Exporting and Importing Presets - where has it gone?

[nealbridgens]

I'm just trying to move my workspaces from one computer to another. As it has always* been with Adobe, they've made it as difficult as possible. 

The help page:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preset-migration.html?x-product=Helpx%2F1.0.0&x-product-loca...

says: "SOURCE COMPUTER: On the computer that has the presets you want to migrate, do the following:

1. Open Photoshop.
2. Choose Edit > Presets > Export/Import Presets."

But of course, that menu item doesn't exist in 25.13.0 (beta) on the Mac or 25.12.0.

So I assume I'm back to chasing around in user libraries?
Why can't Adobe make this a feature? Or have they hidden some new cloud solution somewhere and I (and the help files) just don't know about it

Thanks for reading my ranting. And sorry for the exasperation. 

*Since version 3.0. Swear to god.  They had "Preset Syncing" for two minutes but that's discontinued.

[jane-e]

@nealbridgens 

Apologies for not seeing your post for two days. I'm not sure if you read to the bottom of the link you posted?

"To move these settings to a new installation, copy these files from the following path on the source installation to the same path on the target installation:

Mac:<Username>/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop <version> Settings

I can't remember if the Library file off your user name is hidden. If so, show your hidden files.

Does this help?

Jane

[nealbridgens]

Thanks Jane.

That does help. Thank you.

But really, this shouldn't involve having to hunt around in hidden folders. Particularly when you see just how many of these folder trails of old photoshop preferences (or used to be "preference panes") I have and they have chosen different paths in the past. 
It bothers me that Adobe hasn't found a user-friendly way to just make it easily shareable. Or that they did find a way and then abandoned it (Preset Syncing) and whatever this non-existent  "Export/Import Presets" command was supposed to do.

I mostly made this post because when I found that error in the help files it was my hope that Adobe had solved the problem in some new creative cloud way rather than just abandoned yet another solution. Foolish hope on my part.

[jane-e]

You're welcome @nealbridgens. 

I also used and loved Creative Cloud Synced files and was sorry to see it removed. Now I'm using DropBox and/or WeTransfer. Here is the Help file from Adobe:

https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/creative-cloud/kb/eol-creative-cloud-synced-files.html

I've enabled "Show Hidden Files" on the first day every time I get a new Mac, which is why I couldn't remember with certainty if this particular library was hidden. Apple is the one who decided to hide these files, and my guess is that they need to be hidden from users who are not tech savvy. As I understand it, the OS wants certain files to be in certain places.

https://www.macworld.com/article/671158/how-to-show-hidden-files-on-a-mac.html

"It bothers me that Adobe hasn't found a user-friendly way to just make it easily shareable"

How do you envision this?

Jane

[nealbridgens]

Well, I'll be damned...

Admitidly it's from InDesign, but a win is a win..

[Owen5E8A]

Hi Jane,

"how do you envision this":

I want to be able to export *one* packaged preset file and then import it on another computer to make the experience identical on the new machine.

I want to be able to chose what is transfered in this one file from the following:

• Actions
• Brushes
• Black and White (Adjustment)
• Channel Mixer (Adjustment)
• Color Range
• Color Swatches
• Contours
• Curves (Adjustment)
• Custom Shapes
• Doutone (Mono, Duo, Tri, Quad)
• Exposure (Adjustment)
• Gradients
• HDR Toning (Adjustment)
• Hue and Saturation (Adjustment)
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Levels (Adjustment)
• Menu Customization
• Patterns
• Selective Color (Adjustment)
• Styles
• Tools
• Workspaces

it would be nice to also move over Plugins

moving all these items by hand will take a long time to find everything and then copy each over/import each to a different place on the new machine with lots of posibilites of breaking things or making mistakes.

[Didier_LANORE Photogr8638]

I can't agree more. Same issue ...

[Didier_LANORE Photogr8638]

Thanks for your message Jane.

I'm traying to migrate from PC to Mac and when I go the your proposed folder, everything is empty...

Many thanks for your help !

[epernia]

Thanks you so much! this solution really works!

[Didier_LANORE Photogr8638]

I have the same issue. Still traying to fix it. Please keep me aware if you find something!
Take care.

[andreaa22555784]

Hi, same issue here. Did you find a solution?

[andreaa22555784]

Sorry Adobe, but this kind of downgrade is unacceptable. Instead of moving toward a user-friendly and time-saving experience, we're stepping back to the stone age. AI? More like prehistoric times.

[andreaa22555784]

By the way, thank you so much, dear Jane, for your help. 

[A-way]

Second that. Impressive how this compelled me to rant in the forum. I never do that, but this time...

Anyway, moving the saved .kys file with the shortcuts from one machine to the folder indicated by Jane didn't work for me (it seems there go another type of shortcut file, go figure how Adobe intended it to work).

Instead copying .kys file to this folder did work:

[aaardvaark]

Everybody is being very polite here, and I think unjustifiably polite. 

I am migrating to a new computer, went to ADOBE HELP for how to migrate Photoshop Presets, and it says clearly in black and white to use Edit/Presets/Export Presets, which makes sense, but SIMPLY DOES NOT EXIST.  This is their best apparent help on the issue, just wrong. Why is Adobe so hopeless at providing a simple facility that works, and  help files that are correct?  It is extraordinarily frustrating and irritating. Not to mention time wasting and anger making.

[michaelt89449532]

[cursing removed] move from adobe. 

[Dennis_Von_Dutch]

After a long search I found what I was looking for! And exported al my needed preferences.
keyboard shortcuts, brushes, workspace! 

I use Mac, but it seems that if you search Appdata in Windows it under:


On Mac you goto:/Libary/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop 202* Settings

Just copy the .psp files to the new Mac in the same folder!
If you haven't saved your own workspace to that first in PS under >Window>Workspace>New Workspace

give it a name, your .psw will be visible in the same folder in a folder workspace

Hope this helps!

[dustyfromparsons]

they took it away. why who knows. so busy fixing things that dont need to be fixed.