P: Move tool targeting imprecise

[ulrikg2]

Move Tool annoyance in Photoshop CS6.
I use the move tool alot in my work, with high fidelity mockups for interface design. I rely on precision and predictability in my workflow. In Photoshop CS6 with the move tool set to auto-select layer, i would suspect the move tool to select the excact element im targeting at which it doesn't. it automatically selects nearby elements, which is a HUGE annoyance and disturbance. It ruins the workflow, and it's unpredicable.

Is there at least an option to remove this behaviour and just make it precise as in previous versions of photoshop?

[Chris_Tarantino]

Can you send me that image? Retoucherpro@mac.com

[atwixxtor]

You want the actual PSD file or the screenshot?

[Chris_Tarantino]

PSD if you can... it doesn't have to be hi-res. Just so I can try to replicate whats going on. I'm not getting this on my images.

[atwixxtor]

(Sent). Thanks.

[Chris_Tarantino]

Ok... this is working for me on my PS with both Groups and individual Layers. Are you on Photoshop CC or PSCS6?

[atwixxtor]

CS6, sorry I didn't mention earlier. Mavericks.

[Chris_Tarantino]

OK..thanks. Did this work for you on 10.8?

[atwixxtor]

We had CS5.5 on our 10.8 installations, so hard to compare, but no - before CS6 pointer precision reflected object directly under tip pixel of arrow, now there seems to be a lot of rounding going on, as earlier comments describe.

[atwixxtor]

-- Just checked on a coworker's machine (OS X 10.7, with Photoshop CS6) and experience the same issue.

[Chris_Tarantino]

The only way that I have been able to reproduce this is with the option to Show Transform Controls turned on. With it on it selects what I am targeting and leaves it in Transform mode... which means that selecting something adjacent to it, even within 10 pixels, makes it impossible to select because its expecting to do a transform on the previously selected pixel area. I can select something else OUTSIDE of the transform area with no problem.
Turning off the Show Transform Controls allows me to select anything regardless of how close or how far away the object is.
I'm not saying that this is the issue that you are experiencing but
PS has always worked this way with the settings that you sent to me.

Try unchecking the setting and see if it clears up your problem. I realize that its beneficial to have the setting selected for designing purposes as transforming is convenient. But if you aren't doing a lot of transforms then turning of the Transform Controls makes sense.

[atwixxtor]

Chris - thanks for the explanation on targeting around currently selected transform controls. That does ring true as to how I always experienced them (a large transform buffer around currently selected transforming layers), but that is not the trouble I am experiencing.

Even with transform controls off, and completely deselecting all neighboring layer objects, I am still unable to target that small element.

Please check back in about 40 minutes to see this short screen recording: https://vimeo.com/79908370

[Chris_Tarantino]

Will do. Are you using a Wacom tablet? Wacom Pen? Wacom Mouse? or a third party input device?

[atwixxtor]

Magic Mouse - on my coworker's computer, too. Video is ready now!

[Chris_Tarantino]

That little piece of vector is set to 50% ... but it should still work. See vid...

However, as I said previously 50% density, layer opacity etc can cause it to select the nearest solid object/pixel.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r2bhdaa0qve...

[atwixxtor]

My first post here already explains that changing that small triangular vector to 100% opacity / 100% fill makes no difference with the difficulty of selection. I tried again to be sure but it does not matter in my case what the targeted layer's opacity/fill is.

Secondly, your video shows the document zoomed up several times from 100%. At 100% and even at 150%, I cannot select it. If I zoom in to 300% or more, I have no difficulty selecting that layer.

The issue here is that at 100% zoom, the object that is selected with the V tool does not match the object I am targeting under the tip of the mouse cursor.

Before CS6, as long as I was accurately hovering the cursor over the pixels of the layer I wanted to select, it would select, at 100% document zoom, which is what my example video and issue was recorded at.

[Chris_Tarantino]

You made no mention of it happening at that view.... However...even as far back as PS 5 it still had the same issue at 100% view... see video.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r02eahgu0yo...

[atwixxtor]

Ah my bad - I originally said "un-selectable at 100%" but I realize that was ambiguous as to whether it referred to opacity or zoom. Waiting for your video to load...

[Chris_Tarantino]

Have to send it via email... didn't work in the browser for some odd reason.

[atwixxtor]

The links for your latest vid doesn't seem to be working 😞

[atwixxtor]

At 25 seconds in your video, you actually do successfully select that little triangular layer while at 100% zoom, using the V-select tool. Like I thought, CS5 was extremely accurate with selection. In CS6 I cannot successfully select that item at 100%, while in CS5 you can. Hence this entire thread of concerns...

[Chris_Tarantino]

I just sent you a new movie using PSCC... also selects at 100%.
This really is a pain... I understand... but its the same as its always been.

[atwixxtor]

Sorry Chris, I'm not sure where you're going with this except to prove that something is wrong with CS6's selection, by demonstrating how what I want to do works fine in CS5 and CC... Is it that you cannot reproduce my issue in CS6?

[atwixxtor]

I think there could be a misunderstanding as to what you are identifying my problem as. If it's better, I can jump on a screen sharing session with you to better explain. Thanks.

[atwixxtor]

Just trying to keep this alive here.

Chris T. had some good thoughts on increasing the DPI of the document, working on it larger for more accurate selections, then returning it to the intended DPI/size, as another workaround (thanks Chris).

If anyone else wanted to try selecting that little triangle from my screen shot in CS6 at 100% document zoom, I can send along the PSD for experimentation. It'd be good to further affirm that it can't be selected, and that this problem isn't something odd on my system!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Definitely not an issue with your system atwixtor. I've been waiting for a fix for this 'feature' for years now.