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Question

Downgrading Photoshop to CS6. Recent updates are the worst

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
September 20, 2021
4 replies
524 views

Hello!

Can I downgrade my Photoshop back to CS6? Every single release after that is getting worse and worse and I can not stand it anymore. Photoshop has become a piece of garbage pretty much. I only keep subscribing because that's the program I'm used to, but honestly, With these new rearrangments I'm actually thinking of moving on.

The pile of garbage is too high to list every single issue I have with the program after every upgrade.

Actually, I'm afraid to upgrade PS every single time and reasonably so. Last update before the most recent one was about two years ago. Now I have quite enough. Latest isn't the greatest at all. It's the worst.

Basically the most bulletproof design software is "fixed" until it broke down.

So, how do I get back to CS6 or few releases newer? Can't find legacy download page.

Windows

This topic has been closed for replies.

JJMack

Community Expert

You are a windows user. So if you have a perpetual licences for CS6 you should be able the remove all creative cloud software and the use Adobe cleaner to wipe out all traces of Photoshop. You should then bt able to re-install your perpetual Photoshop CS6 13.0 and activate it. Then be sure you update CS6 13.0 to CS6 version 13.0.1.3. Also install ACR 9.1.1. CS6 need its update to 13.0.1.3 for CS6 is very unstable without its updates.

CS6 works well bnut lack the good improvement like the latest ACR and Content aware features and selections. You will have a stable Photoshop for some time and need not be concerned about what Adobe may do to Photoshop.

JJMack

M

mark@headTrix

Community Expert

Photoshop has many enhanced and new features.... but pretty much has all of the old features as well, and you have the ability to remove panels, move panels, and save your workspace anyway you wish. ASnd some of the perhaps somethings annoying features like showing the little icon animation in the tools panel can be turned off. It pretty much works the same as it always did, with the addition of new features that can speed up the way you used to and still can do things.

headTrix, Inc. | Adobe Certified Training & Consulting

R

raunos25665388Author

Participating Frequently

Hi, thanks for the reply.

Thus far I have not noticed any tecnical problems and I'm pretty much aware that my PC rig is up to date in proffessional terms. PS is not the only software I'm using. I do 3D generalist work and most of my daily software requirements are much higher than PS for example.

The other issues regarding OpenGL might be true and I'm not really addressing this point at the moment.

The issues are UX/UI related. Those minor little adjustments in fundamental tools and workflows are the annoyances that build up and gives hard time to many long tiome users to digest. I've been using photoshop more than ten years by now. All the basics were really great but last 5-6 years it's going downhill in my opinion.

I don't think I'm alone when I say that we really don't need new tools, when the older issues are not fixed. And, boy, there has been a lot of threads and suggestions in the official forums.

What's with the new "save as" and "save as copy"option? It was so confusing and I messed up my work few times before I found that I can go back to the "old way". And then the undo options. Everybody knows that in PS you have to press CTRL+Z to toggle back and foth. And longer history undo is ctrl alt z. Thank god they leave us the option to go as it was. I really can't see how these things make any change in reality except piss off pro users who have developed fast and fluid workflows over time. There are countless numbers of tiny glitches which chop up my workflow and throw me out from my working mode. I can not list every single one here and that's not my job either. It's just... I can feel the difference every time when I'm upgrading and that doesn't feel great.

There is a fine line between fixing things and making some progress while doing that and there is fixing something that is not broken and make the product really diffucult to use. Sometimes it feels like using a simple tool but it's all backwards all of a sudden. Without seemingly good reason to do so. It's like a power tool manufacturer tries to all of a sudden incorporate a new and very interesting tiktok friendly way to hold your new chainsaw.

It's seems like they over-engineering things quite often and they feel the urge to overwirte every single button existing. Leave them be. Just fix the possible security issues with the updates and don't touch the functions!

Where is the movable pivot point of free transformation tool? It's gone. I bet it's hidden somewhere to be discovered.

Why the heck the blendmode dropdown list opens from down to up? This little animated opening feature is major annoyiance, because it's on the way when selecting things from the list. More often than not I am double clicking and selecting a blend mode unintentionally.

List goes on and on. Let's keep it short this time. Let them be eiter this or that way. But no.. Adobe has to change these things around in every major release.

To be honest I have been avoiding opening PS after the latest upgrade. I try to find the other ways to do things in different software, so I don't really know what are the other issues, but I have noted that there is so many of them. Especially in use of shortkeys and oldtimer workflows. If you just point and click slowly, that i guess it's... less annoying.

There should be a "go back to the good and functional PS" option and the other option for those who want to mess up their workflows and brains when you have the first launch after fresh upgrade.

M

mark@headTrix

Community Expert

HI,

I can understand some of your frustration, and as awesome as Photoshop is, Adobe is a business. I have been using Photoshop over 20 years, and I teach Photoshop. When I teach I often tell my students "there could'nt have been a tougher time to learn Photoshop then NOW as every year Adobe adds more and more to the software". I set them up to know that Adobe Photoshop is a pretty intense applicaiton that can do SO much, and you are not going to learn it all in a day, two days or even 3 days of training. So you have the advantage of using it for 10 years, but they also want to cater to those just starting out and therefore have tried to dummy it down a bit.

Command Z now goes backwards just like every other application in the world. So unfortunate for us, but makes sense that it would work the same in EVERY Adobe application. The save a copy option, I agree, its silly, and redundant.... but for a beginner I guess it makes it easier? As a pro user you can easily go to Edit>Menu to change your menu items and keyboard shortcuts. Or you can color code the items you use most so they stand out. The transform tool still has the center point.... press Control+T to transform and at the top LEFT in the options panel you will see a little checkbox to toggle the reference point so it shows up. As far as the blend mode, I am not noticing that issue, for me it shows Normal first, and I love a relatively new feature that enables me to use my down and up arrows to quickly slide thru the various blend modes and see how they effect my image.

Try not to let it bother you. I am exremely bummed that they are discontinuing 3D, especially since it took so long to learn how to use it, and I had class exercises for my students based on it. It really helped create some interesting stuff. It was fun to grab a bug, remove its background and extrude it and make a 3D scene out out. Suprised that can't work that out in this day and age.

But just hide menu items you don't use, save your workspace with the panels you want, and change your keyboard shortcuts as you see fit. Make Photoshop work for you!

Hope this helps a little.

best,

mark

headTrix, Inc. | Adobe Certified Training & Consulting

davescm

Community Expert

".........With these new rearrangments I'm actually thinking of moving on.........."

Which new "rearrangements" concern you the most. Some changes are optional and can be reveretd to legacy in Preferences.

Dave

D Fosse

Community Expert

CS6 is ten years old and dead. It already won't run in MacOS, and Windows will probably follow soon.

FWIW, I have zero problems, performance or otherwise, and that goes for most of us here. But for those who do have problems, most of it is GPU-related, and some of those users have outdated and/or underpowered cards that won't cut it anymore. Not saying that's the case here; just pointing out that it's a real consideration.

Photoshop's GPU code has been based on the OpenGL and OpenCL interfaces, once the industry standard. Neither is supported in newer versions of MacOS and Windows, so that means the entire GPU code has to be rewritten for Metal in MacOS and DirectX in Windows. That's everything related to putting anything up on screen; a monumental job that is still in progress. You could say Apple and Microsoft pulled the rug from under Adobe.

Just FYI.

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