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M
Mykill G
Inspiring
May 25, 2018
Answered

Drop Down Menu — Mac Workaround

  • May 25, 2018
  • 2 replies
  • 6139 views

I just want to move through AND preview drop-down menus on a Mac inside Photoshop like you can on PC.

First, I'm not talking ONLY about changing Blend Modes, which you can cycle through AND preview with Shift(+)/(-).

An example of what I'm talking about is selecting a layer, then going to Image > Adjustment > Photo Filter...

In the resulting dialog box, there is a button to select "Filter" and it's associated Drop-down, containing "Warming Filter, Sepia, Deep Red", etc.

On a PC, you just click in the name area of the drop down and use the Up/Down Arrow Keys to cycle through the options, which also actually selects/accepts the new choice and previews.

On a Mac, you MUST use the Mouse to click in the name field, which opens the full drop-down menu. You can mouse-click on the drop-down first, THEN use the Arrow Keys to move through the options, but you also have to press "Return" for it to accept the change and THEN will update the preview.

I believe this is an OS level issue, which I find absurd that Apple would believe using the mouse to make EVERY change in a huge menu with tons of options is the best way to perform the task. That said, is there a way to do this?

If nothing else, I have Better Touch Tool, which in theory I should be able to set up some sequence of steps to do this, but I can't figure out how to do it.

Yes, I have System Preferences > Keyboard > All Controls selected, but TAB does not move to the drop downs, only number input fields.

PLEASE tell me someone has figured this out by now...

I've searched the Photoshop (and all Adobe) forums as well as the Apple forums and plain old Google searches, and no answer was found, but hoping since it's been a while since the question was asked, someone finally figured it out.

macOS Sierra v 10.12.6 (16G1212)

Photoshop CS6-CC2018

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Mykill G

    Thanks to all who replied...

    Though I didn't figure it out through the actual OS, I DID find a workaround using Better Touch Tool.

    The Mouse has to be hovering directly over the drop down bar name because a "Left Click" command is sent, but it's not really an inconvenience since I at least get to scroll through drop downs on a Mac, which I've been trying to do since I got my first one 9 years ago.

    So, yes, I'm marking my own answer as correct. If someone figures out how to do this on the OS level without using a 3rd party tool, I'll change the "Correct" answer to them. Hope some of you find this helpful

    2 replies

    R
    rjohnson0737
    Participant
    April 14, 2022

    As can be seen in the screen shot below, photoshop dropdown menus are not working.  How can I fix this problem?  None of the solutions on the web have been helpful...  

     

    Thanks

    Robert

    rjohnson0737@gmail.com

    M
    Mykill GAuthorCorrect answer
    Inspiring
    May 27, 2018

    Thanks to all who replied...

    Though I didn't figure it out through the actual OS, I DID find a workaround using Better Touch Tool.

    The Mouse has to be hovering directly over the drop down bar name because a "Left Click" command is sent, but it's not really an inconvenience since I at least get to scroll through drop downs on a Mac, which I've been trying to do since I got my first one 9 years ago.

    So, yes, I'm marking my own answer as correct. If someone figures out how to do this on the OS level without using a 3rd party tool, I'll change the "Correct" answer to them. Hope some of you find this helpful

    M
    Mykill GAuthor
    Inspiring
    May 27, 2018

    BTW

    The order and checked/unchecked option of "On Down" are crucial to making it work.

    Once the shortcuts are made, you can drag "Left Click" into the "sequence", but it stops working regardless of order. I tried it as many different ways as possible and only this sequence worked.

    I chose Shift+ (<) & (>).

    It displays as Shift(.) & Shift(,) which is technically correct, but the logic being that it was:

    1- they were sort of arrow keys at least in appearance

    2- Shift (minus) & Shift (plus)  [I can't type in the actual +/- keys in parentheses or it turns it into a f#@%ing emoji] are already used for changing Blending Mode on a Mac

    3- the keys are close enough together that it's not too difficult on the hand.

    Obviously, you can pick whatever you like, but those worked the est for me after trial & error.

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