Objects from photo tray dropping into random layers

[boomersgirl]

I recently had to upgrade to PSE 21 because the old version I owned couldn't be put on my new computer. When I drag objects from the photo tray onto the screen, it drops them into a RANDOM layer rather than ABOVE the SELECTED LAYER like my old version used to. This is maddening and time-consuming as my projects have a lot of layers. Is there a way to fix it so that the objects drop directly above the selected layer? Thanks!

[MichelBParis]

Activate the tool option bar instead of the photo bin, and uncheck the 'auto select' option.

Go back to the photobin. Now instead of landing on the layer just over the visible spot of the image, it will land just over the selected layer in the layer palette.

[boomersgirl]

It's not doing anything. It still just drops the object into a random layer - there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to what layer it falls into. It's incredibly frustrating as it's taking me soooo much longer to do things now.

[MichelBParis]

It's already an old change in the way dragging from the photobin is done and that has been discussed many times. There is nothing 'random' in the default behaviour:

- You drag your image, and the layer is added just over the precise spot when you release your mouse. The added layer is just over the layer which is visible on this spot of the canvas;

- if you deselect the 'auto' option, the layer is placed just over the highlighted layer in your photobin layer palette, independently from the spot you have chosen to drop your image.

(Of course, before posting I have verified the behavior to check nothing has changed compared to recent versions).

The general consensus in the discussions about the present behaviour is that both choices are useful depending on your workflow: it depends if the layer over which you want to drop is not hidden by another one. Unchecking the 'auto' choice supposes that you have already highlighted the layer over which you want to place the image. That may or may not be faster than moving the dropped layer afterwards with many layers in your palette.

[Greg_S.]

@MichelBParis I just did some testing on turning off the auto select layer and I don't think it affects where the smart layer is going to be placed when dragged from the photo bin.  It seems to me that the new layer will appear above the visible layer on which it is dropped.  So, in fact, I think it is helpful to have auto select layer turned on.  That way, you can see exactly which layer the new layer will be dropped over (if you have Show Highlight on Rollover turned on).

So, you need to hold the cursor over the desired layer before releasing the mouse button.  That way, the new layer will appear directly over the selected (highlighted) layer in the layer panel.  If you have so many layers that you cannot see the desired layer, turn off the visibility of the other layers in the layers panel so that you can find the layer you want to select.

If you always want the new layer to appear at the top of the layer panel, turn off visibility of all but the top layer and drop the new one on to that visible layer.  (Dragging the mouse cursor over the eyeballs is a quick way to turn the visibility on and off.)

[boomersgirl]

Got it! It's working! On the old version I was using, as long as the layer was selected on the right side in the "layers" tab, you could drop an object anywhere and it would still land on top of the selected layer. This is going to be a little extra work having to land it over that item in the workspace, but at least I have a solution that does save time over the alternative. Thank you so much for taking the time to give me this information - I really appreciate it!