P: Brush Outline/Circle disappearing when working with masks

[Belichtungsquartier]

There is already a discussion in the community "Brush Outline/Circle disappearing intermittently (NOT CAPS LOCK) ". But since I have figured out in detail how to reproduce the behavior and when it becomes present, I want to report the issue officialy that Adobe hopefully will fix this in one of the next upcoming patch releases.

OS Environment:

• Win 10 Pro 64bit 21H1
• Adobe Ps 23.0.2

The issue is only present in combination when using Masks on a layer!

1. Create a new document (white, black or transparent layer)
2. Add a Mask to the layer
3. Select the layer OR the mask (independent on what you want to paint)
4. Select the brush tool
5. Try to start moving the mouse quickliy and pressing the left mouse button nearly at the same time and keep the mouse button pressed
6. Try to repeat until the you get locked in the issue and the brush circle disappears and the mouse arrow becomes visible

When working with a mouse as input device, the chance to facing this issue is probably rare because this kind of operation, moving the mouse and clicking the button nearly at the same time is kindly unnatural.

But it looks different when using a pen tablet as input device, because now it becomes a more natural operation when hover the pen toward the tablet surface and then drop down onto the surface to start painting.

Kind regards

[jeromea13244388]

Also for the shadow bug to appear, you'd have to work on floating canvas/windows not on new tabs.

[Jqqerry]

@jeromea13244388 Would you like to write a new thread about the existing bug (starting with about 24.0) that you're experiencing this time, and the existing bug where the mouse cursor turns into an arrow?
Now this thread is merged and the content of the mask that is not related to the bugs we are experiencing is the beginning of the thread.
I don't think there will be any changes or bug fixes as it is.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/cursor-disappears-when-use-brush-or-c...

Because I checked that I moved my bug report from bug tab to another tab....Very Sad =(

[jeromea13244388]

@Jqqerry: I posted a new thread here https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-bugs/brush-flickering-to-curosr-arrow/idi-p/13743...
Will try to learn Clip Studio Paint meanwhile 😄

[Chad Rolfs]

@jeromea13244388 that UI flickering (shadow) issue should be fixed in the next update. 

[Jqqerry]

@Chad Rolfs To what extent is the bug where the brush cursor turns into an arrow now fixed? This is not a Windows 10 only bug. Some users are also experiencing it on mac...... I try to use it as much as possible unless there's a big bug when the update is released every time, and I've reported a serious bug and enjoyed it feeling proud when it's fixed.
But this bug is so uncomfortable when I work as a retoucher that I can't use all versions after 24.0...
I'm curious about the progress of this. Because it's already May...

[Przemek27842062wc9o]

Will someone finally fix this arrow cursor? For the last month I've been working with the layers panel on top and the problem didn't occur, since yesterday it doesn't help anymore and the arrow appears again. I have old equipment, I'm replacing it with a new one soon, but at least let me know what could be the reason. This happens to me on all versions, including the oldest ones. Does anyone here take it seriously?

[Jqqerry]

Will it be fixed this month......It's a bug that adversely affects you in real time...

[Matcha_Latte19]

Seems like this bug is not new since this thread is still being updated... quite a shame really. I mainly use Photoshop 2019 because it's the most stable one for me but then the cursor started flickering, then I tried several other ver of Photoshop, including the newer ones, I'll try it again with 2022 to see if it's happening as well but I have zero hopes... as an artist it's really a pain to draw with this bug, as I have CSP as well, I noticed this only happens with Photoshop so I'm not sure if this is an issue with my PC.. hope this will be fixed soon

[Matcha_Latte19]

Quick update: tested 23.5.5 and 24.0, so far the brush cursor did not flick/turn into an arrow  but I'll have to test it more to be 100% sure of it but it's better than the other ver. I tried, but now I have another bug on both ver. where the color picker lags and leaves a brush tip on the canvas.. ha.. it's laughable, I would use CSP but I still like Photoshop more, it's sad how many bugs are on it and how they almost never fix them.. 

[Jqqerry]

@Matcha_Latte19 At least I don't get a bug in 24.0
I don't remember the exact version, @jeromea13244388  Said, There was also a problem with 24.0.
It's not even clear if there's a review of this. It's already past the middle of May...

[Matcha_Latte19]

@Jqqerry I sadly got the cursor bug on the 24.0 😞 guess I'll have to live with it until they fix it, but yeah... wonder when will that happen 

[jeromea13244388]

@Matcha_Latte19: the cursor bug is still here in 24.0 (I have it when I draw fast short strokes) but less so that in the later versions, I think.

[Jqqerry]

@jeromea13244388  @Matcha_Latte19 
I don't know the exact cause of this. What's clear is that it happens after some point and I've never experienced a bug like this, including the 2022 version last year, 2021, 2020, 2019 to 2015.

Is it a combination issue with Nvidia drivers?
But what's not so easy to conclude is that there are people who also experience this bug on Mac OS.
@Chad Rolfs @CoryShubert 
Adobe. Please share the progress on this. It's June soon.
Photoshop 24.0 was released around October last year, and the new version of each year is released around that time.
Which means we only have about four months before Photoshop 2024 is released.
And that means this too. We haven't been able to properly experience all releases after 24.0 intact because of this particular cursor bug, and we have to downgrade them half-forced.
Slow photoshop, blinking screens, or damaging files are also serious bugs.
I think this Kerrberg has that much seriousness.
I think the identity and characteristics of Photoshop consist of a "brush" cursor.
And if it doesn't show me what I'm doing properly, it's like a big feature isn't working properly already, and we're not experiencing it properly.

[Matcha_Latte19]

@Jqqerry Well said! I hope they'll listen to us because this bug is truly annoying. I also thought it was Nvidia or even a Windows update but seeing people also have the same issue with MacOS means it's on Adobe.

I tried many things I found online and none of them worked, other apps also do not have this cursor bug, and I was just about to say this, I didn't had this issue before, a few months ago everything was just fine, I'm not sure what's the issue. I like to use older ver. of Photoshop because it's more stable in my PC, currently I'm using CC19 which I never had this bug before, used to use CC21 as well and no issues with the cursor, just a bug with Coolorus so I had to switch, earlier this year I also tried a new ver. of Photoshop (22 & earlier ver. of 23) and no issues with the cursor, it just started recently and it's driving me insane, for me, ALL versions currently available of Photoshop have this issue now. Updated tablet drivers (XP-pen) and nothing, updated Nvidia, nothing. Windows (I'm on Windows 10) also updated recently but I had this issue before this newer update so I'm 100% sure it's not related. 

I have other apps I could be using to draw but I still like Photoshop better, the brush engine for me is the best one out there (alongside Procreate but I don't have an iPad to use it) so it's a pain to use the program with this bug.

[Jqqerry]

OMG... Even in 24.5, this is not in the Fixed issue history.......
I'm still using 24.0 and I'll wait another month or two....I hope to fix it before the 2024 version... I want to try some new features, too.

[jeromea13244388]

@Jqqerry: My opinion is that if this bug is fixed someday, i doubt it will be listed beforehand (it will probably be fixed incidently while they're trying to fix something else 😄 )... Have you tried upgrading to the latest version ? I'm a bit tired of trying so I personally haven't yet...

[Jqqerry]

@jeromea13244388  Yes. I downgraded as soon as I saw that this was not fixed in the latest version (if this is not fixed, I can't work with it, no matter how many good features and improvements it has)....

[jeromea13244388]

Regarding the cursor flickering/turning to an arrow there's some new in the latest update (24.6 , june 2023) : the brush cursor still flickers at the start BUT it seems that when you've done enough actions and the history menu is full, the flicker disappears... Strange behaviour and I would like to know if the other people who experienced the bug have the same experience this time around. I think i can work with that for now but a complete suppression of the bug would be better.

[jeromea13244388]

So after 1/2 hour of drawing, I can say that -except for the first strokes after you open your file- there is no brush flicker at all. Actually, the brush seems more precise and reactive than before, I think i'll stay with 24.6.
Yet this weird problem of flickering before you've made enough strokes to fill the history menu should be investigated.

[Jqqerry]

@jeromea13244388  24.6 does not appear on the update list for me.

I don't think it's included in the revised list. Is it really fixed?

[jeromea13244388]

@Jqqerry: There"s "Bug fixes" listed under the 24.6 update in Creative Cloud so that's that. Then again, as I said, the bug is not entirely fixed : the brush still flickers when you start working BUT it stops flickering entirely after you've reached a certain number of history states (20 ? 30 ?) (notice that the brush flickers again for the same amount of history states if you pick up another brush). Go figure. So the bug is still there but for such a very short amount of time that I think it's manageable. Also on the plus side, as I said, the brush seems more precise and reactive than on 24.0. I'd be very curious to know your feeling about this if you update.

[Jqqerry]

https://youtu.be/pjO_bGcsL7M 

@jeromea13244388  Hmm.. No. It's not fix.
Same............... lol
You can see it right on my video link. 

@J453 @Daniel Presedo  @CoryShubert @Chad Rolfs 
Employees, is this being investigated and fixed? 

This is a bug that has definitely been around since 24.0 (some users are experiencing it even in 24.0), and until it is fixed, all future releases (from 24.0 to today's 24.6) will be meaningless. The only way to fix it is to uninstall and downgrade.
As i know, Photoshops's Identity is brush, wasn't it moving the cursor to do the work?
Isn't it the same as saying that the cursor doesn't look right, i.e. Photoshop isn't right?

[jeromea13244388]

@JqqerryYeah as I said the bug remains but (in my version) disappears after a certain number of strokes. I'll stay with 24.6 because in 24.0 the bug still appears when you do fast short strokes, which isn't the case in 24.6.

[Jqqerry]

@jeromea13244388 I'm now sad that users have to bother with this stuff....
The version I always use as an example when reporting bugs is 21.0.3, and I've talked about this to death, but I now think it's a very bad idea for us to get used to these bugs or find our own workarounds.
21.0.3 was the last version that worked reliably fast and without major bugs, I miss it.

2015.5 was truly a blessing in disguise... and a few years ago... Before 2020, I never had to worry about this and only had minor bugs that didn't affect my retouching at all, but now I'm tired of job-threatening bugs being reported in every release and taking at least 6 months to a year and a half to get fixed.

[chad.rolfs]

@Jqqerry Yes, this is still being investigated and looked at by engineering.  It has been a challenge to reliably repro.