Lighting effects: can't see controls

[Joanna5FE6]

I've followed the suggestions in this old post but nothing works. I cannot see the controls to move or adjust the lighting effects under Filters/Render: https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/can-t-control-lighting-effects-in-ps-...

Adobe CC 23.5.1.

Images are RGB 8 bit.

Nothing works. 

[Michael Bullo · Accepted solution]

Adobe has discontinued 3D within Photoshop and Lighting Effects rely on this capability to work.

The Adobe Creative Cloud app allows for multiple versions of Photoshop to be simultaneously installed. Using an earlier version of Photoshop may allow you to do what you want to do (for now). However, I would strongly recommend finding an alternative method to achieve what you want.

The following page from Adobe should hopefully answer any questions you might have on this...

Photoshop 3D | Common questions on discontinued 3D features
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/3d-faq.html

[Joanna5FE6]

CC Desktop only allows updates. How do you back date an installion?

[Michael Bullo]

Within the Creative Cloud app, get out of the Updates section by clicking on All apps in the upper left corner. Then, for a particular program, click on the triple dot icon next to the Open button and choose Other versions.

The following page from Adobe provides more info if you need...
Install previous versions of your Creative Cloud apps
https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/using/install-previous-version.html

[Joanna5FE6]

Thanks, I'll give it a try. But why does Adobe include the filter if it's not able to be used in a version?

[Bojan Živković]

Please see this thread, scroll down for explanation (22.2 version install) Solved: Re: Lighting effects not showing handles so cant m... - Adobe Support Community - 12170541

[Joanna5FE6]

It has not worked. As mentioned, I followed all the steps before posting. Please unmark this as solved because it's not.

[rayek.elfin]

In past versions of Photoshop a 3d graphics API called OpenGL was used for 3D options, certain effects (lighting filter, for example) and to speed up some operations. OpenGL depends on the graphics card to work, and since Apple dropped support for OpenGL in favour of its own Metal API Adobe decided to drop OpenGL from Photoshop's core as well.

Photoshop's graphics API rewrite is still a work in progress. @Joanna5FE6 You do bring up a valid point though: why is the lighting filter still included in the render filters menu?

I have no clue. Or at least, I assume it is more work removing these filters rather than transition over to a new graphics API and allow these filters to hook into the new API.

Could also be sheer laziness, and just hoping for the best: if it still works for a couple of users, that's better than removing it completely. At least now Photoshop can pretend it still has a (disfunctional) lighting filter! 😉

I also tested the lighting filter on my modern 3080ti video card, and similarly to you it just doesn't work properly. On-screen widgets are not displayed, so lights cannot be repositioned. Nor do I expect it to work: as I said, Photoshop's current state is sort-of comparable to a building that is in the midst of a restoration/modernization. It is akin to a construction site in parts. Performance is also somewhat down the drain compared to releases from 5 years and longer ago.

For now and until the PS devs finish this work-in-progress, the solution to accessing a lighting effect is to open your image in an alternative image editor, apply the effect, and then re-import into Photoshop. Affinity Photo features a very nice lighting effect filter, and is inexpensive.

Not ideal, but it is what it is.

[krakaos]

This is very frustrating. installing an older version can not be the solution! come on Adobe!