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Anonymous

Answered

Problem with shape tool [with CS6 in Aug 2012]

Forum|Forum|13 years ago
August 5, 2012
7 replies
43849 views

For some reason after drawing shapes with the shape tool, whether it is one line or a custom shape, I just can't edit it after drawing it. I can't edit it at all and it doesn't appear on any layer. I can delete every single layer and the shape will still be there.

They are not paths, but just to double check I did look under paths but it is empty.

It doesn't matter what else I've done, or whether it is a new blank page I can't do anything with any shape once I've drawn it.

I can't get it to select it when I click show transform controls, I can't select it with the marquee tool and delete it (because it isn't on any layer) and I can't place anything over it to cover it.

I have to keep saving before drawing any shape and close and reopen the file if the shape doesn't go quite as I wanted first time. Obviously if I want anything over the shape in any way I can't do it.

What is causing this and how can I stop it happening?

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Noel Carboni

JJMack wrote:
timeofthemoon wrote:
it wasn't pixels that was selected, it was always shape. It wasn't white on white either. The shape was always a different colour to the background, I could see it at all times.
If you can see the layers palette and the paths palette and use the shape tool see the added shape on the image but see no shape layer added to the layer palette and see no path in the Path palette is sure look like Photoshop laying down pixels. Have You tried resetting your Photoshop Preferences. When ever Photoshop does not seem to be working correctly resetting your Photoshop preferences often corrects the problem.
Before Using Shape tool

I triple checked it was on shape. There is no doubt about it, it was on shape. I never changed any Photoshop Preferences. My trial has run out now so I can't do that anyway. It started working on the very last day, but I hadn't changed anything or done anything different. Seems it was just a strange and annoying glitch.

Bear in mind that glitches that seem to go away by themselves tend to come back by themselves.

Do not fall into the trap of just moving on and ignoring them. If you do that your computing experience can become an ongoing hell.

On the other hand, if you wrestle each and every bug to the ground and either (ideally) fix it definitively or at least learn everything there is to know about it and find out how to work around it, your system will be stable and will be able to rely on your computing environment when it matters.

I'm not saying you haven't been trying to do this - it's admirable that you and others worked so hard on it here. My message is for others who might read this.

I don't know whether your Photoshop trial experience left you likely to buy Photoshop CS6 or not - and I'm pretty sure they're not going to let you try it again when 13.0.1 comes out (in fact, they may not even update the trial download from 13.0.0).

-Noel

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Brian26320160virz

Participant

I just figured out one solution. It may solve your problem or may not but try selecting >Layer >Rasterize. See if that works for you.

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Brian26320160virz

Participant

Edit* >Layer >Rasterize >All layers

jane-e

Community Expert

@Brian26320160virz wrote:

I just figured out one solution. It may solve your problem or may not but try selecting >Layer >Rasterize. See if that works for you.

Edit* >Layer >Rasterize >All layers

Rasterizing all layers is bad advice and will not solve the OP's issue, which is to edit a Shape layer after creating it.

Rasterizing change the shape layer to a pixel layer
Rasterizing all layers affects all shape, type, and smart object layers as well in addition to the layer the OP is having an issue with.

Jane

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Nefeli25593030fpe3

Participant

Hi, I am using Photoshop 2022. I know that you were using CS6, but I am writing because I experienced the same problem and maybe I will help someone else.

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Nefeli25593030fpe3

Participant

The captions doesn't show up, I meant to say that in the fisrt photo I created the shape but the properties are locked. In the second photo I pressed the Move tool and a new shape layer isn't created. In the last photo I solved the problem by clicking the shape option ftom the toolbar. It can be seen unselected in the first photo and in the last all the options are gray after I selected it.

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seanw432

Participant

I haven't read all the posts on this string however I will say I had the same problem and figured out the issue.

In the Layers section on the left there is a icon to show or hide 'Shape Layers' now that I can see the 'layers' for shapes I can now delete them.

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priyantha22146230r9da

Participant

Thanks a lot. After struggling for like an hour, searching the internet and reading through this entire string, I'm really glad I found this solution. Hope all others with this problem will make their way to the bottom of this.

JJMack

Community Expert

One more thought The shape tool can create Shape Layers, Paths and pain in Pixels on the current layer. If you doing the later anf the forground color is white and your current targer is a white background layer. These will be no new layer of path created. It will just be white over whit you will have nothing.

JJMack

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Anonymous

JJMack wrote:
One more thought The shape tool can create Shape Layers, Paths and pain in Pixels on the current layer. If you doing the later anf the forground color is white and your current targer is a white background layer. These will be no new layer of path created. It will just be white over whit you will have nothing.

it wasn't pixels that was selected, it was always shape. It wasn't white on white either. The shape was always a different colour to the background, I could see it at all times.

JJMack

Community Expert

timeofthemoon wrote:
it wasn't pixels that was selected, it was always shape. It wasn't white on white either. The shape was always a different colour to the background, I could see it at all times.

If you can see the layers palette and the paths palette and use the shape tool see the added shape on the image but see no shape layer added to the layer palette and see no path in the Path palette is sure look like Photoshop laying down pixels. Have You tried resetting your Photoshop Preferences. When ever Photoshop does not seem to be working correctly resetting your Photoshop preferences often corrects the problem.

Before Using Shape tool

Using Shape in pixel mode

Commiting pixels

Switching to Shape mode and using tool

Committing shape not changed layers and path palette

JJMack

Community Expert

By any chance are you using CS6. In CS6 aobe made changes in the layer palett in the way shape layers are display and you can filter layer beinf displayed so some layer can be hidden on you. I'm goin to show some screen grabs using CS5 to show some thing there for layers can not hiddem and vector mask show.

Note one shape layer right click in layers palette shows last layer can not be deleted and vector mask shows in path palette. Delete is grayed out

adding an empty on top becoms the acticive layer and shape 1 vector mask not shown in path palette.

Layer Shape 1 in now deleatable

using pen tool and targeting the vector mask the shape is editable

Have not found out how to edit vector mask I cant see to target in cs6

You target by first using the path selection tool. I change the fill color to yellow so you can see the path better

JJMack

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Anonymous

I am using CS6. All I did was click new layer a few times. I drew a shape on one layer, leaving the others blank and untouched, and then just couldn't do anything with that shape. I didn't filter anything, I didn't hide anything, I didn't use any effects. I just clicked new layer and the shape tool. To delete I just dragged the layers one by one to the delete and deleted them all.

Weirdly enough though, I went to take a screen print and now it's working fine. Typical. I had an important project to do that I couldn't do because it wouldn't let me do that and now that's over it works fine. Had the problem for a day or two at least before I posted this so it wasn't a one off thing that stopped when I restarted the program or anything. Very strange.

Noel Carboni

Legend

I think you have a system problem. Something - possibly your display driver - is out of whack and corrupting the daylights out of Photoshop. Photoshop CS6 just doesn't do what you have described by itself.

Woud you be willing to go into Help - System Info..., copy what's there, paste it in a response here, edit out your serial number info, and post it? That will show us what you have installed and maybe lead to some specific suggestions that could help avoid it happening again.

-Noel

Silkrooster

Legend

Just quickly going over this, I am to beleive the option in the top tool bar has changed from shape to either path or raster. The path needs to be selected with the path tool to delete it and well raster images need to be selected with one of the selection tools or ctrl-a for select all, then deleted, or fill the layer with a color.

conroy

Participating Frequently

timeofthemoon wrote:
For some reason after drawing shapes with the shape tool, whether it is one line or a custom shape, I just can't edit it after drawing it. I can't edit it at all and it doesn't appear on any layer. I can delete every single layer and the shape will still be there.

I'm not fully understanding the situation. For a start, "every single layer" cannot be deleted; there must always be at least one layer in a Ps document.

They are not paths, but just to double check I did look under paths but it is empty.

Paths panel can be empty despite there being paths in the document. The path in a Vector Mask (a Shape Layer is really a Fill Layer with Vector Mask) is not listed unless the relevant layer is currently targeted. Only paths which are not in Vector Masks will be listed at all times.

When a path is visible, it should be selectable with the Path Selection Tool and Direct Selection Tool.

If you still have a problem then post a screenshot with a visible path in the document window and the Layers and Paths panels open.

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Anonymous

conroy2009 wrote:
timeofthemoon wrote:
For some reason after drawing shapes with the shape tool, whether it is one line or a custom shape, I just can't edit it after drawing it. I can't edit it at all and it doesn't appear on any layer. I can delete every single layer and the shape will still be there.
I'm not fully understanding the situation. For a start, "every single layer" cannot be deleted; there must always be at least one layer in a Ps document.

Well I can delete all layers until it is a transparent background with no layers listed in the layers panel. And if you're not supposed to be able to do that I guess I have another problem lol. But either way, the shape is still there on that transparent background.

conroy2009 wrote:
They are not paths, but just to double check I did look under paths but it is empty.
Paths panel can be empty despite there being paths in the document. The path in a Vector Mask (a Shape Layer is really a Fill Layer with Vector Mask) is not listed unless the relevant layer is currently targeted. Only paths which are not in Vector Masks will be listed at all times.
When a path is visible, it should be selectable with the Path Selection Tool and Direct Selection Tool.
If you still have a problem then post a screenshot with a visible path in the document window and the Layers and Paths panels open.

Well I'm certain it was not a path. I recreated the shape and triple checked it was on shape not path. However, I did try selecting it with the Path Selection Tool and Direct Selection Tool, but I couldn't do anything.

I'm on a different computer so I can't post a screen shot, but it's basically as I described - a shape on a layer that I can't edit, move or delete.

conroy

Participating Frequently

timeofthemoon wrote:
Well I can delete all layers until it is a transparent background with no layers listed in the layers panel. And if you're not supposed to be able to do that I guess I have another problem lol. ...

As far as I know, the only way no layer will be listed in the Layers panel is if filtering is excluding them all, but then the panel would say "No layers match the filter".

Could this be a uniquely corrupt file or are you able to make other documents have no layer?

If I'm wrong about Ps docs needing to have at least one layer then i'm sure someone will provide correction. Hopefully, they'll also know how to solve your problem.

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