Photoshop CS6 icons sometimes do not appear on Macintosh

[clinton_dyches]

Yes, this is a question.

I've been using my trial of Photoshop CS6 Extended for 10 days now. I have run into a peculiar problem - when saving a file Photoshop does not display any sort of icon. No thumbnail, no generic, nothing. It's not a huge problem, I can always open the image but not by double-clicking on the icon: it's just not there.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if there is a resolution to it - or is it just a bug? I didn't have this problem with the beta version and I've repaired all permissions on my hard drive to see if that was the problem.

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Clinton

[Was DYP]

MoonRunner 1234 wrote:

How in the world could anything but the OS have anything to do with that. After the log out all comes back to normal. I just hope Apple will fix this.

I suggest that you reboot or logout/login and then do not use PSCS6, only use PSCS5 and then report back when this problem appears again.

[MoonRunner_1234]

I happens with Photoshop icons way before CS 6.

[conroy]

MoonRunner 1234 wrote:

It seems I jumped the gun with the 10.8.2 update, the problem came back again. Logging out still fixes it for a while. I had no problem for a week until I restarted. I still say it has nothing to do with Photoshop because icons from my 4 and 5 year old photos disappear at the same time and CS 6 did not exist then and these files have not been touches for years. How in the world could anything but the OS have anything to do with that. After the log out all comes back to normal. I just hope Apple will fix this.

Were your icons in the habit of mysteriously vanishing before Photoshop CS6 started saving files to your hard drives?

[MoonRunner_1234]

It happens with most of my Photoshop files from way before CS 6. I restarted on my last Lion backup and all icons show properly as they always had prior to Mountain Lion, I started Photoshop CS6 and re-saved a photo thad had previously shown no logo, the logo shows perfectly. Restarted, logged out and in (which usually brought on the icon issue), no problems. I never had any issue with Photoshop CS 4, CS5, CS6, folder old photo icons or Apples own Software Update icon with Lion or earlier OS’s.

Now I started with Mountain Lion and some of the Photoshop icons were gone and all the other icon issues came back. Logged out and in and back to normal.

I’m not saying CS 6 is totally blameless but the problem is far more widespread than just Photoshop and when the underlying problem, whatever it is, is solved then all other problems to do with icons will be solved as well. All the fuzzy icons and disappearing icons come on at the same time even if Photoshop is not running and are immediately although only temporarily cured with a logout.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m no expert, I don’t know how to program but it all makes sense that the underlying problem is the OS. We would all be better served if some of you with the technical knowhow would go on Apples forum and voice you issues and suggestions.

It doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong as long as someone will fix it.

[conroy]

Thanks for the in-depth reply. There's no way Mountain Lion is responsible for introducing the particular problem of this thread. The specific problem started when people started saving documents with Ps CS6. That was before Mountain Lion was released. The problem affects users of Snow Leopard, for example. Mountain Lion has plenty bugs, for sure, and it may have icon display bugs, but that is a separate issue from the icon problem of this thread.

[MoonRunner_1234]

I really don’t know what else to say on this forum. I get from what I read that this problem existed with earlier OS’s but not for me. I will check once in a while what’s going on here but will now live on Apples forum for a while and report back to all of you if there is any news relating to our problem.

[Guest]

Agreed.

I use Mountain Lion and Snow Leopard on different machines.  The issue manifests on both.  This started with PS CS6.  It is the only app I have the issue with and it is the only app I have any type of icon or preview or thumbnail issue with.  I don't have this issue with any previous versions of Photoshop whatsoever.  Photoshop says it is Apple.  That's fine, but it's only Apple and PS CS6, not Apple and PS CS5.5, 5, 4 etc. . .  My position is this. . .  If it is an Apple system issue, it is still Adobe's responsibility to address and correct the issue since it is Adobe's application that does not work as it  should on the Apple OS. 

[Chris Cox]

In this case the OS is not working correctly -  and Adobe cannot fix the OS, only notify Apple of the bug and wait for Apple to fix Apple's OS code.

[Guest]

The OS is working correctly for PS CS5.5 and earlier so I imagine people are puzzled  why only PS CS6 has the problem. 

I will say the statement  "we cannot fix the OS, only notify Apple of the bug and wait for Apple to fix", to be more of a "position" than an effort. 

If Adobe  knows it is a bug in the Mac OS then perhaps Adobe should notify  customers and potential customers that because of a bug in the Apple OS system, all of the features of Photoshop CS6 may not work properly on the Mac platform. Adobe could certainly give details about what feature(s) of the application is affected by Apple's bug.  Aware of the problem. customers could then evaluate whether they would prefer to wait for the bug to be fixed, by an older version of Photoshop or wait for a new iteration of Photoshop that is not affected by the bug

This is not a small problem for those of us who are recieving 100s of files from vendors, some of which have the previews/icons and others don't.

[Chris Cox]

When Apple releases a fix, you'll have to ask them exactly why it broke more for one version of an application than others (even though the application isn't directly involved in the bug).

Apple is aware of the problem, and working on it.

[Guest]

I personally would not suggest that my customers ask someone else why my product was not working correctly for them regardless of whose fault it was.  It certainly is not your customers.   After the problem is corrected you notify them as to what was discovered.

My suggestion about the disclaimer about the program not being entirely compatible with Mac OS X was entirely serious.

As I said, I'm going back to PS CS5.5 until CS6 is compatible with OS X regardless of whose fault it is.

[Chris Cox]

We have notified Apple.

But Photoshop CS5 is compatible with OS X, even though OS X contains quite a few unfixed bugs.

[scoop_hk]

Lost my icons and thumbnail view - only - on files that had been saved in/by CS6.

Ran Onyx again: Maintenance>rebuild>Display of folders contents

This has to be Photoshop CS6 - why are my other icons not effected. Come on Adobe - you just fixed Illustrator - you can fix this too. You know that Apple has always expected you to work around their updates even when you get them late - they aren't going to alter their system for Photoshop - it has to be you with the fix - whether you feel it is your fault or not.

[Chris Cox]

Apple is responsible for the bugs in their OS.

And, again, this is something that we cannot work around.

[scoop_hk]

This is surely a CS6 error - you were all claiming no responsibility for your Illustrator errors as well - until you fixed them.

How come all of my old CS5 and lower files still showed their icons?

I guess Apple still has it in for Adobe? Is that your argument. Get a grip - if you don't play nice on their system - you lose a lot of business.

Saying you - as it says staff after your name.

Assuming that this runs as the Illustrator forum did - do you have a support URL I can log this error with? At least then there is a chance of someone looking into it.

[scoop_hk]

I just updated to 10.8.2 - since using Onyx last night the problem has not come back. Opened and resaved a file in Photoshop CS6 and i still have icons of the image/s from Photoshop and more importantly a full view of them when using 'Cover Flow' view - which is the setting I usually use for searching images.

IMO I think that Photoshop CS6 caused this but Onyx was able to repair it through Apple adjustments.

Photoshop sorely needs updating - it hangs all the time - even tho auto-save is turned off. I often have to sit and wait and wait for a file I am working on to 'unlock' to continue working.

[MoonRunner_1234]

Onyx did not repair it, your problem will come back, usually after a restart or a log out which is also a temorary fix rather than using Onyx. When I had the problem right after upgrading to Mountain Lion someone suggested to use Mountain Lion Cache Cleaner - DONT - it screwed up "My Living Desktop" to such a degree that not even the vendor could fix it and re-installing did not fix it either. I had to clone back my last Lion hard disk and start all over again upgrading to OS 10.8. So much for utility programs.

[rixie1]

199.enigma51564,

Sep 20, 2012 6:04 AM   in reply to Chris Cox

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After being frustrated by this disappearing thumbnail issue on Photoshop CS6 for several months now, and having spoken or communicated with both Adobe and Apple, I have arrived at the conclusion that Chris Cox is correct, this is a Mountain Lion issue that Apple has yet to resolve.

My conclusion is based on several things I've observed.

1.  When I installed the Mountain Lion version of Cocktail, it installed with no icon for the Cocktail application.  For me, that says its a Mountain Lion issue.

2.   I've known Chris Cox for many years, from the days when we both participated in Kai Krause's forums on KPT and Bryce products, and in my not so humble opinion, I say Chris knows of what he speaks.   Yes, I would love it if Adoble could come up with a workaround on this matter, but the buck really stops with Apple.   At this stage, I'm doing most of my work in CS6 sans thumbnails, then converting the files back to CS5 so that I have thumbnails, even though they are often fuzzy and pixelated.   At least it is better than just a file name without an icon.

Chris, thanks for hanging in with us and I'm sorry you've received the brunt of the anger and frustration many of us are feeling with this issue.  It's been my experience that Apple is much lesss responsive in listening to its customers than Adobe has been.

A big thanks to everyone here who is trying to solve this, but I trust that Chris is correct when he points to Apple.   Unfortunately, no matter who is responsble, we're still faced with the fact that frustration will continue until this gets fixed.   I may just abandon CS6 until Apple straightens out its operating system issues and go back to using CS5 for everything else

Dan Casselberry

Dan, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree. I am experiencing the missing icon issue, albeit intermitantly, and I am still on Snow Leopard.

Jane

[enigma51564]

Jane, I don't know about Snow Leopard, but I certainly take you at your word.  I haven't used Snow Leopard for quite a while.   Perrhaps the issue is a combination of Apple/Adobe quirks.

[conroy]

rixie1 wrote:

Dan, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree. I am experiencing the missing icon issue, albeit intermitantly, and I am still on Snow Leopard.

Jane

Thanks for posting. Whenever someone posts that Mountain Lion introduced the CS6-related icon problems, I reply that non-displayed icons have been happening to CS6 users with Snow Leopard long before ML was released, and that we must not confuse new Mountain Lion problems with the old problem of this thread. So far, my posts have been deleted within minutes or a few hours by an administrator of the forum. We'll see what happens to this one.

[bellevue scott]

This has all been very helpful. I'm experiencing the same issue, and it's quite annoying.

Here's what I've observed.

Upgraded from 10.5x to OS 10.6.8, which was necessary to upgrade to CS6. Upgraded to Adobe CS6 Creative Sute.

Now when I save files in CS6, the icons are not visible within the application. There is no icon in the top title bar of an image I'm working on, and when attemtping to "place" files in other Adobe applications, the icons are invisible.

However, if I open the previously saved file in Photoshop CS5, then save it, then reopen it in CS6, the icon is visible. There is also the tiny thumbnail icon in the title bar.

So I'm not sure how this is an Apple OS issue. Clearly it's only CS6. Why can CS5 save the same file to the same OS and correctly create a thumbnail, but CS6 cannot?

I'm not doubting Chris's expertise, but I'm baffled here.

[Chris Cox]

It is not a CS6 issue.

Please read the previous posts about how this is inconsistent behavior from the OS, how it varies from folder to folder, how the thumbnails get rebuilt after clearing OS caches, etc.

Logically, it can only be an OS bug.

[Donald_Gudehus]

I followed the suggestion of Safwan59 from Oct. 10, and went to the Photoshop Preferences/File Handling... menu and made sure that Icon was NOT checked before saving with CS6 on my Mac Pro running Lion.  Now I can see the the thumbnail image on my Mac PPC running Tiger when the Finder View menu has "as Icons" selected.  This is not what one would expect!

[Noel Carboni]

Just one possibility - the system software could be making decisions based on what application is running.

You might think to yourself, "nah, they'd never do that".

I've caught ATI making decisions in their display drivers based on what application is calling.

Whether anyone else is guilty of it...  Who knows?

-Noel

[Chris Cox]

"Just one possibility - the system software could be making decisions based on what application is running."

Actually, Apple and Microsoft do that quite often.