P: Why was sync settings removed?

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Why sync settings in PS CC 2015.1 was removed?
I like this idea. Are technical problems with it?

[Garconis]

Sync Settings has been removed in Photoshop CC 2015.1. The existing service in Photoshop CC and CC 2014 will become unavailable in the near future.

I am really going to miss this. I use PS on two PCs, and often make UI changes that I want to have updated on both installs.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Exactly.

[armin_staudt]

One of the main and most important features of PS CC for me was to synchronize my preferences (brushes, actions, shortcuts etc) with the cloud.
Now, with the latest update you just delete this feature.
I can't understand this.
I do not find any sentences about why.
For me this is Anti-Cloud!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I'll have to ask about what replacement you have? It worked perfectly especially after a Preferences reset. By downloading my settings I would get my custom presets and even Preferences back saving the trouble of having to set them all up again.

It was a great feature and taken away without notice.

[Vincent_Garguilo]

So not only did they HIDE or DELETE syncing with Photoshop and Illustrator, syncing does not work at all with Premiere and AE. I just get tons of errors. Does Adobe even test this stuff before they release new versions to the world? This is really bad business.

Thank god the recent update fixes the other 100 issues i was having though.

[marcjgirouard]

I have an existing support ticket for CC 2015 sync settings because it wouldn't sync my brushes or tool presets. And most importantly I want to sync my workspace, as there is no other way to export/import these.The solution to this issue was to just remove it all together?! I was really looking forward to this working as I work from two computers. And there is ZERO documentation about this! What is going on?

edit: There is a cumbersome way of exporting and importing workspaces using Edit>Presets>Migrate Presets. I still don't understand scrapping a cloud service for a cloud product with "Cloud" in the name.

[Todd_Shirley]

Anybody have a WHY on this?

[armin_staudt]

No, they just ignore us, as usual

[Vincent_Garguilo]

My only guess is that there were SO MANY BUGS when on OS X El Captian they just NEEDED to get the update out and plan on adding the syncing back in at a later date. ???

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Perhaps programmers are too busy.(Which is quite likely.) In that case, should react at least someone from the PR department. 🙂

[Garconis]

So true. Creative Cloud, my ars.

[GraphikJules]

Why was a working feature that a lot of people use removed? Why take a quick and easy process and replace it with more steps that require more time for those who use multiple workstations?

If you have something better in the works, please let us know. I don't need details that you can't discuss.... Just need to know that Adobe is working on a better solution than adding more steps and time to what was once a quick and easy process.

[lucarubino]

Where are the sync settings? From the last update, I miss the possibility to upload/download my settings in photoshop.
There is no panel in preferences, and miss the voice under menu "photoshop cc" labeled with my account.
I'm on a mac.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

WHY was Sync Settings Removed in CC 2015.1

Sync Settings has been removed in Photoshop CC 2015.1. The existing service in Photoshop CC and CC 2014 will become unavailable in the near future. To migrate your presets/settings from an earlier version of Photoshop CC to this release, see Migrate settings. (New features summary: Photoshop CC 2015 release)

Why in the world would you remove this feature from Photoshop and other apps? Part of the point of having things in the cloud is that one could quickly and easily sync their workspace across multiple workstations e.g., home and office computers. Am I now supposed to do this manually? Why remove a feature that so many used to make their workflow more efficient, faster, and easier? Do you have something in the works to replace it or are we just supposed to take a big step backwards. I would like a real answer... NOT links to how to migrate on one computer nor would I like links to your articles and help pages that contain typos and other errors.

[dtristram]

Hi Everyone,

I'm very sorry to hear how frustrated and unhappy you are over the removal of Sync Settings. I agree it's a great feature that is very useful for some of you. I also regret that no one from Adobe has followed up on this thread. I am not directly involved in this feature, but I was able to learn a few things that influenced the change.
- usability: the feature was complex and difficult for many users
- roadmap changes: Adobe wants more of a focus on CC Libraries
- technical issues: the servers used for the feature are going away

The rest of the CC apps have a means of sharing settings across installations. Photoshop needs to have that too. Here is the last line of the Product Manager's post to the pre-release forum:

"Though Sync Settings will be removed from the next version of Photoshop, we plan to continue investigating a solution. It’s too early to tell when such a solution will ship, but we would love to hear your feedback about this area and what you would want in a future version."

I am trying to get his okay to post the full message, but above are the main points. I know it seems like Adobe is this huge company that certainly can implement a simple feature like sharing app preferences, but actually the software is very complex and there are many issues competing for the development team's attention.
For Ps CC 2015.1 it was simply not practical to provide Sync Settings while keeping the rest of the application strong.

Thank you so for your involvement and passion for Photoshop. It means a lot to me.

David

David Tristram
Photoshop UI Engineer

[armin_staudt]

Thank you for answering David.
I really would expect, if I can install PS on two computers, I also would be able to synchronize my workspaces.
I also would expect from a user, who is using PS, which is in my eye's a profi-tool it's not to complicated to use this little but important feature.
In my eye's it a big step back in usability and the cloud-idea.

Look at this thread, it's also an important issue Adobe never recognizes:
http://feedback.photoshop.com/photosh...

[marcjgirouard]

Thank you, David. It is frustrating, but I appreciate your response and insight into the matter. Good to know that it's still being discussed. It was one of my favorite cloud features.

[GraphikJules]

Thank you for taking the time to respond... if this functionality were added to CC Libraries, I would be over the moon happy as I love CC Libraries.

This feature is most likely not of interest to the casual home user or the person who jumped in on PS due to the $9.99 monthly plan... BUT for the power user or individual who uses more than one workstation... this was super helpful. Although there are workarounds, the ease, simplicity, and speed made Sync Settings really useful. I truly hope the team will continue to investigate a replacement solution that takes advantage of the cloud/libraries and doesn't settle with taking a step backward.

[Vincent_Garguilo]

I second the need for settings syncing for ALL apps to come back asap. This was one of the coolest and most useful features of Creative Cloud.

Based on what David said... I am not sure how it confused people. Seems pretty simple. It was designed well enough where you only had two options, upload or download.

Maybe its no longer a choice its just ALWAYS keeping things in sync, no matter what, kind of like dropbox, in theory. So there is no more choice of upload or download. Whatever you do is just synced.

[Vincent_Garguilo]

Thank you for the info! At least this is confirmation that it wasn't a mistake or hiding somewhere. Thats a pretty major thing to strip.

[Bruce at TRG]

I was able to sync my Presets folder between my computers before CC 2015 and it looks like I'll need to once again.

I'm a big fan of the free file sync service called "BitTorrent Sync." No central server: it only runs on the computers you control, so you won't be depending on a 3rd party for service or control. And no data caps, since again, you're not depending on Apple or Google or Adobe, etc., for server space.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

It's just not Libraries, but also Preferences like Panel thumbnail sizes. I could restore my interface tweaks like Panel thumbnail sizes without having to set them all up again after a reset.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Yes. Especially in the case of Photoshop forget this if it is not properly terminated! 😞

Sometimes I adjust settings Photoshop and then preemptively close Photoshop and I run it again. I want be sure that this setting remains.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I really miss this feature, was really good for me sync settings between office and home.