Photoshop 2018 - Mask refine tool - whats happened to it?!

[Klickflip]

Hi, So i decided to update my laptop tonight and work on a very small quick image.. so I thought!

I do hundreds of these (headshot cutouts, select background) and have done happily on all recent versions  , now the mask refine tool seems .. well crap and completely different! 

I normally draw a path outline quickly, mostly correct around clean edges then I normally double click on the mask and this opens mask refine window.

Where i paint over the hair and sections I want it to refine. And normally images of portraits like these against a clean background are really quick and easy to get a good hair refinement.

Firstly I couldn't figure out what tool it was on, it's like there is no refine window any more ?

Then when I did get it to do something like paint edge refine, the results were worst I've experienced in a long time!

I've made a video to show my confusion and efforts.

Can anybody help?

I do hundereds, thousands of these a year , and for the first time tonight it seems like I was using a another program, not made by adobe!

Here's the screen grab video

Dropbox - Mask edge refine Problem CC2018.mov

[davescm]

Hi

You will find refine edge in two places now.

1. The new Select & Mask workspace contains a revised refine edge tool. The algorithm on this tool has changed and it does work slightly differently to the old. Take some time with it and you will hopefully find it useful

2. The old refine edge is still available , although it is hidden. With a selection made go to the Select menu then hold down Shift whilst clicking on Select and Mask in the drop down menu. Then the old refine edge will open.

Dave

[Klickflip]

Thanks Dave,

why oh why.. 2018 is the worst photoshop release ever.  What a waste of development, and ruin of probably the best version to date (2017)

The 2017 edge refine , and simple mask click was the best one ever.

plus not to mention the cloning stuttering and huge slowdown and glitching I experienced on the first version.

Has this mask tool been been the same since the first release,  As I didn‘t notice it on my desktop studio computer?

I only noticed it now , but may have been doing more hand painting masks recently.

[davescm]

Interesting view .

CC2017 had an earlier version of Select and Mask. The refine tools in Select and Mask have been improved in the latest versions and decontaminate colours now has a slider as opposed to a switch in CC2017(although I much prefer a separate layer clipped to the masked layer and set to color blending mode for controlled decontamination).

The current version (19.1.0 r238) also has the Select Subject button added.

You can still set the behaviour in Preferences>Tools so that double clicking a mask in the layers panel opens the Select and Mask workspace

Access to the old refine edge works the same in CC2017 and CC2018

Dave

[Klickflip]

Maybe I’m overreacting and maybe I’ll get used to it and love it.

But this release has not been without major bugs, as many have found.

the one thing I look for as a professional user is consistency in operation, features, workflow and reliability.

When I go to use a very standard function and workflow, and that changes, and costs me the best part of an hour trying to figure out what’s going on , compare to this usual function taking 1 minute , than something is very wrong with the design of the software. (plus the results are worse than previously)

Same with the cloning glitch and freezing temporary crashing problem , a lot of people experienced .

Plus the lack of ability to import 32bit exr files , which is vital for those working with rendered cgi elements.

It really questions , why it was rolled out , how was it tested , and why changing mask functions around and dropping support for a whole chunk of the pro retouching and visualisation industry is thought to be a good idea.

There‘s a lot of people who rely on it for their day to day work ,and while I understand continued development and new features is required.

What we really want is a program that runs quicker than before, less glitchy, less crashes , and maybe a few more features, and refining on existing ones.

I’d love to see is particle effects and a proper lens flare generator included , it seems daft that I have to use after effects just for this if I need it on a still image.

Sometimes I really wonder if actual users are consulted in the development program

[davescm]

Hi

For new ideas such as particle effects etc and bug reports you need to raise them at the link below where they are more likely to be seen by Adobe staff. This forum is answered by volunteer users (unless you see the red "staff" badge).

Photoshop Family Customer Community

Are you using the latest version (19.1.0 r238). I just opened a 32 bit EXR file from Blender without any issue.

Dave