P: Spring-loaded tool feature is misbehaving

Report · Sep 16, 2021

Hey some of us had sound out this issue almost 2 years ago with the "feature" on the original feedback forum that had now been closed. Almost a year had past since one of your colleague claimed to have put in a "feature request ticket", and there are still no fix nor update on the progress.

Again I want to emphasis that this is no longer a feature request (that your colleague had suggested) but a bug as it's not performing in the way it's supposed be.

For a quick reminder to the problem. It's way too sensitive, I estimate a rough 20-30% of the time I switch to another a tool, the feature will activate, and without me hitting the shortcut key, the tool will switch back to the previously used tool.

In the time since I noticed this issue, I had change and tested with 3 different keyboards, changed my PC, upgraded the hardwares, and move from Windows 7 to 10. Gone through all the photoshop updates, and yet nothing had change, the issue stayed.

And meanwhile photoshop had introduced plenty of features in between but there was not a single update concerning this issue. So for god sake, can you guys do something about it?

Report · Jun 12, 2020

Hi everyone,

I believe this issue has not been resolved yet. It is in fact NOT a bug, but a FEATURE!

It's called "Spring-loaded tools" and it was built into adobe products sometime after 2017. I had the same problem between B for brush and E for erase during digital painting, and it seemed Photoshop would switch the tool back without my permission!

But what's actually happening is the spring-loaded feature allows an artist using a tool (lets say the brush tool to paint) to hold down a hotkey (like the erase tool) and temporarily use another tool, and after using that tool, releasing the hotkey, will then return to the original tool (brush).

You can test the feature out by painting brush strokes with the brush, and then holding down the hotkey for the eraser, erase a few strokes, then release the hotkey, it will return to brush!

I mistakened this feature for a bug because i had just upgraded my hardware (new laptop) and simultaneously my software, Adobe CC 2020, what a crazy year!

Here's a link to other memebers of the community having the same issue:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/disabling-spring-loaded-tools-function/m-p/11203629?page=1#...

I'd like to tell Adobe to make the spring loaded feature something that can be turned off in edit->preferences->tools, but not sure how or if anyone has already started that ball rolling.

Hope this helps!

Report · Jun 27, 2020

We have to vote for Adobe to fix a painful, broken feature? Digitl painters have already been, and will continue to start, flocking to other programs becasue of frustrating things like this. Adobe tryna lose the illustration demographic, not too smart.

BTW, I'm here casue I am also frustrated and confounded by the newest iteration of SpringLoaded Tools. It is an absolute deal breaker, tripping me up as often as a couple times a minute. It has frustrated me before now, but something has gotten dramatically worse in the newest 2020. JUST LET US TURN IT OFF.

Report · Jul 12, 2020

I have the same problem. i'm 2d artist and always use "e" and "b" buttons for brush and eraser. When i press "e" & "b" too fast -photoshop automatically switche it 1 in 10 times without my participation. Only one way to improve it - use older version of photoshop. It's very easy to find this bug - just draw smth for 2-3 min and always press "e" and "b" and u find that sometimes photoshop changed it
windows 10 10.0.18362 build 18362, wacom pro pth 660, photoshop v21.1.3 (still with this issue)

Report · Aug 08, 2020

Agreed, there still is no option to disable it. I am also a digital painter and asking older artists to adopt a new setting by default is terrible. Make it an option!

Report · Aug 11, 2020

I had to walk away from my work today as this springloaded hotkey garbage IS STILL A THING and it is starting to win the fight. if there were another tool to pick beside photoshop i would. the frustration is very very deep.

Report · Sep 14, 2020

This 'feature' has totally broken the workflow I've been using for years in photoshop. It was a minor annoyance previously but the recent versions have made it way more aggressive and now it kicks in much more frequently.

Honestly really needs fixing, just give us the option to disable or reduce sensitivity.

Painting in PS is just frustrating now, not fun at all.

Report · Sep 29, 2020

Change MODE at top left corner to Normal to revert to brush or to Clear becomes Eraser. Here is my link for more details:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/brush-becomes-eraser-and-vice-versa/m-p/11470949?page=1#M46...

Report · Nov 23, 2020

Stop it. I've been reading your explanations and it's nonesense. It's not a feature, it sucks and it breaks your workflow. People complain about it and you do absolutely nothing with this. Can't do anything now, because tools just keep swaping all the fricking time. Fix the damn thing or give us an oportunity to disable this nightmare. Jesus Christ, every new update, every new version and it's getting worse and worse.

Report · Nov 23, 2020

I’ve been reading your post and it’s nonsense.

• Firstly this is a user Forum, so you are not really addressing Adobe here, even though some Adobe employees thankfully have been dropping by.

• Secondly you fail to provide meaningful details about how exactly Spring-loading Tools affect your wokflow.

Report · Nov 23, 2020

I'm sorry, it was a bad start. It's just drives me nuts. I didn't even realize that I'm on the wrong forum. Let me explain:
I use PS mostly for digital painting so brush and eraser are propably my most important tools. When you draw or paint, you press those keys ("B" and "E") constantly to paint/erase something. It was fine before but now it just doesn't make sense to do anything. I'm painting something, then hit "E" to erase, move with my pen and eraser changes back to brush. So I erased with one stroke, but then I painted again with brush the next second. And the other way around - erasing something, hit "B" to paint but it's back with the brush again. I've seen this issue adressed but the explanation was that it's a "feature" and it's been in the program for over a decade. Well, then something went wrong with newer version, because I do not remember having this problem before. I'm using 2021 version now.

Report · Nov 23, 2020

You can post a Feature Request for the ability to turn off spring-loading altogether over at

Photoshop Family

and that might serve to highlight (or even improve) the currently peculiar customisability-situation (as some, but not all of Photoshop’s keyboard shortcuts are customisable to begin with).

But I am not sure if your current situation might not also be influenced by OS-sided factors (which duration constitutes »hitting« and which »pressing« a key).

Report · Dec 30, 2020

Hi there,

Looks like I'm stuck with recent versions, presumably all with this same bug? Is there a way to get the latest version without this bug even if it's not shown in the Creative Cloud installer?

Oldest version I have is 21.2.4

Ideas?

Thanks!

Report · Dec 30, 2020

This is good to know but the tilde is not involved in this bug. Using B and E to switch between brush and eraser will cause Photoshop to randomly switch tools....brush whilst erasing and vice versa. Unfortunately I don't see a suffiently old version to install from Creative Cloud to allow me to circumvent this bug.

Report · Dec 30, 2020

Trouble is now (12-30-2020) the oldest available version of Photoshop from Creative Cloud has this error. How difficult is this to fix? Photoshop isn't viable to me for 2D art with this issue.

Report · Feb 03, 2021

Hello,

Just checking if any new solution has appeared since the last post? getting tired to always install older version of Adobe products because their updates always make things worse...(if you're frustrated by photoshop update bugs, pray you never have to update Premiere because then you'll enter the 9th circle of Hell)

Report · Mar 18, 2021

We have another thread about this issue since early last year. Let us all gather together in the same thread to let Adobe know how serious this issue is

https://feedback.photoshop.com/conversations/photoshop/photoshop-21x-spring-loaded-shortcuts-more-se...

Report · Mar 25, 2021

Hi!

FYI, If you are switching between brush and eraser, and want to use the same brush, are you aware of the ' also called Tilde shortcut (mostly works on QWERTY keyboards) ?

Report · Apr 04, 2021

First off, bigger issue, Spring Loaded Tools. I can find no option to disable this terrible feature, which is mentioned in this topic:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/tool-changes-to-previous-automatically/m-p/9330688

And again here:
https://feedback.photoshop.com/conversations/photoshop/photoshop-21x-spring-loaded-shortcuts-more-se...

This is -not- something digital artists want to be bothered with. If I wasnt using photoshop, I'd switch to clip studio paint since they actually add things their users want, where as photoshop took 20 years to make the standard undo worth using again. It took me awhile to realize what was happening as I swapped my tools quickly with my hotkeys, and I am NOT impressed. No one wants their workflow disrupted because they held a key while clicking.

As for Windows Ink, I'm aware you can disable Windows Ink by making a text file and changing the configuration there. This is a clumsy solution you expect from open source software - but at least open source software usually creates the configuration file for you to view and edit to your liking in the first place with most of the options you need existing within the file. Sloppy.

You might ask why should windows ink have a disable option within the software?

Because productive people do not want windows inks nasty ctrl, shift and alt notifications at their mouse pointer while using hotkeys. And enabling nasty windows ink for photoshop in your wacom preferences means you're enabling it everywhere else, like Zbrush.

Report · Apr 24, 2021

I still have this issue with Photoshop, I recommend you switching to options like Paintstorm... which happens to also be a much cheaper alternative.

Cheers.

Report · May 24, 2021

Spring hotkeys in Photoshop... Whoever thought it's a great idea to add this "future" to the program without disabling option need to be fired immediately.

Report · May 24, 2021

this "future"

What are you talking about?

Please provide a meaningful description.

Report · Jun 27, 2021

Hi guys!

Created a macro-script to bypass the springloaded features for artists who constantly presses "B" and "E".

Hope it helps!

https://gum.co/zQAqo

Report · Sep 08, 2021

Hi, Adobe! [Redacted] and remove the spring-load [Redacted] feature in photoshop pls and thank you. Or at least give us the option to remove it. Srly how hard is it.... Get a grip, this is serioulsy so [Redacted] annoying.

Inappropriate language removed by moderator]

Report · Sep 10, 2021

Thank you so much for that! Seems to fix it on my computer!
Can't believe how many of us have complained for an eternity about this workflow breaking BS. Got me to learn Clip Studio and was realdy to move on cause it got so bad, PS team really needs to wake [removed by moderator] up.

Report · Sep 10, 2021

@FeedbackCommunityMember said:

"Whoever thought it's a great idea to add this "future" to the program"

@c.pfaffenbichler asked:

this "future"

"What are you talking about?"

CP: I think this might be a misspelling of "feature".

~ Jane

P: Spring-loaded tool feature is misbehaving

3 Correct answers