Help! Photoshop CS6 hangs when using brush, clone, healing brush tools etc on Mac

[BarneyHamilton]

I am having a big problem when using the new CS6 on my Mac (os x 10.7.4). When switching to a new tool, like a brush, or clone stamp, or healing brush etc, Photoshop hangs for about 20 seconds before resuming. It's not 3rd party plug-ins, because I get the same behaviour when I run using the shift key and third party plug-ins are disabled. It doesn't happen every time, but it happens frequently. I've heard that others have had similar problems... are there any solutions - is it a known bug?

[Joel Seligmann]

I will definitely give it a try. Thanks!

Meanwhile, just another hint: Make sure your tablet is connected directly to your computer (not via a hub) and keep things like cell phones, ipads, etc., a good distance from it also.

[joshlac]

The plug-in fixes the hang issue, THANK YOU so much.

[Meta_A]

Words cant describe how happy I am right now. have not noticed any side effects from the patch yet

[BarneyHamilton]

WOW!!! It's working! This is fantastic. Not had a problem or a side effect yet.

Thank you Adobe for looking at this and finding a solution!

[BarneyHamilton]

Adam

Thank you again for developing the plugin. I thought I would report back on some details now I've tested it fully:

1. First, it seems to have fixed - at least for me - the major hangs for 20, 30 seconds a time when using the wacom tablet. I don't have to alt-tab out of PS and back anymore, or utlise a click on a mouse or mousepad to get focus back to the PS application. This is a major fix!!

2. I am experiencing some occasional lagging with the pen on a wacom tablet, however. This is how it manifests itself:

a. Select a tool (brush, clone stamp etc)

b. Starting using the tool with a pen. 50% of the time, the tool works smoothly, as one would hope. On the other occasions, however, it works - but in a stuttering way - ie there's intermittent lags such that the "ink" that's being brushed or cloned is a little bit patchy, and the cursor moves a bit jerkily.

c. Switch to the tablet's mouse - just with one press of a button, or use it to paint for a few second - and you get a smooth flow of ink, and cursor movement

d. Pick up the pen again (using the same tool) - and the pen is now working smoothly, with no jitters or tiny intermittment lagging.

So it seems to be something about a pen on the tablet, rather than the mouse on the tablet. And when using the mouse on the tablet it seems to kick PS out of being jerky with the pen.

Any ideas?

[Joel Seligmann]

The plugin seems to help the lag/hang problem. I still experience the glitch, but it happens far less often, and it goes away more quickly when I tap the table with my finger or switch out of an back into Photoshop. It's certainly seems the right direction for a complete fix.

[Meta_A]

Yep, the bug is still there but it happens a little less often indeed.

[Fried_Egg_Sandwich]

The hanging bug is less frequent with the plugin, but still definitely present. I'm also experiencing the brush tool lag that BarneyHamilton reported.

So, a partial remedy but a new problem has been introduced.

[sean_b99]

Just bought Acorn as it's on special - works straight away with no lag - life can be so easy! I'll still be using CS6 for real work but my god I wish they'd get their act together.

[Fried_Egg_Sandwich]

Is there any update on this issue please Adobe? The plugin was like putting a band-aid on gunshot wound. The brush tool still hangs most of the time. Please respond.

[Joel Seligmann]

Agreed, the plugin only seems to help a little for me, too. Photoshop 6 still hangs.

[Was DYP]

Plugin is not really helpful for me either with the hang after changing tools. Yesterday I had it happen a couple of times.

Today installed the new Wacom driver. I could not get the hang doing the same thing I did yesterday. But that may not mean a darn thing. Tomorrow it might be different.

[Fried_Egg_Sandwich]

It's still pretty consistent for me even with the plugin.

Current project:

1500x1500px image, 72dpi

~50 layers

Selet move tool by hitting V

Move and reposition layer

Select Brush tool by hitting B

Start brushing in a layer mask

Photoshop becomes unresponsive

Click in the Finder, back to Photoshop, back to Finder, back to Photoshop

Now back in Photoshop I can see that the brush strokes I made when the app was unresponsive have actually registered in the background

Undo

Start brushing again and hope Photoshop responds in realtime

That has been my workflow for nearly TWO YEARS now.

Photoshop has gone from being my favourite app to something I actually dread using. Used to love my job, now it's just a frustrating pain in the ass.

Thanks, Adobe.

[sean_b99]

Just wondering, Fried Egg Sandwich, does waving the pen in the air not work for you? This is my fix and works for me consistently.

[TheAliKA]

Fired Egg Sandwich: Look at some posts a while back...

I tried to make the solution as easy as possible to follow by creating an image, so that it stands out, saying:

After finding out about this tweak, i didn't even bother downloading the patch.

Best regard.

[Was DYP]

TheAliKA wrote:

Fired Egg Sandwich: Look at some posts a while back...

I tried to make the solution as easy as possible to follow by creating an image, so that it stands out, saying:

After finding out about this tweak, i didn't even bother downloading the patch.

Best regard.

This is still a PITA workaround. Maybe a better workaround than going back to the finder and back a couple of times.

PSCS5 is still a better choice.

Fixing this in CS6 and CC would even be better but I guess that is too much to ask of Adobe.

[Fried_Egg_Sandwich]

What Was DYP said.

Clicking the mouse doesn't stop the lag for me.

Update please Adobe? Thanks.

[Fried_Egg_Sandwich]

@sean - haven't tried waving the pen in the air. Feels too daft to  be plausible.

[Was DYP]

Fried Egg Sandwich wrote:

What Was DYP said.

Clicking the mouse doesn't stop the lag for me.

Update please Adobe? Thanks.

I didn't say that.

It does stop the hang for me. But it is still a PITA workaround.

[sean_b99]

@friedegg - yeah but it works for me - I don't care about daft. If I start drawing and it hangs I wave the pen and instantly I'm back working again. Surely you can try it once?

[Was DYP]

sean b99 wrote:

@friedegg - yeah but it works for me - I don't care about daft. If I start drawing and it hangs I wave the pen and instantly I'm back working again. Surely you can try it once?

Don't know why that works for you, but I have tried waving the pen and it does not work for me either.

[Fried_Egg_Sandwich]

So we all have our equally daft/inelegant ways of overcoming the lag.

Question - maybe NONE of our methods are actually doing anything, and PS is responding in time of its own accord.  Maybe it's just a time issue, and us flinging our pens around and madly clicking in the Finder just make it seem like these methods are effective? A digiital placebo. Would explain why shaking the pen works for some and not others.

I bet if I tried dancing around the room to Prince in my underpants Photoshop would start responding at some point. See what I mean?

[sean_b99]

Hhmmm... I don't remember who suggested the pen waving thing and the thread is too long for me to trawl through looking for it. It works for me and even if I had any Prince music I still wouldn't try dancing to it in my underpants. The pen waving works instantly for me whereas I generally had to switch back and forth to the finder a few times for that to work.

[Meta_A]

Yep,

Photoshop cc / cs6 has been a pain in the ass since mavericks and im already shifting to corel painter / sketchbook pro. Both have thier own problems and issues but nothing as in u face as this. The selection tool that is still completely unsuable for me even though it was supposedly fixed in an update and even if my brush hangs less its still often enough to be a major issue.

bottom line is that I find it hard to give Adobe my money if Adobe does not take me seriously.

[Chris Cox]

Have you installed the WhiteWindowWorkaround plugin to work around the known MacOS 10.9 bugs, while Apple is still working on the permanent fixes?

http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-menus-turn-white-mac.html