Replace Background Feature Not Working on Mac

Report · Dec 12, 2022

I have a 2016 MacBook Pro, running the latest macOS Monterey 12.6.1. I’m trying to replace a background in Photoshop Elements 2023 (v 21.0), using the ‘Guided’ / ‘Special Edits’ / ‘Replace Background’ feature. Step 1 says to select the subject in the photo, which I do. Step 2 says to choose a new background by clicking “Import a photo,” but nothing happens when I click on it.

I tried rebooting the computer, re-opening Elements, and the “Import a photo” button just does not work. My sister has the PC version of Photoshop Elements 2023, and this function works fine for her. I cannot find anything online that addresses this issue.

Report · Dec 12, 2022

Try this:

Restore default preferences
Preference settings control how Photoshop Elements Editor displays images, cursors, and transparencies, saves files, uses plug‑ins and scratch disks, and so on. If the application exhibits unexpected behavior, the preferences file could be damaged. You can restore all preferences to their defaults.

Note: Deleting the preferences file is an action that cannot be undone.

Do one of the following:

Press and hold Alt+Control+Shift (Mac: Option+Command+Shift) immediately after Photoshop Elements begins launching. Click Yes to delete the Adobe Photoshop Elements settings file.
Go to Edit > Preferences (Mac: Photoshop Elements > Preferences > General), click the Reset Preferences on next launch button, and then click OK. When you restart Adobe Photoshop Elements, all preferences are reset to default settings.
A new preferences file is created the next time you start Photoshop Elements Editor. For information on a specific preference option, search for the preference name in Help.

from here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/kb/preference-file-locations-photoshop-elements.html

Report · Dec 12, 2022

Hello @whydavewhy,

Please try resetting the preferences as shared by Peru Bob and let us know if that helps. If the issue continue to persists after this step, please confirm if the File Menu > Open option in the Quick/Expert workspace opens the Finder.

Regards,

Medha

Report · Dec 13, 2022

Thanks for the tips, but I believe I can rule out the idea of damaged preferences causing the problem. The problem is related to the original SOURCE of the photo, and an incompatibility (bug) with both Mac and PC versions of Elements 2023...

In both Photoshop Elements 2023 for Mac and Photoshop Elements 2023 for PC, the “Replace Background” Guided Edit feature will not work with any photos taken by an iPhone; even if the photos have been converted from the original .HEIC format, to .jpg format. (Elements will let you open the photo and select a Subject, but when you click the ‘Import a photo’ button, nothing happens.)

I have also tried this on a “clean re-install” of Photoshop Elements 2023 on a Mac, and by creating a new user on the Mac, and even trying it on a PC running Elements 2023; the problem persists on all platforms.

Since iOS 11, Apple has used the .HEIC container format to save iPhone photos. But even after iPhone photos have been exported as .jpg format, they still do not work with the Replace Background feature in Elements 2023. (Non-iPhone .jpg files work fine.) This must mean that there is still something remaining from the .HEIC shell that Elements cannot process. I assume this also means that Adobe only used non-iPhone .jpg images, when beta-testing the Replace Background Guided Edit, and they did not test ones from an iPhone source. This will need to be fixed in both the Mac and PC versions of Elements 2023, via a software update.

Report · Dec 16, 2022

Can you help with a screen recording that illustrates this issue? Would help us in debugging this further.

Thanks,

Medha

Report · Dec 20, 2022

Here is a screen recording of the problem on a Mac (occurs in both Elements 2023 for Mac, and for PC). I open a photo originally taken on an iPhone (.HEIC) that has been converted to a .jpg file. When I use the "Background Replacement” Guided Edit feature, the “Import a photo” button does not work. Even though I converted the photo to.jpg, any photo that originated on an iPhone will not work. Photos NOT from an iPhone work fine.

Unfortunately, even though I have Adobe support on my product, no one at the company has gotten back to me on this issue, On 12/14/22, an agent spent over an hour sharing my screen, to verify the bug. Then he told me that someone from the escalation department would call me on 12/16/22 at 11 AM PST, to verify the bug, and then they would send a message about it to the software engineers. But on 12/16/22 at 11 AM, no one called, so I called Adobe at 11:30 AM, and they told me that someone would call me at 12:30 PM, but no one called then, either. At 12:50 PM, I called Adobe again, and the agent said that he would have someone from the escalation department email me a message, telling me what day and time they really are going to call me. At 3:14 PM, I received an email message from Adobe, which said, “We tried to call you by phone today at the pre-arranged time, however we were unable to reach you. The phone number shown was correct, but I had no record of any incoming calls from Adobe. I will keep trying to reach them.

Report · Dec 21, 2022

I just spoke to an Adobe agent from the Escalation Department today, and he told me that Adobe is aware of the problem and will fix it eventually.

Report · Jan 10, 2023

Hello,

Can you please share the following details so that we can investigate this further?

1. When you're in the Guided workspace, what happens when you click on the 'Open' button? Does the Finder window open up?

2. From the recording you shared, it seems that you're importing media from iCloud (i.e. the original image on which you're trying to use the Replace Background feature is from iCloud). What happens when you save that file locally, say on your Desktop, open it from there and then perform the Replace Background workflow? Does this make any difference to the behaviour of the 'Import Photos' button?

3. Can you try this out in the Fun Edits > Double Exposure Guided Edit and let us know if you observe similar behaviour there as well?

4. And lastly, can you share the file that results in this issue with me via private message?

Looking forward to hearing from and working with you to debug this issue.

Regards,

Medha

Report · Jan 13, 2023

1. Yes, the finder window opens up.

2. It does not matter if I import the file from the Desktop (which I think I imported it from on the video), or iCloud. The problem is the file's original type (.HEIC), not the location it came from.

3. The same problem exists in Fun Edits > Double Exposure Guided Edit, and any of the others. Even if the .HEIC file was converted to .jpeg first, Photoshop Elements 2023 is not able to import a second photo for the edit process. This is not a problem with .jpeg photos that originated on a PC. It seems that Adobe did not test any of the Guided Edits with photos from an iPhone (.HEIC) before releasing Elements 2023. I spoke to a senior support person in Adobe's Escalation Department. and he told me that Adobe was aware of the problem. A month has now passed, and nothing has changed yet, but hopefully they will fix the issue.

4. Any photo taken on an iPhone and converted to .jpeg will exhibit the same problem.