I've been a Photoshop user since the version 7! I started using it I was 14 years old! I know pretty much everything in Photoshop, but since the last few years, the program is just getting worse and worse!
I would like to share those observation and find out if I'm the only one who think using Photoshop is just getting more and more frustrating over the years!
1) The inbuild tutorial
I know there is new user every where, but is it a reason to force the video tutorial into the screen of the master users? Every single time I log in in another computer (I'm a teacher), I have to take five minutes to desactivate every single options of those stupide videos that show me how I should use the brush tool! I know how to use it! I just want to use it! Stop showing me!
It could be great for new comers, but PLEASE, don't sistematically activate it! Most of the people who use photoshop know what they are doing and, even if they don't, they are able to read the help! Stop forcing us to see you help! It is just a continuous frustration!
2) The tool shortcuts in the brush pannel
When I make the decision to click on the brush tool (or use the shortcut B) to use the brush tool and that I go in my brush setting (upper left corner) to change the size of my brush, can you explain me why on earth I have all my recent tools that are there with no indications that they are NOT the brush tool?
Seriously... I selected the brush tool to use the brush tool, not to see all the shapes of the other tools! Also, this pannel is just getting more and more complicated with every single version of photoshop! I know Adobe is trying to emulate the realistic brushes of ArtRage and that kind of stuff, but would it be possible to not make the actual pannels so complicated that they are becoming useless? You want to add fuctionnalities to the brush? Fine! Make a clear pannel with those, but don't hide all the tools I'm used to use!
3) Shortcuts
Shotcuts on photoshop didn't changed in years... Every body know them... DON'T CHANGE THEM! I know we can go in properties and change them back to what they were but it shoud not be a thing to do! I know by heart all my shortcuts I've been using ctrl shift z for years and, all of suddent, I'm trying to undo and... SURPRISE, you changed it!? Yes, there is this cute little warning that is barely visible that appear when you open Photoshop the first time but it is completly lost in the mess that became the opening screen! Wich bring me to my next point...
4) Opening screen
Seriously? An opening screen should be nothing more than an opening screen. Now, not only do I have all the works I did during the last decade showing in my face, but I also have two extra shortcuts on the side that basically do the exact same thing Ctrl N and Crtl O do. Those also do the exact same thing I can do with file open and file new... Do we really need to have all this mess opening every single time? I know this is subtile... But when you have to work with Maya, Unreal and Blender open behind you Photosop, having all the extra cute graphics and glitering everywhere is a pain in the ass... Particulary when it slows down your computer! We don't need special effects and fade in when opening or closing a file... We just need to work.
5) All special features
The other day I mooved my canvas (Spacebar / hand tool) and I noticed (it was not the first time thought) that when I make a quick moove and release my stylus, the canvas continues to moove... Was it really a necessity? It is not a big deal to me, it is just symptomatic of adobe mindset : adding useless features to make the program look good... And slower... I know you want to make new version every years, but, here is a suggestion : if you take all the efforts you do to make photoshop look good and use this energy to create new usefull tools, it would be a lot better, don't you think?
6) Pixel grid
The infamous pixel grid... I know it might be usefull to some people. For example those who makes Pixel Arts... But, usually, when a photohsop user zoom in in an image he don't want to see all pixels isolated. The feature is cool and usefull to some people, but why on earth does it activated by default? Most users don't want to see it... Now, every time I create a new document, I see this grid pop up when I zoom in...
7) Forced updates
Every new version of Photoshop comes with the fear that it will not be compatible with my computer. Or that a feature will be more frustrating. Why can't we choose one version and stick to it. I mean... Yes, I guess the 2022 version will be cool, but I'm used to my 2019 version... I don't need to have sparkles of light when I zoom in or god knows what useless feature will come next!
8) Forced Log-in
This time, Adobe, you did wrong! You did so wrong that you might lost a lot of costumers! You whant every single users have a log-in... Even in school... I work in a CGI school of Quebec. Here, we have 120 full time students working on over 150 machines... Before, we had one liscence by machine. Now... Every students have to log-in in Adobe before starting to work... This is problematic... What is even more problematic is that when we have new students, we have to take a whole houre to make them create an account and log-in. You might think that one hour is an exageration, but it is not. Some of our students are really new to computer stuff and don't even have an e-mail. So, here is how the first class goes :
1) We make sure every students can log-in to a computer. There is always bugs with this... So, it can take up to 15 minutes just for this.
2) We make sure every one have a working e-mail address with the school and make them log-in
3) They register to Adobe (and there is alway some one who makes a mistake here!)
4) They finally try to log in
5) Some forget their pass word right away
6) We have to redo it for them...
One hour... I'm not a technician... I have a master degree in numeric arts and two bachelor degrees! Just try to imagine how much I cost to my school for doing it! I'm not supposed to make log-in gestion stuff! But you force me too! You're making me loose my time and, more importantly, you make my students loose a whole hour of teaching for this stupid idea. The school starts to make pression on us to make us change program and use something else than Photohsop because we're loosing too much time and money on it. We are really trying to defend you, but you're making our work so difficult at this point I'm not sure the school administration will continue to rent Photoshop for long!
9) Wacom compatibility
Usually, a pen and a tablet is kind of a must for us... But the compatibility of this took is getting problematic... One example is the transfer. This option make the brush stroke more opact if I press more on my stylus. Now, if I activate it in the brush properties, it won't work if the exact same option isn't checked in the top pannel of photoshop. If I unactivate it in the brsuh properties pannel, it will still work if the option is checked in the top pannel of Photohsop. Some time, Photoshop also just deceide to not consider pressur sensitiviy for a little while and suddently deceid to use it. I know I'm not the only one who have this problem. My students do have it and I saw a lot of questions about it on the internet. Why... A wacom tablet should be 100% compatible with photoshop and it should not be a frustration to use it...
Sorry If I'm a bit emotionnal about it... But those problems are making my life really difficult lately...
I'm jsut currious to see if other people are thinking that those elements are problematics and, eventually, I would like to adobe to PLEASE do something about it... Make a big red button somewhere that just make Photoshop how it used to without all those useless gadget and gizmos. I'm not against change. But I'm against changes that seem to be made just to increase the frustration of the users. Please! Do something!
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