Latest Photoshop not functioning when opening CS3 files

[Cherie5CEA]

I just recently subscribed to Photoshop 2021 when my CS3 license stopped working. I've had nothing but trouble when I try to open my CS3 files in the new version. Either Photoshop crashes, or the Efficiency drops below 20%, making it impossible to do the simplest tasks. Mind you, the files I'm currently working with are not that big. They range from 30MB to 120MB. My entire portfolio and in progress work is made up of CS3 files. Under crushing deadlines this is making my workflow impossible. Another thing to note. I tried to uninstall Photoshop CS3 yesterday which did not work. I kept getting a message that said it could not continue because Acrobat was open (it was not). My computer screen froze and would not shut down properly after that, so I had to crash it each time in order to restart. I managed to place the CS3 application in the trash and then I did a fix on the Creative Cloud app I downloaded a couple of days ago. Since then I haven't had any freezing of my computer, but I'm still having trouble with my files.

I'm running macOS Mojave. Processor: 3.1 GHz Intel Core i5 Memory: 16 GB 1867 MHz DDR3. Intel Pro Graphics 6200 1536MB.

I'm afraid to upgrade to the latest OS until I know I won't have issues opening my old CS3 files (they are my life's work).

Does anyone have any solutions? I'm pulling my hair out at this point.

Thank you!

[Nancy OShea]

Old PSD files were never a problem for me when I migrated to more modern software. 

Please ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements to run Creative Cloud + OS + all other apps you use. Check each one.
- https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/system-requirements.html

Pay particular attention to Photoshop's new GPU requirements. See links below.
- https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html
- https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-cc-gpu-card-faq.html

[Cherie5CEA]

Thanks for the information Nancy! It looks like I have everything required, I'm just not sure about the graphics card. It appears it that iit is sufficient, but I'm not sure. I snapped a pic of the System Architecture. Perhaps sopmeone can tell me if this graphics card should work or if I need to upgrade.

Thanks!

[Nancy OShea · Accepted solution]

Go to Preferences > Performance and turn off your Graphics Processor to see if that helps.

[Cherie5CEA]

Upon opening the old CS3 file everything dropped to 36% Efficiency, incuding the new Photoshop file (I work in tandem for consistency), but after a few minutes of working inside the file the Efficiency percentage jumped to 100%. It seems to be staying at that range, so it looks like you solved my problem.

You're a life-saver. Thank you so much!

[Nancy OShea]

Great!  Glad it worked. 🙂

[Warren Heaton]

A quick note on clean-up of older versions of Photoshop (or Illustrator or InDesign or Premiere Pro).  The Photoshop CS3 uninstaller is too old to run under macOS Mojave or newer.  So, ideally, older versions of Adobe software get removed prior to the macOS update to Mojave, Catalina, or Big Sur.  The Adobe cleaner tool might be able to unistall some older software, but you're left with a manual uninstall after that.  It should not adversely affect your Mac to have CS3 components here and there, but they do take up storage space.

[Cherie5CEA]

Thanks for the bit of information Warren. I was contemplating trying the uninstaller once more, but will pass on that after reading your reply. Initially, I thought CS3 might have created a conflict with the new photoshop , but turning off the graphics card solved that issue, so I think I’ll let CS3 remain for now. When I’m feeling adventurous I’ll try the Adobe cleaner tool. Thanks again!

[Jeff Arola]

Instead of turning off the Graphics Processor, see if going to Photoshop>Preferences>Technology Previews, checking Deactivate Native Canvas and restarting photoshop works.

[Cherie5CEA]

Hey Jeff. Initially it worked well. My files opened up faster and Photoshop didn't crash upon opening (something that keeps recurring, but is fine on the second attempt). That being said, when I tried to do the simplest tasks like making the canvas slightly larger, or filling the background with white it caused the program to spin far too long; and then the Efficiency dropped to about 12 percent. It was worth a try, though. I'm always willing to experiment to see if I can better results. Thanks.