PS CS4 Can't edit or see whole image

[ChrisWoodChip]

I've recently loaded Photoshop CS4 (v. 11.0) from a boxed set onto my replacement Win11 laptop.

All seems well till I load an image.  The top left quadrant of the image appears in a fixed "workspace" in the top left quarter of the screen.

How do I release this?

[Derek Cross]

Hi Chris

Welcome to this friendly forum.

Photoshop CS4 may not be compatible with modern OS – try trashing the preferences to see if that resolves the issue.

You'd probably be better subscribing to the Photography Plan which includes the latest version of Photoshop (currently 23.x.x) and updates as they become available plus Lightroom and some cloud storage for around $10 a month. There are lots of new features since CS4 and Photoshop would work well on your brand new computer.

[ChrisWoodChip]

Hi Chris

Welcome to this friendly forum.

Photoshop CS4 may not be compatible with modern OS – try trashing the preferences to see if that resolves the issue.

You'd probably be better subscribing to the Photography Plan which includes the latest version of Photoshop (currently 23.x.x) and updates as they become available plus Lightroom and some cloud storage for around $10 a month. There are lots of new features since CS4 and Photoshop would work well on your brand new computer.

By Derek Cross

That would be grand - but, now I am no longer earning anything from graphics work - and existing on a pension, I cannot justify the recurring £120 per year this would cost.  My old, tried and trusted CS4 did all I now require.  I find this continual drain on my budget unacceptable.  I can save up and spend a reasonable amount on good software if I know that this is an end to my commitment but I cannot lock myself in to ever-recurring costs.

[Derek Cross]

If you upgrade your hardware you can expect to have to upgrade your software.

If you can't afford the Photoshop subscription you might consider Photoshop Elements, a kind of Photoshop Lite for a one-off payment of around £70, or there's Gimp, which is free.

[AxelMatt]

CS4 is a 14 year old and not compatible with newer operating systems like Windows 11.

What you can try to disable the option to "Use Graphics Procesor" from Photoshop by going to Preferences, then Performance. Once done, quit & relaunch Photoshop to check if that helps.

If you're unable to access Preferences and PhotoShop crashes before that, please go to the location C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2021. Then rename the Sniffer.exe to Old.Sniffer.exe and try launching Photohsop again.

If it helps, you can check out the steps suggested here:  https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/troubleshoot-gpu-graphics-card.html

If the issue persists, you can try to reset the preferences of Photoshop using the steps described here:

Preferences in Photoshop (adobe.com)

Please backup your settings before resetting the preferences. You can check:

Migrate presets, actions, and settings (adobe.com)

You can also try to run Photoshop in the compatibility mode in Windows

Run Older Programs in Compatibility Mode in Windows 11/10 (online-tech-tips.com)

[ChrisWoodChip]

What you can try to disable the option to "Use Graphics Procesor" from Photoshop by going to Preferences, then Performance. Once done, quit & relaunch Photoshop to check if that helps.

By AxelMatt

That works!  Thanks!

Now to work out how to install an old enough Camera Raw plug-in. 

Having retired from "heavy duty" graphics work, I would find it hard to justify a lot of expense...

[AxelMatt]

...

Now to work out how to install an old enough Camera Raw plug-in. 

...

By ChrisWoodChip

What do you mean with "how to install an old enough Camera Raw plugin"?

Normally the plugin is installed with Photoshop automatically.

[Jeff Arola]

Most likely the issue is you have two graphics processors (cards) one discrete and one integrated.

See the following:

7 Configuring computers with multiple graphics cards.

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/troubleshoot-gpu-graphics-card.html