P: Adjusting layer properties doesn't work for Hue/Saturation/lum. HSL layers

Summary

Occasionally, Photoshop’s Properties panel stops responding/updating: the panel looks like nothing is selected (controls appear disabled / not highlighted), even though a layer or mask is selected. The issue is temporarily fixed by closing the document or restarting Photoshop.

Steps to Reproduce

Not 100% reproducible. Happened ~2–3 times total.

1. Open any document.

2. In Layers, select an adjustment layer (e.g., Hue/Saturation) and/or click the layer mask thumbnail.

3. Go to the Properties panel.

4. Observe that the Properties UI does not update for the current selection and appears inactive (as if no mask/target is selected).

Expected Result

The Properties panel should update to match the current selection (layer/mask/adjustment) and show the relevant active controls.

Actual Result

The Properties panel appears “stuck” / inactive:

• controls are not highlighted and look disabled,

• it may show a state like “No mask selected” (or equivalent) even when a mask/layer is selected,

• switching selections does not restore normal behavior.

Frequency

Rare / intermittent. Occurred about 2–3 times over the entire usage period.

Workaround

• Close and reopen the document or

• Restart Photoshop
  After doing this, the Properties panel behaves normally again.

Environment

• Adobe Photoshop Version: 27.2.0 20251213.r.15 e3408e7 arm64 (final, Release)

• Operating System: Mac OS 26.2.0

• Hardware: Apple M2 Max, 32 GB RAM

• GPU: Apple M2 Max (Use Graphics Processor: ON, OpenCL: ON)

• Displays: 2 monitors (SDR)

Attachments

• Screenshots showing the disabled/unresponsive Properties panel state

• Full System Info / GPU Sniffer output (pasted below)

Additional Notes

• No third-party plugins failed to load (Plugins that failed to load: NONE).

• Some UXP extensions are installed (e.g., Lumenzia, StreamDeck Plugin), but the issue appears sporadic and not tied to a specific action I can reliably reproduce.

If you want, paste this as-is and then append your full system info block underneath.
 

@Chloe5DC2 

I believe this bug parasitizes the "Prominent Colors" feature in Photoshop 26.6, which was introduced in March this year.

So if rolling back is indeed an option for you, I would recommend version 26.5.

Here is how you can access older versions in your CC desktop app:

Is anyone at Adobe even looking into this still? people here have given you a step by step guide on how to recreate this problem. Can we please get an update? I use photoshop for work everyday and this bug is majorily interferring with my workflow. The 'work around' of closing the file and reopening is not a work around at all. My files are huge, and svaing them and reopening can take up to 5 minutes each time.. it's beyond frustrating. The bug happens everytime you merge saturation adjustment layers with any other layer, thats the trigger.  Can we at least please have download access to photoshop 2024 again, until you figure out this problem and fix it? This version is no longer available on the creative cloud and it was the last version that didn't have this bug. I'm on the latest version of photoshop now, 2026 and its still happening. PLEASE HELP

This is still an issue in Photoshop 27.0.0 on widows.

Photoshop intermittently stops showing the actual Hue/Saturation adjustment controls.
Instead of the Hue/Sat sliders and the color range bar, the Properties panel switches itself to the Mask tab and becomes stuck there.

Clicking the adjustment icon does nothing — the panel refuses to switch back.
Only reopening the document or changing the layer’s position in the stack restores the proper controls.

This happens across multiple files and on two different Macs (previous machine + new Mac mini M4 Pro), so it is not hardware- or preference-related.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer

2. Work normally, switching between adjustment icon and mask

3. After some time, the Properties panel opens showing only the Mask panel

4. Clicking the adjustment icon does nothing

5. The Hue/Sat controls remain inaccessible until the file is closed and reopened

Additional reproducible behaviour:
If I drag the Hue/Saturation layer below all other layers, the adjustment UI instantly reappears.
As soon as I move it back up the stack, it can get stuck again.
This indicates a Properties panel state-sync bug, not a user-selection mistake.

Expected result:
The Properties panel should always show the Hue/Saturation controls when the adjustment icon on the Hue/Sat layer is selected.

Actual result:
Panel becomes locked to the Mask view and refuses to show the adjustment UI.

Notes:
– Happens on multiple documents
– Happens on two completely different Macs
– Workspace reset does not fix it
– Preferences reset does not fix it
– Not caused by accidentally selecting the mask — the panel ignores the adjustment icon entirely
– Behaviour changes depending on the layer’s position in the stack, which rules out corrupted preferences

System:
– macOS Sequoia 15.6.1)
– Photoshop (26.1.1.0)
– GPU mode: (on)

This is definitely a problem. I'm finding the same thing on a MacBook Pro. I can confirm the Hue/Saturation layer works on a file until after I merge adjustment layers and try to create a new one. Then this issue happens (no adjustments, only mask properties, and even those can't be edited).

@Anshul_Saini @Sameer K 

I have found a way to 100% reproduce it, at least on my machine it is.

Photoshop 26.11

macOS Tahoe 26.0.1 on Mac Studio M4 Max

1. Open any image
2. Create a blank layer
3. Create a Hue/Sat adjustment layer
4. ⌘⌥+G to clip that Hue/Sat to the blank layer
5. Group the two newly created layers (see attached image)
   
6. ⌘+E to merge the group into a layer
7. Create another Hue/Sat adjustment layer
8. There you go. No layer properties.

9. Move it down and the properties panel becomes available again. (as @antonioi21376345 mentioned). Move it back up and you lose it again.

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So something goes wrong when you flatten a group that contains a clipping hue/sat adj layer?

I hope this is the trigger you are looking for.

I first replied to this thread on May 6th. It's been too long.

We need this fixed.

I am from China, so I probably won't be able to join your debug session. Good luck.

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Guys, if you can reproduce this too, please help the adobe team.

Same here — it’s been two months since this issue started, and Adobe @Anshul_Sainistill hasn’t fixed it. Isn’t all the money we pay enough to get this resolved? 

Just had this issue now. Using Photoshop 2025 (updated to version 26.11.0 a few days ago) on a Macbook Pro. Hue-adjustment layer not working/displaying properly (showing density/feather?). Even when I don't use an adjustment layer and just use hue/saturation still displays this way. I restarted several times, still not working. Is there a workaround? I  have a deadline today.

I've been having the same issue with Photoshop 2025 (current version 26.11.0). I'm on Mac Studio M1 Ultra. I need to close and re-open images to make the hue/sat adjustemtns about 90% of the time. If I click on the floating saturation bar, I get this error code: