photoshop errors

[victoriapersephone]

i have had numerous errors with photoshop in the last 24 hours.

first the brightness/contrast suddenly stopped working, giving me the "can't perform function due to system error" or similar message. i couldn't get rid of the error so i upgraded to the newest photoshop version, which i thought it was supposed to do automatically anyway.

then i got the same error when i tried to use liquify, but got rid of the error after exiting and re-entering the program.

now i can't get the window to properly resize. i can make my image smaller but the window sliders never disappear. i have already researched in the help community and none of the solutions worked.

there were more errors but i managed to fix on my own. please don't ask for screenshots, i didn't take any. i had a lot of work to do today and it was nearly impossible with all this nonsense, plus i now have to reinstall all my brushes to do my next project, so if the solution is a complete uninstall, i need to know before i install all my brushes again.

[Derek Cross]

Try resetting the Photoshop preferences back to the factory defaults.

[victoriapersephone]

when i upgraded to the newest version it cleared out everything, deleted my file list, brushes, settings. so resetting would be redundant.

[Derek Cross]

Not so.

[kevin stohlmeyer]

Hi @victoriapersephone as @Derek Cross points out - upgrading does not remove preferences automatically. You can try resetting manually:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#reset-preferences

[TheDigitalDog]

Ditto, the first thing to do, is try resetting your Photoshop preferences. Press and hold Alt+Control+Shift (Windows) or Option+Command+Shift (macOS) immediately after launching Photoshop. You will be prompted to delete the current settings. You can also reset preferences upon a quit if Photoshop is running by going into General Preferences>General>Reset on Quit.

This action only affects the items found in the preferences dialog box. Numerous program settings are stored in the Adobe Photoshop Preferences file, including general display options, file-saving options, performance options, cursor options, transparency options, type options, and options for plug‑ins and scratch disks. Brushes (and lots of other settings) are not affected by the above instructions for deleting preferences. You may wish to make a screen capture of the settings in the Preferences dialog to reset them prior to deleting of this file.

Also: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html

To manually delete Photoshop preferences:
Quit Photoshop.
Navigate to Photoshop's Preferences folder.
(macOS only) Open the Preferences folder in the Library folder**,and drag the Adobe Photoshop Settings folder to the Trash from the following path:
macOS: Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings
Windows: Users/[user name]/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop [version]/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings

[NB, colourmanagement net]

Yep - agree with @TheDigitalDog 

Perhaps try a thorough reset of Photoshop preferences? 

(read this entire post before acting please)

Resetting restores Photoshop's internal preferences, which are saved when Photoshop closes. 

If they become corrupt then various issues can occur.

Here’s some info on how to do that:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html

Manually removing preferences files is the most complete method for restoring Photoshop to its default state: 

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#Manually

Note re macOS: The user Library folder is hidden by default.

To access files in the hidden user Library folder, see here for how to access hidden user library files. 

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/access-hidden-user-library-files.html

Unexpected behaviour may indicate damaged preferences. Restoring preferences to their default settings is a good idea when trying to troubleshoot unexpected behaviours in Photoshop. check out the video

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#reset_preferences

Learn how to access and modify Photoshop preferences and customise per your frequent workflows

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html

And here’s an earlier forum discussion as an aid to understanding

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/quick-tips-how-to-reset-photoshop-pre...

You may want to backup your settings and custom presets, brushes & actions before restoring Photoshop's preferences.

Here is general info about that:  https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#BackupPhotoshoppreferences

Before you reset your preferences

in case of future issues, I suggest you make a copy as Adobe may need one to check problematic references. 

Quit Photoshop.
Go to Photoshop's Preferences folder

Preferences file locations: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/preference-file-names-locations-photoshop.html\

  [on MacOS see: Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings

  Note for those on macOS: - be aware that the user Library folder is hidden by default on macOS. 

  https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/access-hidden-user-library-files.html

  In the Finder, open the “Go” menu whilst holding down the Option (Alt) key. 

  Library will now appear in the list - below the current user's “home” directory. ]

Now you can drag the entire Adobe Photoshop [Version] Settings folder to the desktop or somewhere safe as a back-up of your settings.

Note for those on macOS:

Preference preservation is affected by macOS permissions, 

you’ll need to allow Photoshop ‘Full Disk Access’ in your Mac OS Preferences/Security and Privacy

If that doesn't fix the issue:

Go to Preferences > Performance... and uncheck Multithreaded Compositing - and restart Photoshop.

Still hanging? 

Go to Preferences > Performance... click Advanced Settings... and uncheck "GPU Compositing" - then restart Photoshop. 

Still got problems?

It may even be time to reinstall Photoshop. 

It’s recommended that you use the Adobe CC cleaner tool to remove all traces first. 

(See above about preserving preferences though! It’s worth preserving them unless they are corrupted.)

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

Uninstall Photoshop BUT make sure to choose the option “Yes, remove app preference”.

Once that process finishes, start the installation process and look into the “Advanced Options”. Uncheck “Import previous settings and preferences” and choose to “Remove old versions”.

I hope this helps

neil barstow, colourmanagement net :: adobe forum volunteer

google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management