P: Where are the legacy default custom shapes?

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

The custom shapes tool used to have actually useful shapes like arrows and such which were very useful for quick design needs.

Now its full of trees and boats and flowers.

I appreciate the new shapes, but why did you have to remove the old ones that were actually more useful in everyday situations?

(Similarly, patterns is in a similar boat. Removed some useful more subtle background patterns for leaves and such).

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Also -- I know this isn't a brand new change, but why did Photoshop hide so many tools behind a single stupid little dropdown. Like who thought that was a good idea? So hard to find what you're looking for.

Why is Photoshop going backwards in usability so often instead of forwards? 

[Jim 185]

They aren't removed, they are still there, but need to be opened. I did it a couple of weeks ago  but can't remember how now. Someone will come along and tell you how.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Hope so.

I click the gear and click "Restore Default Shapes" but all it does is add MORE folders of trees, boats, flowers, etc. and I don't see a way to remove the old folders. Wtf. So annoying.

[Jim 185]

I tried that too and had the same result. Sorry my memory's failed me. on this

[Jim 185]

Think I found it:
Window  (on top line next to HELP) > Shapes (shapes panel will open)
click on three lines at top right
choose "Legacy Shapes and More"

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Thanks, but that is such a retarded move by Adobe. 

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I expect they'll be surprised by how many of us a) still want the shapes that have been around for centuries, and b) how hard it is to know those are now "legacy" files in the flyout menu  — as it is in all the panels, btw, in case you're looking for something.

IMHO, never hide what users are used to on the default install.  Let them do the hiding. '-}

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I expect they'll be surprised by how many of us a) still want the shapes that have been around for centuries, and b) how hard it is to know those are now "legacy" files in the flyout menu  — as it is in all the panels, btw, in case you're looking for something.

IMHO, never hide what users are used to on the default install.  Let them do the hiding. '-}

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I didn't even know there was a window panel....
I just always used the shape tool options in the top application bar... which when you click the gear does not give you any ability to delete a folder (even though it duplicated them) nor does it give you the legacy shape options.

What a great place to hide useful tools Adobe.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

It seems like the cog wheel menu in the Options bar might be a good place to add a command like "Open Shape Panel for more. . . " That could at least clue people in that there's another option to work with. It does work somewhat differently from the Options bar with a Shape tool. So as you explore it, expect it to be not exactly intuitive.

On the plus side, you can have any tool active when you drag a shape from the panel into your document, transform it into place, then hit enter/return to commit. On the negative side, you still need to have a shape tool selected to get the Options bar settings for fill and stroke, etc, if you have no Fill, No Stroke as last used in the Options bar. Hit enter/return, and you won't see your shape. However, if you DO have a Fill, you don't need your Shape tool— you can change it  with any tool active by clicking on a swatch in the Swatches panel or a pattern in the Pattern panel, etc. As far as I can tell, that doesn't work with an unfilled, unstroked shape. You have to make it an active selection (Cmd-click on the thumb) and drag a fill onto it, or select a Shape Tool and use the Options bar. I find the Shape tool method easier.<G>

So a bit complicated, yes? And also a bit nicer to be able to change a fill with any tool selected, and dragging a shape onto the canvas to transform it seems straightforward enough. It's mostly that the Options bar still plays a role when using the panel, but the panel plays no obvious role when using a Shape tool and the Options bar. (whew! I think I covered the most of it<g>)

I just found this. Probably more useful than what I tried to explain. It includes a video by Julieanne Kost.

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/drawing-shapes.html

[grahamt4784949]

Why REDUCE functionality with an upgrade?? This is an incredibly retrograde step IMHO

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

How exactly do you find functionality reduced?  It might help them improve on the feature if they understand what it was that you could do that you now can't do. I don't know what I can't do that I used to be able to do, but it's possible I used shapes in a more limited way than you.

I do think the bit about no fill/no stroke persisting  (as it always did if that was your last choice) but no Options bar making that obvious to you when you drag and drop a Shape without the Shape tool selected is rather awkward and disconcerting, because if you had the Shape tool selected you'd see the problem at once. But being aware of that, I don't otherwise know what I'm missing???

[grahamt4784949]

Functionality is reduced by removing access to a whole lot of very useful shapes, leaving only shapes that I can't imagine anyone using, hiding the means of reinstalling those shapes, and providing no help - either within the program or online - that points you to the ways you can reinstall those shapes. Even the Adobe help chat technician didn't know that they were gone, and didn't know how to reinstall them apart from reinstalling Photoshop 2019 and exporting the shapes, then reimporting them into Photoshop 2020

[Earth Oliver]

yeah, they kind of made a mistake by not making the location of where to load them from more obvious.

[Earth Oliver]

yeah, they kind of made a mistake by not making the location of where to load them from more obvious.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Okay, I'm with you on how they dealt with the Legacy Shapes. I have no clue why they assumed we'd not want them as much, if not more than the new shapes. Or thought of course we'd know exactly where to find them.  Though I do like having the new ones, too. I just have to remember that if I'm going to reset Preferences, I'd better get them into fewer sets that make sense to me and then save them as my own custom shape sets.

Once each individual has figured out Legacy Shapes(sigh), there's still the little matter of hiding the Options bar when we drag a shape onto our document using the Move tool or something like that. We can learn that the Options bar won't display Shape's options unless we select the Shape tool (it's consistent since the Options bar is for tools), but not having it anywhere, even in the Properties panel?  Most of us keep that open since we use it for Adjustment layers. Seems like a good place to put Shape options when a Shape layer is active.

Always more to wish for. . .

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Wow, what a pain!, I spent a lot of valuable design time looking for the arrow shapes we use in almost every design layout we create. Please Adobe, dont become like Apple and start to hide/remove useful stuff without making it easy to find/re-install. As designers we might not have the same brains as you software guys. Please consider us next time you want to 'play god' with your software.
Thanks

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

That worked, but it is not in the shape format that we had, but I can live with it.  Thanks for the help.

[sloomis]

Its stupid to have to open folder after folder. What happened to the icons?????

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Right managed to work around this with the initial help from Jim Robertsons post. Like he said go to Window->Shapes. Then on the panel section you will have a window panel that you can open. Click the 3 lines top right of it and choose 'Legacy Shapes and more' You will see the folder appear. Now this is the painful part but you will only need to do this once. Resize the panel window as big as you can ( you will need the space ) Now open all the folders so ALL shapes are visible. Now Click once on the first shape within that folder group, hold down SHIFT and click on the last shape in that group. A blue box will appear around them all to show they are selected. Click and hold on the very first shape and drag it to the very top and above the very first folder. You will see a blue horizontal line appear above it. Repeat those steps until all shapes have been dragged to the very top ( you will notice where you need to drag them top once the first lot has been done). You can now delete all those folders and you now have your old school shapes back again as images only. There are a lot of new shapes mind and will lag the screen when you open your shapes icon at the top of the tool bar so if you find some you don't like, you can delete them in the window panel.

[DavidMancini]

Adobe is on a sacred mission to make their software as obnoxious and as obtuse as possible, from what I've seen over the last decade. Several times now they've hidden useful functionality behind the label "legacy;" added new, um... we'll call them "features," that I couldn't disable fast enough; and just generally wrecked havoc with the UI in their software across the board. The only "improvements" to Photoshop that I've cared about for the last decade-and-a-half were non-destructive layer Styles and Content-Aware tools. Almost all the UI changes they've made have been miserable, time-wasting fluff to justify their subscription model – "Look, we're doing UPDATES!! Keep paying us for more!!!"

< / rant >

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

can't remember how? Why do you bother to reply?

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Thanks for this! I hate when upgrading your computer means re-learning Adobe products, or losing necessary tools in the "new version." 

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Amen Mack!!! Totally agree with you!  Because of the 2020 version having problems with text placement, I've returned to 2019 version. Folks at Adobe are too busy depositing my monthly fee and no time to help with solving problems with new versions. Not even a notice to say it's fixed or not!!! Very disappointed at the Adobe people and their latest product!!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Click on Window -> Shapes...  then there you can click on the hamburger icon and bring back the legacy shapes.