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Classic gradient makes no difference (come on, Photoshop - if you put a 'classic' tool, I want it to be exactly the same as it was before!)
Resetting the preferences did nothing whatsoever other than annoy me when all the hints and tips came back!
Next up, a complete re-install.
By @Matthew278711144s6c
Did you read through the other thread? It answers at least some of your issues.
I read through the thread but it didn't solve the problems. It does seem to suggest that many are struggling with the new gradients or how to restore the old ones, but that just means I'm not sure if there's a bug or if there is something somewhere unclicked.
To maybe better show the problem...
TOP PANEL:
Blank white page ... foreground red and background white ... gradient tool still shows white to black.
The gradient colors can be changed via the legacy gradient presets (actually, any of the gradient presets), but that's not what I want to do (and certainly a tediously long way around it) or by clicking on the center/outer circles of the gradient (again, tedious).
BOTTOM PANEL:
So then the gradient on the background layer ... black to white (i.e. not matching foreground/background) ... and placed on a gradient layer rather than the original layer.
What I need to be able to do is pick the gradient colors via the foreground/background colors and then place them on the original layer, not a new layer, but none of the suggested fixes have worked so far.
If what you’re after is being able to keep drawing new gradients based on changing the foreground and background colors, what you want to keep in mind is that still works, you just have to think of it in terms of more flexible vector objects instead of the old pixel gradients that you couldn’t edit after they were created.
Keep in mind the following points:
1. The Foreground to Background gradient preset (up in the options bar, or in the Gradients panel) always follows the current foreground and background color — notice that the Foreground to Background preset updates as you change those colors. So if you want to draw gradients based on that, just make sure to click Foreground to Background before you drag the Gradient tool. If you want to change the preset applied to a Gradient Fill layer, just make sure that layer is selected and click a different preset. If you click the Foreground to Background preset while a Gradient Fill layer is selected, that changes the layer to Foreground to Background.
2. Once created, a gradient is a Gradient Fill layer so that it can be edited without having to start over, which is extremely flexible and convenient. The Gradient Fill layer existed before, but now it’s fully integrated with the Gradient tool.
3. If you want to edit the current Gradient Fill layer, make sure it’s selected in the Layers panel. If you want to create a new Gradient Fill layer, make sure no Gradient Fill layer is selected. (Select > Deselect Layers can ensure this, if you don’t want to click around.) If you want to apply the Foreground and Background colors to the currently selected Gradient Fill layer, just double-click the Foreground and Background gradient preset, or drag and drop it on the selected Gradient Fill layer.
4. To see all gradient controls, display the Properties panel. If you haven’t already been taking advantage of the Properties panel for many other layer types as well as masks, you might want to make the Properties panel more prominient in your customized workspace. (You can still edit the old way, with the complicated nested dialog boxes, by double-clicking the Gradient Fill layer thumbnail preview in the Layers panel.)
So as you create a gradient, pay attention to:
Which gradient preset is selected? If you want Foreground and Background, make sure that’s selected.
Are you creating a new Gradient Fill layer? Make sure no layer is selected in the Layers panel, click the preset you want, then drag the Gradient tool.
Want to change a selected Gradient Fill layer to the current foreground and background colors? Just apply the Foreground and Background gradient preset.
This might seem a little more complicated, but there is a lot of potential time savings in setting up gradients as an editable layer. And the way it works is pretty much the same as how you already create and edit any non-pixel layer types (Solid Color fill layers, Pattern Fill layers, type layers, shape layers…). So it isn’t really new.
There are answers for all of those.
…still no option to place on the original layer or a normal layer above it.
By @Matthew278711144s6c
Those translate into: edit an existing Gradient Fill layer, or add a new Gradient Fill layer. Which one happens depends on whether any Gradient Fill layer is selected. If yes, then the next gradient you apply replaces that. If no, the next gradient you apply adds a new Gradient Fill layer. It does take some time to get used to that.
Maybe I'm the only one who uses gradients the way I do to edit images (seems unlikely) but...
By @Matthew278711144s6c
You are definitely not alone. There have been a lot of complaints posted here. My guess is the longer they’ve been using the old pixel gradients, the more they don’t want to change, and that is understandable. It’s taken me a while to adjust. In fact…although it sounds like I know what I’m talking about, I only learned about some of these workflow details by reading answers from others here. Even with the challenges I prefer the new way, because vector gradients are much more consistent with gradients in other modern pro software (InDesign, Illustrator, After Effects, Affinity Photo…).
ADOBE!! We don't all need editable vector objects! Keep the option to keep things simple!!
By @Matthew278711144s6c
This one is already addressed too. If you really want to work the old way, or if you are open to the new way eventually but right now you need to get stuff done the way you know how, Adobe did keep a Classic Gradient option in the Gradient tool options bar. Switch to that, and gradients should work the way they used to.
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