Fixed: Pixels option is greyed out for Line tool Photoshop 22.0

[seanp99402617]

I'm liking most of today's update for PShop, thanks Adobe. 

But, I went to use the Line Tool (part of the Shape Tools) and the option to draw with pixels is grayed out. I can draw lines with paths and as a shape, but no longer with pixels. The pixels option is available for all the other shapes (square, ellipse, the new triangle, polygon, custom shapes, etc.), so I don't know why it wouldn't work for lines. 

Does anyone know what happened? 

{Moderator Note: PS-57177}

[JemShaw]

Quite apart from the fact that this isn't an answer, let alone the correct one, this new feature doesn't even work properly as stated! Frequently, the line doesn't appear until you select dotted, then switch back to solid. Adobe, not only have you ballsed up a useful and functional feature, your clearly idiotic replacement doesn't work! Congratulations, not only have you, yet again, alienated your customers, you've yet again failed to test properly. Is it any wonder that your own user community discussion board is being to discuss the relative merits of your competitors?

[denniscaleroart]

PLEASE CHANGE THIS BACK. 

[JDBabbitt]

Anyone figure out a one step work-around?
This is a frustrating change, costing me hours when masking images.
As well as no longer being able to estimate how long a job will take. 
If I loose my job I won't have money for the subscription.
How much code is saved by not implementing this feature?

[Convergnt]

On a pixel layer/mask, choose the pencil tool and configure the tip to your liking.

Click first for the starting point, hold shift, and click again for the ending point. A pixel line is drawn between them.

Continue holding shift and click to add subsequent lines.

Does that help you?

(in this moment i can't get PS2021 to launch at all…)

[Dave Arcade]

Gang,

I wrote a magnum opus on this topic within the community the developers are a part of and who see and respond to the messages posted. Please follow the link and show some support. It's a loooong post but it's packed with so many good points (that you've all been making!) that i'd be floored if Adobe didn't see any validity in restoring the line tool to its former glory. 

https://feedback.photoshop.com/conversations/photoshop/restore-the-functionality-of-the-old-line-too...

[JemShaw]

Excellent work Dave.

I tried to add a comment to your eloquent post and, guess what? They've closed comments!

Here's what I tried to post...

I have little to add to such eloquence, other than to echo these points. A glance at the number of protests on https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/m-pixels-option-is-greyed-out-for-line-tool-photoshop-22-0/... will demonstrate that you've made a grave error in removing the pixel line tool.

It's also worth mentioning that the new functionality would be useful, so we're not asking you to dump your work, simply to reinstate the far more useful tool that we, your customers, want from you. It would be appreciated even more if it worked properly. The current workflow:

1. draw a line.
2. Select another tool.
3. the line disappears (not every time, but frequently)
4. mess around with the stroke, fill and weight controls. sometimes that does it
5. Select a dotted line. The line appears - dotted
6. Select the line you originally wanted. That did it

Draw an important lesson from the fact that your own user forum is being used by your customers to discuss the best replacement for Photoshop. dismiss our opinions if you like, but be ready for the rewards of such arrogance.

[Anti-Alias]

It's coming back. Probably not as soon as we would like, but they're working on it.

https://feedback.photoshop.com/conversations/photoshop/photoshop-220-where-is-line-weightwidth-and-p...

[Buzzingbee]

Hello. I have used Adobe apps since Illustrator 88. I am an Adobe conoseur and beta tested several apps a couple of times. Int he last few years updating to a new version has been painful. Not because I have to start all over again and redo all my prefs and working environments, but because my workflow is interrupted by unnecesary changes to the apps. I agree that they should add all they want to but give you a check to go back to legacy whatever. The line tool is huge! I can't even begin to think how I am going to do a work around to this. If I want vector, I will go in Illstrator and do vector. and place it as a smart object.  That is not what Photoshop is. I need an option to get my pixels back. Please. I am now up to the point where I am considering reverting to a previous version and not even dealing with this at all.  I have work to do and you are disrrupting my deadlines having to spend hours trying to figure things out. Maybe add a warning in every update that says you made radical changes to specific things? And, please listen to the people using your apps. I taught Photoshop in college and one of the most wonderful things that happened is that every student would have needs that I had not been faced with before. So, I would have to figure out how to do what they needed so I could show them. Everyone's needs are different. Don't discard something that might be the most important tool for an ientire ndustry.

[jsherm2.0]

Well said, BuzzingBee! Thanks for helping to articulate the frustration
that so many of we PS users are feeling about this change.

Mind you, I did find a workaround of sorts but hardly satisfying to my
work flow. I set the pixel stroke size of the line, make the line and then
press enter to quickly rasterize it. If there are multiple lines, I have to
keep doing that. It's a workaround mind you. It means I have to keep my
hand on the enter key while making my lines, and they are still on their
own layers - so I also have to merge them eventually (command/control e.)

The nice, simple pixel line was just that - simple and completely
intuitive! Adobe - are you hearing us - I'll throw in a Canadian - PLEASE?!

JS
--

Visit my Website!

[website link removed by moderator]

[douglaspaul1965]

That is all well and good, but what if I don't want to create a separate layer every time I use the line tool with stroke option? Is there a way to change this?

[Bigchief711]

This is one of the stupidest 'improvements' I could fathom.  However, for anyone looking for a quick, simple workaround that is almost as easy as the pixel line tool - just create a round brush preset at whatever pixel size you want your line.  Make sure to turn off any shape or transfer pressure settings.  Then just click, shift click to creat a line between your 2 click points.  Save your brush preset and you have your own custom line tools and can even create a whole folder at different  pixel diameters.

[Bigchief711]

My instructions should have read "click, hold shift, click again".

[KazVorpal]

As I just said elsewhere, it's absurd that this message board doesn't let us edit our posts, a fancy new technology that good message boards have supported for over two decades.

[KazVorpal]

Just to be clear, this is worthless as a "solution", because we cannot see the line before committing it. We all knew how to do what you describe already, but sometimes we divert our workflow to use the line tool instead, because we need the ability to click a start point, then move the endpoint all around and look at what will work best. Which requires both the ability to move it around, and the ability to see what it looks like while doing so. I just ran into this problem yesterday, for the nth time.

[Bigchief711]

Wow, you are really obnoxious.  I never said this was a 'solution', I merely suggested it as workaround that might work for some people.  I am sorry it doesn't work for your particular scenario.  There is a way to state that with out being obnoxious and insulting.

[KazVorpal]

Unfortunately, the two "workarounds" you have named were suggested by the Adobe bureaucrats who then marked this problem "resolved". 

It is imperative to establish clearly that they should no more expect us to be satisfied with this state of affairs than we'd be happy with taking in nutrition by a rectal broth enema because Adobe removed the ability to open our pixel-based mouths. 

[Bigchief711]

Playing around with this a little more and it seems like the best option to get close to the previous way of working is to do the following:

1. Use the line tool in shape mode. 

2. Set your stroke color and line weight in the toolbar. 

3. Turn on 'combine shapes' in the shape drop down in toolbar. (this will keep the tool from creating a new shape layer for each line)

4. (Optional) choose any line style and/or arrowhead settings. (Unfortunately you can't set arrowheads as a percentage anymore, only as pixel dimensions).

5. Draw your lines as usual.

6.  when you like your lines, right click the shape layer and choose "rasterize layer".

This is a little more involved than it needs to be (obviously) compared to straight up pixels, but for me it is definitely preferable to having to mess around with paths and stroking paths, etc.  

[KazVorpal]

This in no way solves the problem at hand.

Among the problems it does not address:

1. We need to be able to see the line. I don't want the half-pixel path line to show me where I'm drawing, but the actual n-pixel line that will be there when I finish. This is imperative for quick and accurate changes. Someone wrote here whose job is to make graphics for gems. I've done that before. He wants to strengthen the edges of a gem with the line tool, and this requires moving the line a few pixels this way and that, to see what is most precise, before dropping it. 
2. We need to draw the line in one motion, and be done. Many of us use Photoshop professionally. We are either under deadlines like many of the animators who've posted here, or the more projects we get done the more money we're making. We learn all the keyboard shortcuts, we write macros and scripts, we pay a fortune for pen tablets, et cetera, because it speeds our workflow. We know a half dozen ways to do the same thing, and pick the exact one that will be fastest in each situation. Drawing the line and then rasterizing manually is a hurdle that slows you down. It's like literal hurdles in a race. The world record hundred meter hurdles is one third slower than the world record hundred meter dash.

[Bigchief711]

Again, this will solve the problem for some people.  I am sorry it doesn't solve YOUR problem.  I thought this forum was a place to make suggestions and try to offer help.  Try not being such a jerk.

[KazVorpal]

Again, Adobe bureaucrats are trying to say these are solutions, there is no problem, and we should all move on. So we must make clear that these are worthless to the pros and they need to fix the actual problem.

[jane-e]

@KazVorpal  and @Bigchief711 

Please read the community guidelines here. It's okay to rant about Adobe. It is not okay to be offensive or abusive.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/using-the-community/adobe-support-community-guidelines/td-p/4788157?p...

1. Be Respectful 

The Adobe Support Community is a platform that helps people deepen their knowledge of Adobe products and services and connects learners to teachers from around the world. To maintain the quality of content and resources on the platform, we don’t allow you to post mature, abusive, or illegal content to Adobe Support Community,

[danl75628412]

Where is the Adobe customer service to respond to the complaints posted here? This isn't a public forum but the Adobe owned forum. They should be on here responding to all these very legitimate customer complaints. Does no one at Adobe monitor this? If so, they need to address the issue at hand. 

[joseb88794817]

I just noticed the table on google chrome says "Solved" for this window. It appears Adobe doesn't consider this to be a problem. 

I've been using Studio Clip Paint ever since the change, so far it's really good. 

[joseb88794817]

Browser Tab, not table.

[KazVorpal]

I hate how this forum's interface is so clunky that, among other things, we cannot edit our previous posts. A feature common on message boards for the past 24 years or so.