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AriochIV
AriochIV
Inspiring
March 22, 2020

P: Eyedropper tool now switches window focus

  • March 22, 2020
  • 23 replies
  • 1533 views

I recently upgraded to PS CC 2020, and I'm frustrated by what appears to be a change in the behavior of the Eyedropper tool.

I'm used to frequently using the Alt- key with the Brush selected to activate the Eyedropper and quickly select a color from a different document window within Photoshop. But now, in 2020, a click from the Eyedropper tool will most of the time switch the focus to the window that I clicked in, This happens whether I have the Eyedropper tool selected or am using Alt. Except that the behavior is not consistent... sometimes (rarely) the focus stays the same, and sometimes it quickly flashes back and forth.

The fact that the behavior is inconsistent suggests to me that something may be wrong, and that this is not just another inexplicable deliberate change in the behavior of PS tools. Is this a known issue, and is there any fix or workaround for it?

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    23 replies

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    F
    FeedbackCommunityMember
    Inspiring
    August 23, 2020
    Finally managed to sign into my account to say that I'm also still having this problem with Windows 10 | Photoshop v. 21.2.2
    omerh7177378
    omerh7177378
    Known Participant
    August 18, 2020
    Having the same issue - eyedrop tool changes active window. Really has an impact on workflow. Working with windows 10, cintiq, photoshop v 21.2.2
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMember
    Inspiring
    July 21, 2020
    I am going through the same thing with the eyedropper tool, it definitely has an impact on my workflow.  Photoshop V 21.2
    Windows 10 Pro 19041.388
    Thanks for any help in this matter!
    J
    J453
    Legend
    July 6, 2020
    I've reopened this for engineering to look at, thanks.
    D
    dinosnake
    Participating Frequently
    July 6, 2020
    I am having the same problem. Photoshop 21.2 on Windows 10 1909.   I only free-float windows, never dock, and the window you have brought up to the foreground loses focus when you use the eyedropper (zoom) - focus goes back to the previous window you were working on, not the one that you just brought to focus yourself.

    Note that I fully uninstalled all Adobe Creative Cloud products and reinstalled, as this isn't the only bug that I've been dealing with.  No changes, all bugs are still here. 

    Driving me crazy.  The latest version of Photoshop is bug-ridden in the most inconvenient places.
    AriochIV
    AriochIVAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 30, 2020
    Having used it more, now I find that it's behaving pretty much the same way it did before the update. Even when all the windows are free floating, sometimes the eyedropper switches focus, and sometimes it doesn't. The behavior seems erratic.
    AriochIV
    AriochIVAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 18, 2020
    That's correct.
    J
    J453
    Legend
    June 18, 2020
    OK. This is strange. Are you only seeing this when the docked image is active and you try to sample from the floating image?
    AriochIV
    AriochIVAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 16, 2020
    No, a click with the eyedropper tool (whether manually selected or temporarily selected with the Alt key) still changes focus to the window clicked on. This is using 21.2.0.

    It does work properly if both windows are free floating, but it doesn't work when the main window is docked.
    J
    J453
    Legend
    June 16, 2020
    This issue should be fixed in the 21.2 update that went out this AM. Let us know if you're still having trouble.
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