Photoshop CS6 hangs when using the brush (Mac OS X Lion)

Report · Jun 07, 2012

Hi folks,

This is my first posting here so I hope I'm doing it right. I upgraded to Photoshop CS6 a couple of days ago (jumped the Creative Cloud offer for existing customers) and ever since I've experienced several "hangs" when using the brush tool. In general I can work a few minutes with the brush before I notice that it isn't responding anymore, ie. it doesn't paint or erase or whatever it is I'm using it for. When this happens I can't access the gui anymore and all I have for cursor is the shape of the brush. After that the cursor will turn into that black and white spinning ring of dots and my only way to exit Photoshop is to force quit it.

This happens almost every time I use the brush. The OS X Lion installation is brand new, as is the Photoshop installation. No third party plugins installed (haven't had the time yet) and no third party fonts. I use a Wacom Intous 4 with latest drivers.

I've recorded a short video of what happens (13MB): https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2055280/Photoshop%20CS6%20hangs.mov

This is me working on a texture for a 3D model. I have a couple of layers and when the recording starts I am using a mask to blend two layers.

- At around 00:40 the brush stops working so I try to change tool by keyboard shortcut and then by clicking the tool palette.

- At around 01:05 the spinning ring appears and by then I know that I have to force quit.

- At around 01:50 I open up the Activity Monitor (although it can be tricky to read as the Photoshop document refuses to go to the background when the spinning ring appears)

- At around 02:24 the brush starts working again but I still have the spinning ring and I still can't access anything in the menus or palettes.

I *think* it is related to the amount of time I spend on a single brush session but I'm not sure. What I mean is that if I start brushing away and simply pause once in a while or lift the pen off the board to start a new stroke it feels like the behaviour is less likely to appear. If I however use the brush for a longer period of time without lifting it or pausing, the spinning ring will most definitely appear. It's like Photoshop buffers all my brush movements and then somehow chokes. I could get the spinning beach ball in earlier versions as well but once Photoshop so to say had catched up I could continue working. Now it chokes and I have to force quit. This is just a theory from side, I need to test it more.

I'm attaching a copy of the System info below as well.

Any ideas on what might be causing this behaviour is appreciated.

Thanks!

/Anders

Adobe Photoshop Version: 13.0 (13.0 20120315.r.428 2012/03/15:21:00:00) x64

Operating System: Mac OS 10.7.4

System architecture: Intel CPU Family:6, Model:26, Stepping:5 with MMX, SSE Integer, SSE FP, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, HyperThreading

Physical processor count: 8

Logical processor count: 16

Processor speed: 2260 MHz

Built-in memory: 12288 MB

Free memory: 7630 MB

Memory available to Photoshop: 11198 MB

Memory used by Photoshop: 70 %

Image tile size: 1024K

Image cache levels: 4

OpenGL Drawing: Enabled.

OpenGL Drawing Mode: Advanced

OpenGL Allow Normal Mode: True.

OpenGL Allow Advanced Mode: True.

OpenGL Allow Old GPUs: Not Detected.

OpenGL Version: 2.1 ATI-7.18.18

OpenCL Version:

Video Card Vendor: ATI Technologies Inc.

Video Card Renderer: ATI Radeon HD 5770 OpenGL Engine

Display: 2

Display Depth:= 32

Display Bounds:= top: 0, left: 1920, bottom: 1200, right: 3840

Video Renderer ID: 16915202

Video Card Memory: 1256 MB

Video Rect Texture Size: 16384

OpenGL Version: 2.1 ATI-7.18.18

OpenCL Version: 1.1 (Apr 9 2012 19:41:45)

Video Card Vendor: ATI Technologies Inc.

Video Card Renderer: ATI Radeon HD 5770 OpenGL Engine

Display: 1

Main Display

Display Depth:= 32

Display Bounds:= top: 0, left: 0, bottom: 1200, right: 1920

Video Renderer ID: 16915202

Video Card Memory: 1256 MB

Video Rect Texture Size: 16384

Serial number: 90970847541468733918

Application folder: Macintosh HD:Applications:Adobe Photoshop CS6:

Photoshop scratch has async I/O enabled

Scratch volume(s):

Samsung, 1.18T, 440.2G free

Macintosh HD, 222.8G, 134.9G free

Working Files, 223.3G, 138.9G free

Required Plug-ins folder: Macintosh HD:Applications:Adobe Photoshop CS6:Adobe Photoshop CS6.app:Contents:Required:

Primary Plug-ins folder: Macintosh HD:Applications:Adobe Photoshop CS6:Plug-ins:

Additional Plug-ins folder: not set

Installed components:

adbeape.framework adbeape 3.3.8.19346 66.1025012

AdbeScriptUIFlex.framework AdbeScriptUIFlex 6.2.29.18602 66.490082

adobe_caps.framework adobe_caps 6.0.29.0 1.276181

AdobeACE.framework AdobeACE 2.19.18.19243 66.492997

AdobeAGM.framework AdobeAGM 4.26.17.19243 66.492997

AdobeAXE8SharedExpat.framework AdobeAXE8SharedExpat 3.7.101.18636 66.26830

AdobeAXEDOMCore.framework AdobeAXEDOMCore 3.7.101.18636 66.26830

AdobeBIB.framework AdobeBIB 1.2.02.19243 66.492997

AdobeBIBUtils.framework AdobeBIBUtils 1.1.01 66.492997

AdobeCoolType.framework AdobeCoolType 5.10.31.19243 66.492997

AdobeCrashReporter.framework AdobeCrashReporter 6.0.20120201

AdobeExtendScript.framework AdobeExtendScript 4.2.12.18602 66.490082

AdobeJP2K.framework AdobeJP2K 2.0.0.18562 66.236923

AdobeLinguistic.framework 17206

AdobeMPS.framework AdobeMPS 5.8.0.19463 66.495174

AdobeOwl.framework AdobeOwl 4.0.93 66.496052

AdobePDFL.framework AdobePDFL 10.0.1.18562 66.419471

AdobePDFSettings.framework AdobePDFSettings 1.4

AdobePIP.framework AdobePIP 6.0.0.1654

AdobeScCore.framework AdobeScCore 4.2.12.18602 66.490082

AdobeUpdater.framework AdobeUpdater 6.0.0.1452 "52.338651"

AdobeXMP.framework AdobeXMPCore 66.145661 66.145661

AdobeXMPFiles.framework AdobeXMPFiles 66.145661 66.145661

AdobeXMPScript.framework AdobeXMPScript 66.145661 66.145661

ahclient.framework ahclient 1.7.0.56

aif_core.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

aif_ocl.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

aif_ogl.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

AlignmentLib.framework xcode 1.0.0.1

amtlib.framework amtlib 6.0.0.75

boost_date_time.framework boost_date_time 6.0.0.0

boost_signals.framework boost_signals 6.0.0.0

boost_system.framework boost_system 6.0.0.0

boost_threads.framework boost_threads 6.0.0.0

Cg.framework NVIDIA Cg

CIT.framework CIT 2.0.5.19287 145486

data_flow.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

dvaaudiodevice.framework dvaaudiodevice 6.0.0.0

dvacore.framework dvacore 6.0.0.0

dvamarshal.framework dvamarshal 6.0.0.0

dvamediatypes.framework dvamediatypes 6.0.0.0

dvaplayer.framework dvaplayer 6.0.0.0

dvatransport.framework dvatransport 6.0.0.0

dvaunittesting.framework dvaunittesting 6.0.0.0

dynamiclink.framework dynamiclink 6.0.0.0

FileInfo.framework FileInfo 66.145433 66.145433

filter_graph.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

hydra_filters.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

ICUConverter.framework ICUConverter 3.61 "gtlib_3.0" "." "16615"

ICUData.framework ICUData 3.61 "gtlib_3.0" "." "16615"

image_compiler.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

image_flow.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

image_runtime.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

LogSession.framework LogSession 2.1.2.1652

mediacoreif.framework mediacoreif 6.0.0.0

PlugPlug.framework PlugPlug 3.0.0.383

UpdaterNotifications.framework UpdaterNotifications 6.0.0.24 "6.0.0.24"

wrservices.framework

Required plug-ins:

Embed Watermark NO VERSION - from the file “DigiSign.plugin”

Read Watermark NO VERSION - from the file “DigiRead.plugin”

Optional and third party plug-ins: NONE

Plug-ins that failed to load: NONE

Flash: NONE

Installed TWAIN devices: NONE

Report · Nov 25, 2014

Paul 9, I just contacted Wacom and tried to curb any lame fixes they might throw my way since I've tried them already. I'd like to see some real action on this; been living with a faulty product for too long.

Report · Nov 25, 2014

Make sure you installed the WhiteWindowWorkaround plugin for Photoshop CS6 to avoid known issues in MacOS.

Report · Nov 25, 2014

Chris Cox, thank you - that totally solved my issue! Here's an updated version of that plugin (v1.0.6) > Menus, shortcuts, Lasso tool, or Photoshop stop working when using a Wacom tablet | Mac OS

Report · Aug 01, 2015

The WhiteWindowWorkaround plugin (Menus, shortcuts, Lasso tool, or Photoshop stop working when using a Wacom tablet | Mac OS) is a winner! Can finally use the brush tool with no hang ups! THANKS!

Report · Aug 01, 2015

Anyone knows if this plug in works also con CC 2015?

Report · Feb 11, 2016

Hi, m facing issue with photoshop cs6, it always show that close the program.

kindly help me out with this

Photoshop CS6 hangs when using the brush (Mac OS X Lion)

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