P: New user interface lacks contrast and many usability cues, lots of other problems

[J Isner]

I just updated to Photoshop CC(2015) version 2015.1. Adobe changed the UI to the flat look you see on phones and tablets. I do not see any way to select the classic interface, which I'm sure many desktop users of PS prefer.

This feels yet another attempt by Adobe to be trendy without caring about what users want or need. Didn't they learn anything from the dumbed-down Lightroom import fiasco?

[richardm57619961]

If it had the ability to change every colour on every part of the UI it wouldn't need to.

[TrimMark]

I don't want to spent hours to customize a UI.
I want a workable UI so I gan get to work.

[richardm57619961]

It takes minutes and you only need to do it once, rest assured adobe will NOT revert the UI for you.

[TrimMark]

Sadly, they won't indeed...

[Roger the Photographer]

Rob K, you're missing the point... And please let's bring some levity into this awful mess! Skeuomorphism... Thanks Richard.

[Guest]

Sorry, please illuminate the point of complaining about other company's software on an Adobe forum.  If anything, providing evidence that other software companies are also "flattening" their UI only serves to strengthen Adobe's position that they are on trend.  How that helps us get what we want in this particular discussion is a mystery to me.  

[richardm57619961]

Skeuomorphism... Thanks Richard.

hehe, maybe anti-Skeuomorphic would have been a better description, the anti-Skeuomorphic bandwagon started by Microsoft with their bland lifeless UI.
Like herbert says,  I hope it's a fad that dies a painful death.

[Herbert2001]

Richard, it is as you say: if only Photoshop's GUI (or any of Adobe's applications) would allow users to change all GUI elements' colours, we would see themes appear in the community which would accommodate even the most extremely opinionated user.

I hesitate to bring up another application here, but Blender allows for exactly that. Even the GUI elements' scale is seamlessly scalable with a simple PPI slider in the preferences. Many themes are available, built by the user community.

It is a breath of fresh air having this freedom.

But this will never be allowed by a hierarchical large company such as Adobe - it is the anti-thesis.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Well the problem is sort of solved.  As long as my computer isn't logged into the cloud it opens the 2015.0.0 version which is a lot easier on the eyes.  

[davidd1561251]

I couldn't  agree more! Extremely hard to read all menu items. Very small and lack contrast. Please change it back!! The problem is that 20 somethings are designing this stuff and want everything to be as hard to read and small as possible.

[brad2deb]

I completely agree - I want the interface to go back to having contrast and being easy to use. And I AM a 20 something year old and I have trouble seeing and using it. And my eyesight is still good, so that's not a factor. I need contrast, I need to quickly be able to see what I am clicking on, and what I am changing. After about 1 day of trying to use it, I rolled back to the previous version because I lost time while working due to the lack of contrast slowing me down. And time is money. I don't use photoshop because it looks "nice", I use it for it's functionality. But when its appearance affects my ability to use it, that's when I have an issue with it. I don't care if it looks "modern" or not, just give me the ability to use it without having to second guess my clicks or make sure I'm selecting the right item. 

Even if you don't give us the old interface, please add contrast, and not this grey-on-grey hype. Gives us some color. Color = Good 

It's not admitting you were wrong, it's admitting you're willing to compromise with your customers who are paying you good money for your product.

[davidd1561251]

Thanks for that. The other issue is you can only go from 100% to 200% to make menu items larger.One is too small and the other too large. How did you go back to the old one? That sounds like the solution. Thanks!

[brad2deb]

Ann Shelbourne shared this yesterday (on page 8 near the bottom if you want to see her original post). If you go to your Creative Cloud desktop app, under Apps you should see this:

I personally rolled back to the previous 2015 version, but a lot of people seem to really like 2014. When I reinstalled the previous version, it uninstalled the new version for me. 

[davidd1561251]

Thanks!

[brucet53718289]

I wish Adobe would realize that the shock experienced by real users of the latest incarnation of Photoshop is actually about 8 on the Richter scale. I'm guessing the amount of money they wasted on Seth Shaw and rest of the 'design team' (lol) has also rendered our humble opinions useless and that we will be ignored in the hope we will all just go away. Anyway, for what it's worth the already outdated GUI of CC2015.1 is TERRIBLE and in my opinion at at least ranks as the world's worst attempt to 'lead the way' in anything.

Next update time Adobe consider the thousands of loyal customers you have and don't do anything as completely stupid ever again. 

[bakman]

I really wonder if there was any UAT on this UI or is it just based on responses in some classes.
It is clear that the developers are not users, because most people find it awful and where is adobe with their response ? Crickets...  
Problem is that people (have to) use this software every day for its functionality, which is great, but to use the functionality we have to interact with the horrendous interface. 

[mrsnak]

I think Adobe's true intent will be more clear on the next version, whether they continue with this kind of developer arrogance, or try to find a happy medium with the professional base by keeping proven features. I have no problem with them making more toys for the kids, but keep us professional folks happy.

[J Isner]

> Next update time Adobe consider the thousands of loyal customers you have and don't do anything as completely stupid ever again.

Thousands of loyal customers count for nothing compared to millions of new customers at $10 a month.

Wait a while for a professional-quality alternative to Photoshop to appear in the market. It will be cheap and it will be sold with a perpetual license. By betraying its loyal customers, Adobe has created a great market opportunity for others!

[Guest]

Adobe CC and specifically Photoshop is the industry standard for many professionals and as such they need to be careful what they do from this point onwards.

If Adobe continue down this track of damaging a tool that has been invested into and relied upon by many professionals for literally decades now, they’ll be surely facing quite a significantly large class action lawsuit.

At a basic level, I am now locked into a subscription model that forces me to pay for software that is now out of date because the latest version seriously hinders productivity.

[Guest]

Adobe CC and specifically Photoshop is the industry standard for many professionals, and as such they need to be careful what they do from this point onwards.

If Adobe continue down this track of damaging a tool that has been invested into and relied upon by many professionals for literally decades now, they’ll be surely facing quite a significantly large class action lawsuit.

At a very basic level, I am now locked into a subscription model that forces me to pay for software that is now out of date because the latest version seriously hinders productivity.

[Herbert2001]

Last Thursday I was teaching a class (post secondary, web development/design), and at some point I fired up Photoshop to create an image. I noticed the school had installed the latest version with the new GUI design.

One of the students lamented "Yeah, they installed the newest version. The interface is bad." All the other students agreed with him. A short discussion erupted at that moment about how they all really disliked the new GUI design. The students range mostly from age 19 up to 30 years old, 60% female, 40% male.

It's funny, because in my UX design classes I now discuss the new Photoshop GUI design with the students as a good example of how NOT to design a usable GUI.

[tomhock]

While I agree with everyone's complaints about the look of the new UI, I am much more frustrated by changes in performance -- particularly the way the UI now centers every dialog box and never rememers where they have been repositioned by the user.  For me this means an extra step for virtually every tool, filter, or adjustment I call up -- to move the damned controls off the image I need to see to adjust.

Many have described getting their old UI back by rolling back to an earliuer version.  That hasn't worked for me.  Both with CC2014 and CS5, they adopted the behavior of the new UI the second time I opened them.  So I can't even roll back without leaving the cloud (which I would happily do if it were up to me).

The bottom line for me is that Adobe has done next to nothing to improve my productivity in the lastr two years while doing lots of stuff to impede it.  I am quite convinced that no one who designs this stuff ever actually uses it.  Moreover, I am sick to death of their paternalistc and condescending attitude.  I do not reject change out of hand; I reject change for the WORSE or for no good reason at all.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Photoshop only centers dialogs the first time they are shown - after that it remembers the last used position and size.   That has not changed.

[TrimMark]

I particularly (fully) agree with: "I do not reject change out of hand; I reject change for the WORSE or for no good reason at all."
And I really don't believe any one can work faster  with the new UI...

[Roger the Photographer]

To Chris, dialogs position: you are absolutely right.

This proves that not everything is bad in Photoshop. It would really be fun if only we could say exactly the same thing about the UI! Oh God that would be great!

In the meanwhile, the whole Filter Gallery still works in 8 bit mode only, a pre-historic vestige right in the middle of Photoshop, unchanged for at least a decade. And it's the same for some other filters also.