Can't get rid of transparent backgrounds/"Flatten Image" as default

[BarbaraLivingston]

About two weeks ago, my Photoshop decided that every photo would open in "Flatten Image" mode...a transparent background. Other than in the past two miserable weeks, I have never used transparent backgrounds nor needed to "flatten image." I'm guessing I hit some button by mistake.

I open images through Bridge; this happens whether I'm opening RAW files or files I've already edited.

I thought the glitch happened by maybe clicking on the little rectangle on the toolbar, down near the bottom, with the circle within it? But clicking on it, or not, doesn't change the transparent default. When I look at "Layers," I don't see any way to change the default backgrounds to non-transparent.

Google indicates this, which may always get rid of transparent backgrounds? But I see no "Properties panel" on the right side of my screen (MacBook):

Go to the Properties panel, found on the right side of the screen. Scroll down to Quick Actions. Click "Remove Background."

As each image I open now has a transparent background, I then have to "flatten" every image to make it a regular image.

What button(s) can I use to get rid of non-stop-default transparent backgrounds? Thanks for any helpful info!

[Conrad_C]

The picture below is what the Google search means: The Properties panel can show a Remove Background button, when a non-Background layer is selected in the Layers panel. However, that is not the correct answer to your question, because Remove Background looks for a subject (like a person or a car) and will remove the background around it, leaving a transparent background on the layer. That is not what you are asking for.

Where are your images coming from, what is their format and how were they made? That might lead to the answer.

Because I think Photoshop simply opens what’s in the file. For example, if I open a JPEG file, it always opens flattened (one opaque Background layer), because JPEG cannot store transparency. But, if I open a macOS screen shot, macOS saves those as PNG with transparency, so they always open in Photoshop as a layer with transparency in a non-flattened document.

Sometimes, like you, I want single-layer images to be flattened, when I don’t need the transparency (because the files are smaller). So I used the Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts command to assign my own keyboard shortcut to Layer > Flatten Image, so whenever I want to do that, I just smash those keys and it’s done.

[BarbaraLivingston]

Thanks so much for the response. 

We shoot with Canon 1DX Mark IIIs and IIs, in RAW mode, but this weird transparent-background thing happens whenever I open any image. I never want to use "Flatten Image." I just want regular background images.

If I have a saved JPG on a hard drive, for instance, created in 2008, it opens with a transparent background and I have to 'flatten image' to get rid of it. 

I wouldn't worry so much about it...it's just one more step...but we are often shooting/sending on deadline. Last Saturday, for instance, I sent in maybe 80 edited photos, as JPGs, in less than an hour. As such, having each one open (Photoshop/Bridge, Canon RAW files) as a transparent-background image was torturous. I had to flatten each image....save....then work on the file - and it often changed back to transparent during editing, UGH...so then "Flatten Image" again, then save. I send in JPGs so leaving them with transparent backgrounds doesn't work.

(Transparent background images don't save as regular JPGs).

No one at the track could figure the issue out, and I'm definitely not sharp enough to. I'd love to get rid of the "Flatten Image" option for the rest of eternity, if possible. 😉

[D Fosse]

The jpeg file format specification does not allow transparency, so your description cannot be correct. You must mean something else, not transparency.

You need to show screenshots and describe this more precisely.

[BarbaraLivingston]

Images, including JPGs, converted themselves to what I believe were transparent backgrounds after I opened them and did any changes.

Maybe "transparent" is not the correct term, but the background showed up as the grey-and-white squares of the transparent mode (I see that mode when creating watermarks); each image required "Flatten Image" to get rid of the grey-and-white checked pattern.

Those images with the grey-and-white checkered backgrounds could only be saved in four formats if I didn't "Flatten Image," none of which were regular JPGs.

I posted a screenshot of the Bridge screen earlier (above), guessing that the issue happened due to an incorrect setting in Bridge. But after spending several hours last night with a photographer friend who hit pretty much every button in BR and PS, the issue seems resolved.

Thanks, though!

[BarbaraLivingston]

(Grey-and-white checkered background isn't quite right. It was a grey-and-clear checkered pattern.

I'd edit the above but don't see that I can.)

Thanks again. 

[BarbaraLivingston]

Here's an example (because, of course, since I just wrote that it seemed fixed...it's not).  This was a RAW file, Canon 1DX Mark III, opened with Bridge. I simply did the crop tool to angle it a bit, and that area at bottom right shows what I'd call a transparent background. But maybe it's something else? 

Each image then requires "Flatten Image" to turn it into 'regular' image that can be saved as a JPG.

[Stephen Marsh]

It's your crop tool options... With "delete cropped pixels" unticked a flattened image is turned into a layer in order to reveal/recover cropped data. 

P.S. You can also crop and rotate in ACR before Photoshop.

[BarbaraLivingston]

Hi, Stephen, and don't leave me! Ha!

I see what you're saying and made sure that "delete cropped pixels" was checked. That way, the words "Background (default)" are listed under "Fill." That likely was wrong somehow, because weird random things happen. Thank you so much!...

But.... After my last post and before reading yours, I decided to try updating both PS and BR. And, well, now....I can open a RAW file/image through Bridge, but the only way to save a photo at all is in one of nine ways (see attached). No regular JPG. 

I tried saving as TIF, closing the photo, and reopening it to save it as a JPG. But it still will only allow those nine ways to 'save' it (see attached). No regular JPG option.

Older photos that were already saved as JPGs...no problem. I can open them, work on them, and save them again as JPGs.

Thoughts on this? I'd be happy to pay for your expertise, if you have a way of doing that. I've been using PS since 1996 but haven't had any issue nearly this frustrating. 

[BarbaraLivingston]

The "Delete Cropped Piels" thing absolutely could have been unchecked. At times I felt there was something 'not right' about the crop tool.

So...one thing down, ha (thank you again!).

And I'll try completely tossing all traces I can find of Photoshop and Bridge tomorrow and starting from scratch. Seems the updating seems to have caused a far worse problem, as sending TIFs on deadline isn't workable.

Thanks again.

[BarbaraLivingston]

This is a new (and weird) default prompt with the PS/BR updates. It shows up just after I open a RAW image. 

[Stephen Marsh]

That photo of the screen is showing the new Ps 2024 Contextual Task Bar (Window menu > Contextual Task Bar), which you can turn off if you don't like it.

[BarbaraLivingston]

Thank you, Stephen! I didn't see how to turn it off so simply hid it instead.

Again, I really appreciate your help - and (bonus) your answer made sense!

[Stephen Marsh]

Yes, sorry, hide/turn off - same thing.

[D Fosse]

ACR now opens in 16 bit depth by default. 16 bit is not supported in the jpeg file format specification. Only 8 bit is allowed in jpeg.

In 2022 Apple made a change in MacOS that forced Adobe to change the Save protocol that had been in use since CS5 in 2010.

In the new 2022 Save protocol, it is no longer possible to save directly to a file format that does not support all the current properties of the file. This excludes jpeg if the file is 16 bit, has layers, transparency or alpha channels. None of those are allowed in the jpeg specification.

In these cases, you need to use Save A Copy. This saves out a copy of the file with these properties removed. The original stays intact. That is in fact how it always worked, but previously (since CS5) it was possible to bypass the extra steps and save out the copy directly.

Later Adobe were able to find a workaround, and add a checkbox in Preferences called "Legacy Save As". Note that this time there's a real danger of overwriting originals. Hence it's not on by default.

EDIT: @BarbaraLivingston Could you divide all these questions up into separate threads? They are unrelated, and it's getting hard to keep track of which question to answer.

[BarbaraLivingston]

Thanks so much, D Fosse, for the very helpful information.

The news is frustrating (and will be time-consuming) for those who like to shoot RAW but edit/save at JPGs. But at least it's an answer.

Yes, if I have another question, I'll list separately with a new thread. The community pages can be of great help.

Thanks again to you both - so appreciated.