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Question

CTRL + T no longer transforms non-paths? This is insane

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
February 27, 2025
4 replies
968 views

Perhaps I am missing something, but when I press CTRL T to transform raster pixels, I get this insanely stupid alert. No, I'm not trying to edit a path. WTF? When I go to the edit settings, there are only options for transforming paths.

Yes, I'm on the correct layer. Yes, it is unlocked. Yes, I'm 100% the pixels are within the selection. This is some BS Photoshop issue.

This update of photoshop SUCKS. I hate how they consolidated A HUGE AMOUNT of tools into a seperate bar. WTF, WHY?

Windows

JoseGIHP

Participating Frequently

If you ctrl+h and hide the paths, then ctrl+t, it will allow to transform non-paths. Incredibly annoying and short sighted on Adobe's part (as usual)

JoseGIHP

Participating Frequently

Now ctrl H doesn't hide the paths. This is incredibly frustrating. I don't want to have to delete paths in order to transform pixels. Seriously, Adiobe, what the hell are you guys doing over there? I just want to transform my pixels like normal, without having to delete paths, and have to remake those paths if I need them. Why combine transform for both? Why not have aseprate transform for the paths?

AlanGilbertson

Community Expert

Not to detract from what's been said already, but when Photoshop starts doing something completely non-sequitur like this, the remedy is almost always to reset Photoshop preferences. Open the Preferences dialog, and on the General page, click on "Reset preferences on Quit." Then quit Photoshop. (Another way to achieve the same thing is to hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift while Photoshop is loading, then choose OK when it asks if you want to delete your preferences.)

This can happen with any version of Photoshop, and if you load a new version and see weird problems, it's the first step of troubleshooting.

Conrad_C

Community Expert

I have to admit that’s a very strange error, and I’m not finding it easy to reproduce intentionally. Because Free Transform Path should only be available if a path is selected. So...

Yes, I'm on the correct layer. Yes, it is unlocked. Yes, I'm 100% the pixels are within the selection. This is some BS Photoshop issue.
By @Dane Does Creative Things

…the one thing that isn’t mentioned there is what the status of the Paths panel is. Is any path selected there?

This update of photoshop SUCKS. I hate how they consolidated A HUGE AMOUNT of tools into a seperate bar. WTF, WHY?
By @Dane Does Creative Things

Are you talking about the Contextual Task Bar shown at the bottom of your screen shot? That’s totally optional. It’s mostly a shortcuts bar, because practically everything on it is a shortcut to a command that is also accessible from a menu or panel. If you hate it, turn it off (Window > Contextual Task Bar).

But having been a Photoshop user for around a third of a century now, I have to say I appreciate the Contextual Task Bar. The answer to your question “why?” is for convenience. I personally appreciate that some of the most often used options are now right up front for me, saving me the trouble of having to drag the mouse up to the menu bar to dig through menus, or remembering what a keyboard shortcut was. For example, if I want to feather a selection, I’d much rather choose the Feather command from the convenient button on the CTB then have to maneuver the mouse to get to the Select > Modify > Feather command two levels down in a 1990s-style submenu. If I want to edit arrowheads for a Line tool path, the arrowhead controls are right there on the CTB. I think it’s super handy.

I think the Contextual Task Bar is especially useful for beginners, who don't yet know where to find an option buried in the endless menus and panels in Photoshop. They can just use those buttons for immediate access to popular commands like Fill, and the Subtract To Mask/Add To Mask buttons on the CTB are far more intuitive for a beginner than the old way (that still works) of going back and forth between the mask in the Layers panel and swapping foreground/background colors.

My guess is that a major reason the CTB was added was for the touch versions of Photoshop, where it makes a lot more sense in terms of usability compared to desktop-style menus and panels.

D

Dane Does Creative ThingsAuthor

Participating Frequently

Thank you for the reply.

There are not paths in my file. I'm not trying edit a path. I'm trying to use the free transform tool, which now seems to be linked with 'free transform path' which is USELESS if i'm not working with paths. Why would free transform be replaced with free transform [specific usecase]? Makes no sense. Unless this is a bug. But this is a fresh install of photoshop on a fresh install of windows.

There may have been a miscommunication. I'm not trying to transform a path (unless I am unknowingly mis-attributing the name), I am attemping to transform a selection of pixels. I know this works because I have done it countless times. I could hop on my laptop and it would work..

I like the CTB. It's very handy. You don't need to convince me. I'm talking about the toolbar on the left. I realize I could have worded my post better, but this it what I was referring to;

It won't let me open the menu and take a screenshot, but basically the Magic wand tool (and many other from other catergories, like the polygon lasso) got moved to this cluster at the bottom

The thing is..... you can still cycle to the tools if you press SHIFT + (W) to cycle from the selection options or for example SHIFT + G to cycle from the gradient to the bucket, which,....... WHY WOULD YOU REMOVE IT?

Now there 20+ tools in a stupid drop down menu, which is annoying to search through because everything was neatly organized before. Its like taking folded shirts and throwing them in a drawer with pants, shoes, socks, and random bits of garbage. This is the first photoshop update that really actually is a regression.

Bojan Živković11378569

Community Expert

Have you checked Window > Paths panel to ensure that no path is highlighted or selected?

D

Dane Does Creative ThingsAuthor

Participating Frequently

Maybe I'm misintrepeting what you are saying, but it seems like the issue is the free transform tool was replaced with free transform PATHS (Specically paths) which is not what I want, and because there are no paths in my document, of course it's going to tell me that there are no paths in the selection........ I don't want to select paths anyway, I want to select PIXELS and transform them

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