content-aware scale - protect mode is NOT protecting subject

[Fischtick]

Using photoshop 23.4.2 on Big Sur...

I'm trying to use content-aware scale to extend the background -- I've selected the subject & made an alpha channel of it, then chosen 'protect' when using content aware scale.

It's not protecting the subject at all and is scaling it along with the background. I've attached images of before and after.

Is this a bug or is there something I'm missing? This has happened on mutliple files, and I'm about to give up using this feature though it would be helpful if it worked.

[jane-e]

@Fischtick 

It's a little hard to tell what is going on from your screenshots.

• You have an alpha channel called "towels", but we can't see your Channels panel and don't know what is in this saved selection.
• You have an image with transparency behind it. Are these separate layers or one layer? We can't see your Layers panel.
• What (exactly) is the important visual content that you don't want to scale? Which part do you want to scale?

Watch this video from Jesús Ramirez to make sure you understand the feature:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nvUuHKkLgk

It's also not clear what your goal is. If, for example, you want to extend the window, wall, and ledge and leave the towels alone, you might try one of these:

• Content Aware Fill, available in your version of Photoshop (23.4.2). The current version is 24.5
  or
• Generative Fill, available in Photoshop Beta 24.6
  https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/generative-fill.html

Jane