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sebastianm
Known Participant
October 17, 2018
Open for Voting

Photoshop: Option to disable live preview of layer blending modes

  • October 17, 2018
  • 31 replies
  • 3243 views
The AdobeCare twitter informed me there is no such thing and to post it as a request here, so, here we are.

With the Photoshop CC 2019 update came a live preview of layer blending modes. While I appreciate this will help people who aren't entirely familiar with what each blend mode will do and aren't sure about which one they would rather use, for me this 'feature' is a huge problem.
To get the simple part out of the way first, I'll just say that I have no use whatsoever for a preview of the layer blend modes. I know what each mode does, I know the results I'll get, I use the layer blend modes in very specific ways for very specific tasks and I've no need for a preview of the results.
The more complicated part which needs more explanation is that I have a significant sensory disability which is not entirely unlike epilepsy. (It's not the same, but that's the quickest way to illustrate to you what I'm talking about.) When I pull up the layer blend mode menu now, due to the live preview, I'm assaulted by one of the more extreme blend modes right away and then am treated to a painful lightshow as I move to the layer blend mode I actually want. As a result, for the last couple of days when using Photoshop I've had to just close my eyes and pick the blend mode blindly; the effect of moving down the list of blend modes is that painful.

So for the sake of my sanity (not needing the previews) and my physical health (not needing my eyes burnt out by a kaleidoscope of abstract colour and contrast), please add, as soon as humanly possible, an option to disable the layer blend mode live preview.

    31 replies

    Stephen Marsh
    Community Expert
    Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    December 11, 2024
    quote
    The same with image preview when you want to change image size only and don't need any "preview" ... It's wasting so much time and makes no sense for any professional under time pressure

    By @FeedbackCommunityMember 

     

    A scripted alternative for manual image resizing without a preview here:
     
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMember
    Inspiring
    January 8, 2021

    Totally! They shoot first and ask questions later. Here we are at v22 and this ini file creation is still required ..

    F
    FeedbackCommunityMember
    Inspiring
    July 14, 2020
    Incredible the toggle of live preview isn't in PS 2020's Pref's. No improvement on install location either. With the photography package, have to install LightRoom Classic which after (or during) installs CC app. When done have to change install path within CC app to desired .. uninstall LR. Re-install LR and install PS and the rest. Silly as hell but PS does rock. Adobe are you listening?

    edit: Appears CC is available for solo install as a precursor to installing a suite. Still .. the install location should be a screen prompt for Adobe directory apps and CC itself.
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMember
    Inspiring
    June 4, 2020
    This live preview is one of the most stupid "features" in Photoshop I know. The same with image preview when you want to change image size only and don't need any "preview".
    The people who invented those  imposed"features" should be fired.
    It's wasting so much time and makes no sense for any professional under time pressure
      D
      damianvines
      Participating Frequently
      April 9, 2019
      Thank you Henrik, indeed it was .rtf, the eyes aren't what they used to be 🙂 Thank you, works now
      feinschmecker
      feinschmecker
      Known Participant
      April 9, 2019
      And one more thing. If you add the line of code from a comment above, it reverts the transform tool to the old usable version, where you can scale proportionally holding down the shift-key.

      These two lines makes Photoshop somewhat usable again:

      LiveBlendModes 0
      TransformProportionalScale 0

      God damnit, Adobe. Why would you remove the possibility to scale proportionally in the first place? Don't you have an alcohol policy during work hours?  🙂
      feinschmecker
      feinschmecker
      Known Participant
      April 9, 2019
      Hi Damian. I'm running the same version, and it works for me. Are you sure your text file is plain text? And named correctly?
      D
      damianvines
      Participating Frequently
      April 9, 2019
      It doesn't work for me... OSX Mojave 10.14.4 Photoshop CC 2019 20.0.4 Double checked file, name, location, etc. Quit and restarted PS... No luck
      D
      damianvines
      Participating Frequently
      April 9, 2019
      It doesn't work for me... OSX Mojave 10.14.4 Photoshop CC 2019 20.0.4 Double checked file, name, location, etc. Quit and restarted PS... No luck
      S
      sebastianmAuthor
      Known Participant
      April 8, 2019
      Thank you Adam, that worked.
      However, I still must point out that these sorts of things should not be left to users changing values in a text file. (Let alone one which, at least for Windows users, is buried within hidden folders.) Any function like this should always come with, at the time of initial release, a corresponding option in the in-program preferences menus. I appreciate that it is unlikely that you specifically can do much about this, but the software development team as a whole should be aware of this and make this a priority for any and all new or altered functionality. Or not even a "priority", really, but simply a mandatory part of the implementation of any new or altered function. As far as I'm concerned if a function does not have an enable/disable option in the in-program menu then that function is incomplete and should not be included in a software release or update. It's like a chef dumping some raw ingredients in front of you and telling you figure out how to cook it yourself.
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