I'm afraid it's something unique to your setup....

[SeanMcCormack]

I agree. Right now I need to reset my preferences because Lightroom opens on the same folder from months ago rather than the last one I was in before restart. I'm loathe to do it do as I've to set up how I like it yet again. 

[Nature Light]

Here we go again!  You're probably correct.  I recently had a problem that started in June that apparently nobody else in the world experienced and Adobe Support was helpless it seems as promises of fixes never materialized until I reached out to an Adobe manager who then got somebody with some horsepower involved.  He observed the problem to confirm it was real and then tried to push for a resolution but by this time, it was late September and Adobe was all tied up with preparing for Max.  Then the final answer was "try the latest upgrade and see if that fixes the problem".  It seems it has (although I'm still doing some testing) but it's sad that it took from June to October and then Support really didn't fix it...the update did.  

So, I'm happy you don't have the problem but I do!  However, rather than abuse myself yet again with Adobe Support, since I found that using the clone option works for duplicating healing, I'll simply do that.  Cloning is good enough for dust spots.  I will do yet another preference reset though since Sean was kind enough to weigh in.  Thanks for your input.

[GoldingD]

Sounds like some confusion about content aware vs heal vs clone might exist. At any rate you may want to watch:

Discover How to Use the Clone, Heal, and Content Aware Remove Healing Modes in Lightroom Classic

[drtonyb]

@Nature Light Resetting your Preferences won't help. This is a known issue. While you wait for a fix, this will help.

Exit LrC from the Develop module in a folder of images you are working on. Relaunch LrC, but don't change modules, stay in Develop. Using the Content Aware Remove will work as expected, but only as long as you don't leave the Develop module.

[richardplondon]

This seems to be a keyboard focus issue.

What I tend to do (Windows) is use the mouse scroll-wheel to adjust heal / clone / content aware brush size. Same when painting a mask by the way. Shift+scroll changes brush feathering where applicable (but content aware fill has no feather setting).

So far as moving around the image while using a tool: I hold down Spacebar and click to switch zoom level / mouse-drag to pan / Ctrl + scroll-wheel for stepless zoom. There is also the Navigator window which shows where your current zoomed window is, and lets you directly move that around, within the overall photo.

[TakingTheMike]

I frequently have this problem and it is very annoying.  It is most annoying when I am doing my final edits, I usually have a filter set so I am only editing 5-star photos, I try and change the brush size and end up de-rating several photos and having to undo several times to restore them.  I am disappointed that this problem it hasn’t been fixed yet.

[ArnLeo]

This discussion has been going on for two years now and the problem with bracket keys changing star ratings instead of brush size persists.  Here is my experience today using masking in Lightroom Classic:

1. I opened a simple, never before edited DNG image of a bird sitting on sandy ground.
2. In the masking panel I chose select Subject to mask the bird.
3. Some portions of the bird were not automatically masked, so I added them with a brush.
4. I made adjustments to the bird (contrast, shadows, texture, etc.).
5. I duplicated and inverted the bird mask to select the background.
6. Some portions of the bird still had the mask overlay so I selected subtract and chose a brush to remove the mask from these areas of the bird.
7. I attempted to reduce the size of the brush using the left bracket key, and the result was reduction of the image's star rating rather than reduction of the brush size.