Photoshop 2020 v21 crash/freeze

[heinenyborgDK]

Anybody else have a total Photoshop 2020 freeze?

Just installed it and when open program/app it loads till the “What’s new screen” with photoshop in background and then just total freeze. Have tried to uninstall and install again - same. Lightroom ok. Photoshop old version (20.0.7) works ok. (win10)

[Akash Sharma]

Hi there,

Sorry that Photoshop 2020 is freezing and crashing unexpectedly. 

Could you please turn on the Legacy Compositing option in Performance preferences?

Choose Edit > Preferences > Performance (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > Performance (macOS). Select Legacy Compositing. Quit and relaunch Photoshop.

Let us know how it goes.

Thanks,

Akash

[heinenyborgDK]

Thx for the reply

However, since Photoshop freezes at startup on the “What’s new screen” I really cannot do anything hence the freeze.

Not possible to click next on the “What’s new screen”

Not possible to click on close button (“X”) on the “What’s new screen”

Not possible to access any of the menu items.

Kind regards

Heine

[dice328]

Same problem here.  Can not Force Quit the application on my Macbook Pro (OS 10.5.5 Catalina) and when I try to reboot it's already hung up.

[e.reed.rogers]

This version (2021) is by far the "buggiest" right out of the box that I've experienced since 1992 for the following reasons:

1. Adjustsment layer - freeze
2. Sky replacement - works but then freezes inconsistently after applying
3. A file created in an earlier version became corruped when saving from the latest versin 2021 creating a huge red stripe down the middle. Luckly I have multiple backups and replaced it.
4. Just about any involved set of actions will crash or corrupt the file meaning it will crash/freeze PS.
5. Get "cant save..."error frequently
6. As I write this I have a file open where I masked out a sailboat. Now I can't do anything. I can select from the panels but nothing works. I can't even scroll or zoom.
7.  

I appreciate the intention of the new featurs but it seems that once again Adobe has dropped the ball. And just a FYI to Adobe: You can't expect people to keep changing their hardware every time you have an (major) update especially in the middle of a world pandemic where a vast majority of imagers have completely lost their income.

With regards to "hardware requirements":

• Intel i7 @3 ghz
• 12 gig ram
• GE Force GTX 1060 6gb
• Win 10 pro

So I'm fully hardware capable.

[Sarahmay1]

I am having the issue that Photoshop 2020 freezes on ever 2nd or 3rd stroke when i am editing - for example i can erase 2 strokes and then i get the coloured wheel of detal for at least 30 seconds, then i can do another 2-3 strokes before it freexes again. It is driving me insance, can i just downgrade back to 2019?

[Karen Chang]

Hi, I followed the method above but photoshop still crashing. It doesn't happen until I try to use brush strokes to apply another layer. The version that I am having currently is 21.1.2, is there other method to fix? Thanks a lot

[lizjan85]

Tried this. Photoshop is still freezing when trying to save a file (not everytime but quite frequent). 

[firedove10]

Akasha,

I'm using the current version of Photoshop(21.1.3) on MacOS Catalina (10.15.5) on a MacBook Pro 2018. When I'm trying to edit a photo using the Brightness and Contrast feature, it freezes. Also, I've noticed that photoshop glitches out after using it for a while, where buttons and tools stop working; and so I usualy have to restart photoshop. This is very inconvenient for design professionals, especially considering that we are working on deadlines. Can we please fix all the glitches?

[melissab79289440]

Mine as well. There is no rhyme or reason. Everything just freezes and then shuts down. Now Lightroom is behaving the same. I reverted to a littler older version but didn't help. Also randomly my tools will not behave properly or the files will just start saving on their own to shut down. Sometimes it'll for a bit before crashing but this morning I've already had to reboot my computer 3 times. Haven't gotten one image done. This definitely doesn't help with deadlines that I am past now because of it. Haven't seemed to be able to find any workable solution. Would love for there to be an actual fix!!!

[dermotmoconnor]

@ melissab792... 

I tried to revert to the previous version, and had no luck. I even tried to run my already installed v20 which had been working fine, and that now crashed!!!!

Luckily I still have my old CS5.1 installer and used that. It works fine. If you have any old CS6 or earlier might be worth a try. 

If adobe had the sense god gave geese they'd put CS6 back on their legacy downloads to give their abused users a lifeline in the interim. It's been 11 days and counting, and still they seem to be flailing. I'm beginning to worry if they really care about fixing this at all. Too busy playing around with their "AI" toys. I'd settle for some actual "I".

Anyway, try CS versions if you can find them. Failing that, free programs can sometimes open psd files (Krita or GIMP). Corel paint is $199 (free trial) and Affinity Photo is $49 (with free trial).

[dermotmoconnor]

YOU HAVE JUST REMOVED THE ABILITY TO SELECT LEGACY

[default4746tofvl966]

I tried this. I see "Legacy composting has been removed"

According to https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/legacy-compositing.html

Legacy Compositing is no longer available

Since 2018, Adobe has been modernizing the compositing engine in Photoshop and finalized the effort in version 22.

As of version 22, the Legacy Compositing checkbox is no longer available in the performance preferences.

[sanagustin]

I am having the same problem. Installed 2020 freezes at splash screen. Uninstalled and tried again. Still freezes at splash screen. Reverted to the previous version. Running Windows 10. 

[bryang52478429]

I am also experiencing this issue when launching Photoshop 2020.  I have to end the process from the task manager and cannot select any other options within the application.  Needs more work. 🙂

[bryang52478429]

So I got mine to work by installing the previous version and then choosing upgrade from the Creative Cloud app.  Before I did a clean install of PS 2020, which didn't go so well.  

[qnaipe]

That worked for me! Thank you very much!

[josephj71577375]

Are you using Windows 10? I tried this but it did not work for me. Did you have "remove old versions" checked when updating to the 2020 version?

[bryang52478429]

Yes, Windows 10 build 1903.  I don't remember seeing that option, however, I don't see any trace of prior versions, so I'm going to say that it was checked.  I noticed that Adobe has since put out an update to version 21.0.1.  Have you tried this update?

EDIT:  I also found this, which may work for you: https://community.adobe.com/t5/Photoshop/Cannot-open-Photoshop-2020/td-p/10717064

[john_hong]

Same here, on Mac OS. I can only do simple stuff. Photomerge freezes, clicking on some feature freezes. I left ot open for an hour, still blank screen.

[Akash Sharma]

Hi there,

Sorry that Photoshop is freezing while editing. 

Could you please let us know the version of Photoshop you're using? Also, are you using the latest version of Mac OS Catalina?

Thanks,

Akash

[frisok67401083]

Same problem here, but I use windows 10 (fully updated).

While working, photoshop freezes and while editing. Don't know exactly when it freezes.

[dermotmoconnor]

Who do you guys think you are kidding? This problem is over a year old, and the best you can do is ask what OS version we're using?

Time and again, this boilerplate question, which goes nowhere, while countless users end up holding a stinking turd.

Good god.

[jenniferg38804704]

I am using 22, and it crashes. Then I went back to the 21.2.4 and it crashes too. It has taken 5 hours to edit 2 photos. I cannot work like this. Im backing up so bad! 

[dermotmoconnor]

I have the same (very strange) issue Jennifer. My previously installed versions (20 and 21) both began to crash after the 22 install. NONE of them work. But my old CS5 does work. Whatever the new 'udpate' did, it retroactively trashes previous CC installs.