New icon for masks doesn't help :-(

[CarlosGordillo]

I would appreciate if any can tell me how to avoid the new icon for the masks in the Layers Panel?

[Trevor.Dennis]

AFAIK it can't be turned off.  With the last person who asked about it, I suggested making the thumbnails larger to effectively minimised the size of the new icon.  I am not entirely sure what it signifies.  You could also set Contents to Layer Bounds making it easier to see smaller objects.

[CarlosGordillo]

Thank you Trevor,

This feature is unfortunate: It is not aesthetic, it does not help, but it does get in the way a lot. We will see what use they decide to give it, for now I would ask that they put an extra option on the panel to remove it or put it to taste. 

[Trevor.Dennis]

I found the other thread, and I tagged Adobe employee Cory asking what the icons are for, but we are still none the wiser. 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-beta-discussions/layer-mask-icons-in-25-1/m-p/14152670/high...

I have tried experimenting and the icons do appear to differentiate between raster and vector masks, but they are still quite similar so maybe not useful to users with small screens.

[CarlosGordillo]

Hi Trevor,
Yes, I understand that the icon is a kind of identifier, which is useful in the case of Smart Object layers, to differentiate it from the others. I don't know if they are just trying to homogenize the appearance of all the masks, but in cases where there is a visual aid that is so useful to see what is on the layer at first glance, this icon is a real hindrance. I think maybe they could implement a color code, for example, or in any case provide an option in the panel to use these new icons or not.

[Trevor.Dennis]

It's the mask that the icons identify, rather than what type of layer it is. 

The other thread I linked to mentioned using Layer Bounds in Panel options

This is the default Small thumbnail and default Content set to All

Content set to Layer Bounds but still with Small thumbnail.  It's a lot easier to see what's in the thumbnail, but you might have a problem locating the layer if you have a lot of them.

We can get past that by right clicking over the content we are looking for with the Move tool selected.  If you were to select Fire in the panel below and Isolate Layers that will remove all of the other layers from the layers panel

But if you have the screen space, set the tumbnails to Large

I use three large screens and like Contents set to Entire Document.  You get a big clue as to where the content is located and shouldn't have too much trouble finding it.

[Jeff33179174hnnf]

I just noticed this myself and was looking for a way to turn it off.  If it does signify the type of mask, maybe move it off the thumbnail to the upper or lower right, so it is not covering the thumbnail.  I use the thumbnail to double-check that an edit that I am working on isn't getting out of hand.

As a suggestion, it would be nice if the mask could open in a second window so you could edit it on one screen while monitoring its effects on another screen, or even side by side in the same window.  For example, when pasting a new mask in the mask layer, I don't have to click back and forth to see the effect on the image.  To modify the mask, I would click on the mask window.  To modify the image, I would click on the image.  Changing the layer would change the image window and the mask window at the same time.

Also that could make the icon covering the mask thumbnail more tolerable.

[Trevor.Dennis]

@Jeff33179174hnnf

Jeff, if you update to the most recent version of Photoshop beta, it now has a check box that lets you disable those icons (they are actually calling them Badges) at the bottom of the Layers Panel Options.

That's the Photoshop Development Team listening to our feedback and acting on it.  It has been explained to us in the past, that these things are not always easy or in any way straight forward.  A lot of the code affects multiple aspects of the whole app, and can have unpredictable results.  Especially when taking multiple operating systems and hardware into account.  So fair dos to the Adobe guys.  IME they are passionate about what they do.  I like to remind people that there are 30 million Photoshop users, and that's just the legal versions, so we have to assume that the vast majority are happy with the product.

[ac86197750]

The majority of PS users, or any software for that matter, will not engage with the developers; you cannot assume they are happy with it. PS users who are getting uncomfortable with it and able to chose for themselves will be looking at Affinity etc. I have great respect for those that are knowlegeable enough and can find the time to engage in the Beta programme. That the fix is in the Beta gives me confidence this was a slip-up not arrogance.