Bizarre Photoshop CC Phantom Text Problem [2019]

[vleo512]

Strange text problem happening in Photoshop CC.  Some old text keeps popping up in different image files when I go to edit them.  For example, I went to recolor the shirt this woman wore, and this phantom text comes up in several places in my image.  It's my text from a file I don't have open anymore.  I only have it on that file in one place, but when it shows up like this it is repeated several times on several lines. I can't get rid of it.  It won't erase or allow me to select it on any layer.

It seems to happen when I go to select a specific area in an image.  It happens with any selection tool like the quick selection tool, the magic wand and the magnetic lasso. 

Is it a bug?  Is it something I'm doing?  What is happening and how do I stop it?

It happened in this furniture store image, too.  Please help - I can't get anything done this way.

I'm on Windows 10.

[PECourtejoie]

Hello, very strange!

Does it create text layers, is it pixel data? Visible at all magnifications? on an exported JPEG?

Did you try to delete your preferences? go to the preferences (CTRL+K - CMD+K on a Mac), general, click on the button that reads "reset preferences on quit".

Which version of Photosohp are you running? could you have an action that is triggered by the scripts events manager?

[JJMack]

It would help if you showed a screen capture of the images Photoshop document's layer stack.  Is something creating text layers.  are you using any actions or script when your process your images. Have you set up and Script manager event handlers in your photoshop environment?

Supply pertinent information for more timely and effective answers. The more information you supply about your issue, the better equipped other community members will be to answer. Consider including the following in your question:

• Adobe product and version number
• Operating system and version number
• The full text of any error message(s)
• What you were doing when the problem occurred
• Screenshots of the problem
• Computer hardware, such as CPU; GPU; the amount of RAM; etc.

[vleo512]

Resubmitting my problem with the recommended information. I need to know why this is happening and how to stop it.

I am getting a line of text from another document that is not open showing up on a mask in images I am working on.  The text is repeated several times on several rows.  

There are no text layers in these files.  I am not using any actions or scripts.  I have not set up any script manager event handlers.

I've colored the text in the first example below bright green so you can see it.  It is in black on the second image and you can see it in the subject's hair and skin. 

• Adobe product and version number
  • Adobe Photoshop 21.0.1
• Operating system and version number
  • Windows 10 
• The full text of any error message(s)
  • No error messages 
• What you were doing when the problem occurred
  • Making a selection to change the color
• Screenshots of the problem with the document's layer stack.
  • I was trying to darken the color of the leather couch in this image.
•   
• I was trying to change the color of the subject's shirt in this one.
•  
• 
• Computer hardware, such as CPU; GPU; the amount of RAM; etc.
  • Processor Intel Core i7-4770S CPU @3.10GHz
  • 16 BG Ram

[jelanihware]

This is also happening to me. HELP!

[JJMack]

Can you post screen capture like the other user that has this issue.  It was possible to tell what was happening on the other users machine. From the history palette in their screen capture it look like they were using some automated Photoshop process they had developed. At some point in the Process a script could have suspended the recording history state. It is obvious that the text is not in a text layer for the are none and  there may have been steps not not recorded in history but there no foot print to justify that possibility.  The text was not in the tiff file when it was opened they claim the background layer  was copied  then an adjustment layer was added and then modified. A quick selection done and a solid  fill layer added so the quick selection masked the solid fill there was a  layer mask  deleted and a layer deleted .  The Adjustment layer that was deleted would have had a layer mask that could be the one recorded deleted.  The Phantom text is solid green like the green solid fill layer, It hard for me to believe that quick Selection  tool could have selected  small text perfectly and and a spot in the couch.   Even if the quick selection tool  selected the text, Where did the text come from, all that was done recorded in the history palette was a layer  via copy it look like the background layer was copied however the layer name  is Layer 1 not background copy an adjustment added before the quick selection there is no hue and saturation layer that  had to be the layer delete in the history palette.   None of the steps recorded in the history palette look like a name  that would be recorded for a script suspending history  so the script could be backed out. So there is a Phantom hunting that machine that not leaving traceable foot prints.

[Weenyone]

I'm having the exact same problem with this ghost text.  Please sort it out guys it is clearly a bug.  All the things you suggest to get rid of it isn't working!!

[Chris24588756z6rd]

For me, the problem was coming from something to do with Smart Objects and Generative Fill. Once I collapsed those functions, it stopped happening.

[Trevor.Dennis]

Generative Fill and Ai was not a thing when this thgread was started six years ago.

[Chris24588756z6rd]

I guess I don't know what to tell you?

1. I had the identical problem of small, repeating phantom text from a previous file
2. There doesn't seem to be a thread that offers a solution that works
3. I can very clearly identify the artifacts in the black Generative Fill area
4. Collapsing the layer and erasing the text solves the issue

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[jon_6269]

This has just happened to me. Not using Ai or fill

Was occuring as I copied a layer. And when I rotated an object.

It created random amounts of text what was on one of the other layers. 

This also happened with a text layer. The only thing on the text layer was the text I wanted - according to the layer stack, and the ghost text was unselectable. However when I hid the layer, the ghost text vanished, so it had to be that layer.

I ended up masking everything out as I was in a rush

[Trevor.Dennis]

I ended up masking everything out as I was in a rush

By @jon_6269

So the ghost text was in one of the layers?  If I am understanding correctly, it was part of a type layer, and you were able to hide it using a layer mask on that layer?  Could you also mask it with a solid fill layer at the top of the layer stack?

It's tempting to look at things like language packs that we know can cause issues, but I think the issue is not just affecting Type layers.  Or GPU driver issues, but those artifacts don't save with the image document, and can't be masked.  It would still be interesting to turn off GPU acceleration temporarily to see if it fixes the problem. My guess is that it won't.  The people reporting this all have good English, so language packs seem unlikely.

Is there any similarity in different people's ghost text content? i.e. do they have the same words, or is it random?  If you have experienced this, does the ghost text relate, in any way, to other layers or even documents?

Are you using the same operating system?

Could it be coming from the clipboard?

Do you use keyboard macros, perhaps. i.e. do you recognize the ghost text content?

It's a strange one, so the more information people can provide, the better the chance of spotting a correlation unique to the people experiencing this issue.