dpastern
Member
- Joined
- 24 Sep 2025
- Posts
- 207
- Likes
- 1,645
- Location
- Brisbane, Australia
- Name
- Dave Pastern
- Image Editing
- Yes
Photoshop has been working without issue up until today. No changes made to Photoshop or my system. No changes made to tools or preferences (worked late last night, not used until about 10 minutes ago and not working now).
I like to find a neutral grey on my image to balance it. This is what I do:
1. I create a levels layer, with a mask of the subject (bird). I set the mask density to 60% and the blend layer to "color".
2. I then create a new layer above that, add fill grey (50%) and set the blend layer to "difference"
3. I then add a new adjustment layer - threshold, and slide the slider to the Left and then slowly to the Right until I get Black sections appear (which should be neutral grey).
4. I then use the color sampler tool to add a point to this location (11 x 11 pixels sampling).
I then go back to my levels layer and select the midtone sampler and go to click inside the point created in step 4 above.
What has happened before, for the past 3 or 4 days that I have been using this particular technique, which I learned on another forum to help remove colour casts in my images is that when clicking on the midtones sampler, I get a pointer, which allows me to click inside the point from point 4 above, and mark it, balancing the image. This has worked for the past 3 or 4 days.
Now, I am not getting a pointer, but a circle and I obviously cannot use that to click inside the point from point 4 above and thus, select neutral grey to balance my image via the levels layer.
I haven't changed anything. I haven't updated Photoshop. System (Windows 11) hasn't been updated or rebooted.
I don't really want to wipe Photoshop preferences, and I shouldn't have to (going through and customising Photoshop settings again is just a right royal PITA).
Has anyone seen this before? Does anyone have an idea of what has gone wrong and how to fix it? I'd rather not log a ticket with Adobe as they typically unhelpful and blame everything bar their own software.
Cheers,
Dave
I like to find a neutral grey on my image to balance it. This is what I do:
1. I create a levels layer, with a mask of the subject (bird). I set the mask density to 60% and the blend layer to "color".
2. I then create a new layer above that, add fill grey (50%) and set the blend layer to "difference"
3. I then add a new adjustment layer - threshold, and slide the slider to the Left and then slowly to the Right until I get Black sections appear (which should be neutral grey).
4. I then use the color sampler tool to add a point to this location (11 x 11 pixels sampling).
I then go back to my levels layer and select the midtone sampler and go to click inside the point created in step 4 above.
What has happened before, for the past 3 or 4 days that I have been using this particular technique, which I learned on another forum to help remove colour casts in my images is that when clicking on the midtones sampler, I get a pointer, which allows me to click inside the point from point 4 above, and mark it, balancing the image. This has worked for the past 3 or 4 days.
Now, I am not getting a pointer, but a circle and I obviously cannot use that to click inside the point from point 4 above and thus, select neutral grey to balance my image via the levels layer.
I haven't changed anything. I haven't updated Photoshop. System (Windows 11) hasn't been updated or rebooted.
I don't really want to wipe Photoshop preferences, and I shouldn't have to (going through and customising Photoshop settings again is just a right royal PITA).
Has anyone seen this before? Does anyone have an idea of what has gone wrong and how to fix it? I'd rather not log a ticket with Adobe as they typically unhelpful and blame everything bar their own software.
Cheers,
Dave
