Annoying Undo behavior. Fixable?

[Navarro_Parker]

Here's my biggest pet peeve about Photoshop:

I'm currently working on Layer A. I select Layer B in the layer palette, then select the move tool (v). I move the layer in XY (not layer order). I release the mouse.  I don't like where I put it, so I hit Undo. (Or step backward in the history)

Photoshop resets Layer B's position, but then it also reselects Layer A! No, stay with Layer B! I just want to move it again! This is especially annoying when I have 100+ layers and Layer A is at the top and Layer B is down at the bottom of the stack.  I have to scrollscrollscroll to get back down to Layer B.

Is there any way to "fix" this? Shouldn't the History Palette record what a layer selection as an step? To me, it seems Undo is really taking TWO steps back (reset layer XY position and reselect previously selected layer).

[Guest]

As for your speaking for all Photoshop users I simply responded to the somewhat snotty implied suggestion that opposing opinions aren't welcome.

And your last post really wasn't necessary either. It's nothing but quote mining: i.e.- taking what was said out of context. For the record, what I didn't get is why two different things need to behave as if they were the same thing. The rest of the paragraph went on to show that I understood very well the OP's complaint.

[fruityth1ng-T0qBnM]

But enough about our personal interactions, fun as they are

Do we all agree on this being a killer feature / glaring oversight that we absolutely need and want fixed?

[Tai_Lao]

Personally, I don't.  Undo and Step Back should remain two distinct features.

It would be nice if the change of targeted layer could optionally be recorded as a History Panel step, but the way it is now is a very minor annoyance in my view.

¢2

[Guest]

Let's be clear here: what you and the OP are endorsing is a change in the historical behaviour of Photoshop, it is not a fix. The behaviour of Undo and stepping back in the HIstory Panel is how Photoshop has always worked. It is not an oversight. It is not a bug or something that is broken. It works as expected.

Undo and going back to a previous History State are two separate features, I see no advantage in having them combined. I have no objection to having some sort of option that would reduce the History Panel to nothing but a series of undos other than burdening the preferences unnecessarily. But to change how Photoshop works in this regard? No. I do not agree.

[fruityth1ng-T0qBnM]

"The way it has always worked" - to me, is not an endorsement - hell, you'd still be stuck at version one following that reasoning.

As someone schooled in interaction design, I was taught the user is never wrong. It's always the interface misinterpreting whatever zany idea a user comes up with. Sensible user? Rarely. Does software need to adapt to that? Hell yes.

And yes, it's broken, undo-ing multiple states worked just fine a couple of versions back, and now there's this thread, with concerned users pleading for a fix.

"Works as expected", I'm happy it does, for you.

Me and a few other people, we end up on a wrong layer in our creative process.

I'd greatly appreciate an extra option, option-fearing-forum trolls or not

[lambivello]

im with you. many times i end up in wrong layer. and as im working fast...the damage is HUGE. so yes, fix this thing ASAP.

[Guest]

Excuse me, but the argument was not "that's the way it always worked." I was

pointing out that at least one person didn't even know that is how it has

always worked and claims he didn't have this problem in CS4.

I am also pointing out that saying this is something that needs to be

"fixed" is presumptive and disingenuous. Your opinion of what constitutes an

advancement has yet to be established.

I was taught the user is never wrong.

And here you go again speaking as if you are representative of Photoshop

users. You may be vocal and condescending in your attitude, but that doesn't

make you either the majority or right. Calling me an option fearing troll is

just being childish. From my perspective, if in this particular case, you

are ending up on the wrong layer, it's because you're not paying attention

to what tool you are using. Until you learn to present yourself and your

position better you will get no support from me.

[fruityth1ng-T0qBnM]

I was being childish, totally. For all the wrong reasons even.

Another detail about the layer change & undo:

I think what's causing the interface inconvenience most of all is that the

step backward command steps back two of my actions, where I'd only want it

to step back a single one, my last action (in my case my brush stroke, but

reading this thread it can be any other action). Instead, photoshop goes

"hey, that step backward you asked me to do? Golly, I'll go back that layer

change you did, too! <3"

....photoshop is just being a bit retarded, well meaning, but retarded

nonetheless

[Guest]

Thanks for the apology.

I understand what you are complaining about, but what you seem to be missing

is that a History State is a State, not simply an Undo.

You are classifying selecting a layer as an action, where technically it

isn't : selecting a layer makes no change to the document. I have no major

problem with an option to include selecting a layer as an action, but I am

inclined to see it as a waste of history states.

[robotspacer]

If this is how the history is supposed to work, that's fine.

…But then why doesn't undo/redo work like it does in every other app? Pressing command-z undo multiple times should continue undoing as far back as the app is able to. Command-shift-z should redo. I know Photoshop has been around longer than multiple undos became standard, but they've had quite a few years to catch up. Even Illustrator and InDesign have a proper undo/redo system.

Personally I customize my keyboard shortcuts to use set backward (command-z) and step forward (command-shift-z), just so I can have a mostly normal undo/redo system. But since I'm not using the proper "undo", I run into the layer selection issue.

I don't even care about the default behavior, I'd just like an option to make undo/redo behave like every other app, without running into the frustrating layer selection issue.

[Lojambo]

I don't even care about the default behavior, I'd just like an option to make undo/redo behave like every other app, without running into the frustrating layer selection issue.

I agree with the robot, 100%

[Niles_Ridgeman]

"I agree with the robot, 100%"

Is it possible to agree more that 100%? Because if it is, that's how much I agree.

[effeffitis]

I agree much later which is obviously more than 100%. This app behavior is ridiculous and the engineers don't pay attention to actual users using their products. No one would use Photoshop like this by choice. Everyone is adapting to it.

[Jeff Arola]

Adobe changed the behavior of Step Backward/Foreward starting with photoshop  c 2015

"Step backward/forward operations no longer change the layer selection."

very bottom of page under Other Enhancements

Feature summary | Photoshop CC | 2015.x releases

So have you used photoshop cc 2015 or newer?

[Lumigraphics]

Holy old thread!

And FWIW, turning on Non-linear History can add quite a bit of flexibility if you want to go back in your document.

[effeffitis]

Just venting my frustration about multiple issues I'm having with Photoshop lately, such as having to track down the WinTab driver from Microsoft Surface's support page in order to use my Thinkpad tablet. I'm still on CS6 and don't intend to switch until I'm in need of the major features I've seen on display in CC. Tiny improvements like this usability correction aren't enough to warrant me locking myself into a monthly subscription when I already have a product that should do the job at hand. It's just an annoying product that shouldn't have ever been so annoying. I can imagine Adobe QA plugging their ears and singing as they shipped it.

[Tai_Lao]

fruityth1ng wrote:

…Me and a few other people, we end up on a wrong layer in our creative process…

PEBKAC, obviously.

Geeze, how long does it take you to learn how an application works?

[fruityth1ng-T0qBnM]

You're right, I only speak for me

The thing is: there's a bunch of people that hate the current behavior - and I will state so to strengthen my point.

I think it's a perfectly logical thing to assign the step back command to the undo shortcut.

And forced, yes, I'm asked to remember two different shortcuts for what easily can be crammed into a single one.

I often require multiple steps of undo, When I'm brushing, painting, I can end up a couple of strokes into something that need a few undos, but as I undo each step, I *do not* know how many I still have to go. That's the beauty of the step back command, as opposed to clicking the history state directly.

I would just like to be able to undo a few brush strokes, painted first on a fresh layer. And then start brushing again, without having to worry about on what layer I'm working.

This can all be solved by adding the layer change to the history stack, and if they make it an option, the people in this thread will be happy campers

The beauty is, reading the comments of the people who want this changed, is that they'd prefer it to be optional.

So you can keep working blissfully the same.

Who knows, I actually think I could use both behaviors and would switch between them when needed, just like what kind of image interpolation I need (And yes... I wish there was a toggle for that, too )

[Lojambo]

This can all be solved by adding the layer change to the history stack, and if they make it an option, the people in this thread will be happy campers

That's it, that's all it would take.

That option, with the existing ability to assign CMD-Z to Step Back, would make me happy. As far as I can see it wouldn't break anything for M Blackburn or anyone else.

[olias32]

Seems a lot of people have this problem, and someone wrote a script to fix it.

See here: http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1251347#post1251347

Also, note you need to copy the script in the Photoshop/Presets/Scripts folder for it to show in the Scripts menu. Once it's there, you can assign any keyboard shortcut to it - CTRL+Z of course

Photoschop CS3 and up i think.

[davetwo]

Am I missing something here? You mean command Z right? It doesn't revert to the previously selected layer on my system, and it's not something I remember causing problems in the past decade...

[fruityth1ng-T0qBnM]

Nope, they mean "step backward" not undo/redo.

And the bad thing is: our much appreciated engineers got it right in undo/redo, but somehow lost track in step forward / backward.

[Niles_Ridgeman]

.

[PeteFalcon]

PFFFF. What an absolutely stupid response. This is a design flaw and needs to be corrected ASAP. Apparently you aren't a software professional. If you were you would understand that from a logical UX design standpoint this 'feature' is just wrong. Get it escalated and resolved ASAP if it hasn't already.

[davescm]

I'm puzzled - you resurrect a 9 year old thread to talk about a design flaw which was fixed in CC2015?

Dave