Unwanted behavior change - inability to adjust controls of edit pin when invisibile

[Joe Foe Toe]

Until the 4/12 update, it was possible to adjust control pins after "h" was pressed to hide control pins. (One needed to have cursor hovered over desired pin).  This functionality appears to be missing now. It was very valuable as it allowed one to see changes in realtime without the interference of the control pin lines. Please restore to previous functionality!

[AxelMatt]

It worked for me. I used LR 11.3 on a Windows 10 machine. So it's not a general bug in the latest update. 

In a first step please try resetting the preferences of Lightroom Classic:   https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/setting-preferences-lightroom.html

It's recommended to backup your preferences before you reset the preferences to the default settings: 

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/preference-file-and-other-file-locations.html

[Joe Foe Toe]

Axel, resetting preferences did not help me. Additionally I'll note that the masking overlay seems to come on when "h" is hit - and I don't think that happened before. Also, to be clearer, I am referring in particular to hiding the lines on radial and linear gradient tools to keep my screan clear as I am moving their control points.

[richardplondon]

Masking overlay activates for me despite O (overlay) being toggled off, when I hover over the "pin" of the mask element (for example a radial gradient) or over its thumbnail in the Masks panel. I can't find a way to stop this happening. But not otherwise - including when adjusting control points apart from the central pin. 

If you want to move (e.g.) a whole radial gradient around, you do not have to pick it up by the central "pin" - you can use any point within its extent, that is not itself a control point.

The H key does not let me conceal the control point and associated guide graphics that I am dragging around, while I am dragging it. Activating and picking that up in the first place required displaying it. I am not certain if any previous ability to do so was intended and by-design, or just an accidental side quirk. AFAICT it could be argued to run counter to standard interface design if the particular UI element you are currently interacting with, may become invisible to you.

So perhaps it is not so much that a functionality has been positively removed, as that some eccentricities of the old programming have not been set as an aim for the updated programming to reproduce - for good or ill.

I am not denying that usage eccentricities may become positively valued and useful. There's even a certain justified pride in discovering those! But now some new eccentricities, or merely imaginative new ways of working, will certainly emerge in their place IMO.

[Ian Lyons]

The ability to the adjust sliders associated with a hidden but active pin is still possible. However, a bug that allowed one to activate/move a hidden pin was a bug. The bug was fixded in 11.3

[Joe Foe Toe]

I think I'm reading that what I considered a most valuable feature, ie the ability to move hidden pins along with rotation, feathering, of radial gradients, and extending/contracting linear gradients etc - was, in fact, a bug!

As far as "counter to standard interface design" - I understand the point. In this instance one had to locate the control point, keep cursor in position, toggle the "h" key and then the change to the cursor to "controlling" became visible. It was hardly confusing, and never caused me any issues from any unwanted behavior.

The notion that terribly distracting control lines must be there, when it worked beautifully "as was" - is disconcerting. I suspect if some of you had stumbled upon and used this feature, you'd be screaming along with me; the way one could more easily sense when a gradient was positioned perfectly is a bit hard to describe. It seems simply a case where the cure is worse than the disease.

I can think of no other control in Lightroom that can arguably be said to interfere with appearance. Of course I will live without this, and soldier on <makes dramatic gesture> but I hope Adobe, in its infinite wisdom, can find a way to resure this feature. 

Just so I don't end on such a sour note, let me say that the new masking implementation, particularly the way intersections are treated - is just a masterful delight to use.

[Ian Lyons]

I'm sure you're not the only person who found the behaviour useful, but alas others found it to be the opposite and logged it as bug. I don't expect that it will make the pill any less bitter but the behaviour is now consistent with Camera Raw, which for some is the alter that LrC and LrD behaviour must bow to. Sadly, when it comes to zoom whilst cropping consistency with ACR is ignored, but I digress. 

[richardplondon]

Perhaps many agree with you, or would do once aware about this option - so why not add it as a feature suggestion. This will be formally read and tracked by Adobe. This section of the forum is really more intended I think, for user-to-user discussion of established (and official) features.

Provided the user can opt into having the control lines appear and disappear in some way, rather than have them disappear unexpectedly, I can quite imagine the benefit of what you describe - though never having found this possibility myself, nor TBH really felt the lack of it myself.

[Joe Foe Toe]

Richard - thanks - I will do just that.