How do I set up photoshop to work with a touch screen?

[HLCarleton]

Hi,

I just bought a 15.6" Asus Q500A touchscreen laptop with Windows 8. I downloaded photoshop and the 'touch app plug-ins' through the Adobe Application Manager for creative cloud. When I open a file in PS and select the brush(or any other) tool if I use the touch screen to drag it accross the canvas nothing happens. It still works with my mouse though.

How can I get this to work properly?

[djlightness]

Okay, so, it's 2018 (5 years since this was first posted. I have a Lenovo Flex 5 and I'm still having touchscreen related issues that I have no way of solving. Can someone helpful actually answer?

[JJMack]

What issues are you having?

[danielr22999604]

Hi everyone,

I've made the following list and attached a video to summarize the information already contributed to this thread.

Photoshop CC does not support:

• Brush tool drawing with fingertips or stylus on the touch screen

Photoshop fully CC supports:

• Brush tool drawing with a pen and connected or integrated Wacom digitizer (AES or EMR)
• Brush tool drawing with a mouse
• Brush tool drawing with a touchpad
• Touch screen gestures using fingertips (rotate, zoom)

To reiterate, you cannot use your fingertip to draw on a touch screen in Photoshop CC. You may still use touch input to select tools and menus, rotate the canvas, zoom, etc. This may be disappointing, but I hope it saves you some headache trying to find answers.

Cheers

Note that the pen used in the video uses passive EMR hardware, but has a capacitive nib, allowing it to also act as a stylus.

[brian42]

That is a really outstanding summary and listing of the problem.  Now all that remains is for Adobe to fix it.

Which is a real head-scratcher because people have been upset about this exact issue for going on 5 bloody years now.  Can ANYONE from Adobe respond with an explanation as to why there is resistance to making modern laptop touch displays work with the brush or pencil tool?  Is there some other functionality of the application that will break if that happens?

[BlueDancer]

EXACTLY! It is so long and no-one cares still. It is very sad that this high-end software does not such basic thing as brush of high tech laptops. VERY SAD. Please, please, please, add this feature - ability to draw by hand on laptop touchscreens!!! It would change a lot in workflow of graphicists!!! Thank you!

[rebeccam33190798]

I upgraded from CS5 to the new annual subscription version. In CS5 I could use my finger on my touchscreen to crop a photo. With the subscription version I can't do that. It only works with the mouse. I ran the updates to see if I missed something. Then I searched the forum and found this thread. Are you saying I can't crop on the screen in Photoshop CC with my finger?

[JJMack]

If touch screen support provided a left and right click touch area like track pad devices have you could finger paint in Photoshop like you can on touch pads.   It a device problem not a Photoshop Problem.  With a touch screen you can not position the cursor without touch clicking,  The cursor is position with a touch which is also a left click.  You can not control Photoshop paint brush position then start painting with a touch of the stylus or finger..  With a digital pen you can position the cursor without touching the display  then you can start painting with a touch.    Touch Screen device support is where the problem is,

[BlueDancer]

That is complete nonsense. Sorry to say it so straightforward... If you actually HAVE touchscreen, just open basic "Windows Painting" app and try it. Oooooo!! It will work   So it is NOT problem of device, but developers...

[_Ony]

I'm curious how many people here have tried the registry edit I posted in 2014.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER, Software\Microsoft\Wisp\Touch PanningDisabled=1

Did this not work for you guys?

[jacksdrawing]

This video should help. It might look dodgy. However, I am telling you it works.

Link: Use touch screen for any software, like photoshop, zbrush, mudbox, maya ... - YouTube

[MikeD_34]

jacksdrawing is right

this link is the answer !!!! it is awesome. I have an ASUS and it totally works !!!! its a little bit laggy but still cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TypXdzpPQyY

[Ussnorway]

this software also takes a bigger bite out of your system so be aware of that

[JJMack]

That video seems to that the software can turn touch support off and make you display like a mouse with a automatic left click when you touch the display.  So you can finger paint but can not use gestures lihe zoom rotate scroll etc.  you have a touch mouse. So you are drawing wit mouse support with a mouse that has less features than an actual mouse.

[paulwasserman]

I installed TouchMousePointer from jacksdrawing's video link above, and it answers the concerns raised in this thread perfectly on my Dell P2418HT capacative touchscreen. I can use my finger/stylus just like a mouse in Photoshop and Lightroom CC to draw and work with any available tool.

JJMack's point above is taken, but the finger/stylus as mouse function can be toggled on and off with a single tap on the task bar icon, allowing everything else including all touch functions to work normally, so nothing is lost. As far as full mouse functionality is concerned, the software also allows you to configure on-screen touch buttons for mouse clicks and such, but initially at least the simple toggle is working fine for me.

[sadfudanshi]

I have this exact same problem. i started out on photoshop in classes but they never taught me illustrator, so i use ps mainly for art. im on a touchscreen laptop without a mouse, and this makes it significantly harder for me to take my work out to the fullest. i agree they should provide touch friendly support. i cant afford a graphics tablet and it would take a lot to set up, so the touch is all i got. all i can do is pan and rotate, but even that isnt enough. if there was touch, i would be much happier.

[Daisy25620107hyt0]

This guy figured out how to get around the problem.  It worked for me.  You just have to download another program that'll make your pen/fingers draw on the canvas in photoshop. 

https://youtu.be/ljGDswyNhJ0 

[Robert23622247h1zy]

Unfortunately in Aug 2023, this video is no longer relevant as indicated in its most recent comments. The program solution suggested is no longer available with a paid program in its place. Even the video creator mentions, " i guess the software maybe is outdated. I moved completely to an iPad".