Photoshop CS6: Why is 'Maintain Aspect Ratio', in Free Transform mode, unselected, by default?

[Page D]

In Photoshop CS6, if using Free Transform to change the size of a newly-made selection, you have to click 'Maintain Aspect Ratio' option every time to maintain the aspect ratio. How annoying is that! Why isn't this 'Maintain Aspect Ratio' option selected by default? Certainly in my case, there are vastly more occasions when I want to maintain the aspect ratio, and so, in my case at least, it would be much more user-friendly to have 'Maintain Aspect Ratio' selected, by default. Or, alternatively, why isn't there an option in Preferences to either have 'Maintain Aspect Ratio' automatically selected, or unselected, by default, leaving the user to toggle from this starting position, if they want? I know you can hold 'Shift' while resizing, but for the vast majority of the time, I would like to maintain aspect ratio and it would be helpful to have either this option selected by default, or have control in Preferences for the default setting.

[fr4nk13xx]

theres a maintain aspect ratio button for transform? I would like to know where that is. The only aspect ratio i know of is for pixel say when using widescreen / square pixels

You normally hold down shift key to maintain aspect when resizing selections as you already said,  ctrl and or alt do other things too including if you press combinations of the keys,  alt+ shift for example zooms in out from the middle

[Page D]

Open an image. Make a selection within the image, using, say, the Rectangular Marquee tool. Edit > Free Transform. Along the top row of options, between the W and H percentage values, is a 'link' symbol. This is the 'Maintain Aspect Ratio' option. By selecting this, the selection's aspect ratio will be maintained when resizing.

[JJMack]

The shift, Ctrl|Command and Alt|Option keys are modifyer keys for many tools. Shift does things like Add to selection, in transform it constrains the aspect ratio to the layers current aspect ratio. Alt|Option transforms from the center . They can be used together.

[Page D]

Yes, I am aware of the keyboard shortcuts. My point is that I would have thought that the 'Maintain Aspect Ratio' option would be the most commonly used mode and, therefore, why isn't 'Maintain Aspect Ratio' the default position? I have, up to very recently, used Elements 8, and its default position IS to maintain the aspect ratio.

[Jeff Arola]

It's never been the default in photoshop and wasn't in photoshop elements until more recent versions.

I guess adobe changed the default in photoshop elements to make it easier for people that are new to photo editing programs.

You might make a feature request over here:

http://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics

[Noel Carboni]

I happen to agree with Page D, except that changing the default would probably confuse all us grumpy old codgers.

A solution that MIGHT be able to make everyone happy might be to change the setting to be sticky between uses of the tool

• If you like your transforms wild and free, you would normally just leave the option off, and so it would be next time you used the tool.

• On the other hand, if you like them constrained, you'd probably just leave the option on, and so it would be next time you used the tool.

JDI!

-Noel

[gregory74511689]

That's fantastic advice - click the lock, so that next time you use the tool, the lock will be selected. One problem - that's not what happens. It's always turned off by default. Enter Free Transform mode, click the lock, scale the element, confirm the changes. Then immediately transform it again and the lock is turned off. Using Shift doesn't help either. It never holds it to exactly the same percentage. I just tried now and the W is 113.1% and Height is 112.85%. Not enough of a difference for your common Joe to pick out, but it definitely doesn't fly when you're trying to keep the integrity of the element.

[station_two]

Page D wrote:

...Why isn't this 'Maintain Aspect Ratio' option selected by default?...

Duh!  It's called FREE Transform. 

Forget about your etch-a-sketch Elements and learn Photoshop.

[Page D]

I can't really knock Elements too much - I have processed many photos in it and achieved some amazing results (in my opinion, at least!). It's a great application for newbies. I have both Photoshop CS6 and Elements 8 on my PC, as there seems to be a few things Photoshop CS6 cannot do, which Elements 8 can. One which I still cannot get my head around concerns the ability to back up your images onto DVD or CD, along with multi-session disc capability. Am I right in saying that Photoshop CS6 and/or Bridge CS6 does not provide the facility to burn images onto DVD or CD for backing up, or have I just not discovered where the facility lies in the applications yet?

While I'm on the subject about seemingly astonishing omissions, I discovered that there is no official online Photoshop CS6 Full User Guide, uploaded by Adobe. I am absolutely stunned about this. Is this a permanent decision by Adobe, or will one be uploaded in due course? I know there are various bits and pieces Adobe have uploaded for Photoshop CS6, but a FULL User Guide would be very helpful. As far as I understand, Adobe have uploaded full User Guides for previous versions. Why not with Photoshop CS6?

[Noel Carboni]

Seems odd to expect Photoshop to facilitate backups.  That's something the operating system facilitates.  Perhaps one is expected to be able to use the OS adeptly if one can use Photoshop.

Regarding the manual, there is a full PDF, but it's not written for Photoshop CS6 only (which decision I also don't feel is right).  Choose Help - Photoshop Online Help from within the app and look for the CS6 Help PDF (20 MB) link.

-Noel

[Page D]

Windows XP does not facilitate copying files directly to DVD without third-party software, and to use 700 Mb CDs only for copying, say Tiffs and Raw files, is not desirable, due to their size. Because of this, I don't agree with you that the facility to burn to (particularly) DVD would not be useful within Photoshop CS6.

Thanks for the link. I already have this saved to my PC. I really would like a Full User Guide, exclusively written for Photoshop CS6, and entirely in text-form. The way I see it, Adobe have already cut costs by not providing a Full User Guide in paper-form with the application itself. I don't think that an online version is too much to ask, considering the complexity of the application.

[Noel Carboni]

Pretty much any DVD / Blu-Ray burner comes with software to run it, though.  And frankly XP is way out of date now.  It's likely no new features are being added to products to support Windows XP nowadays.

Of course, it's hard to argue that more features and functions wouldn't be desirable, but I sure wouldn't want to have to pay $30 more for the product because Adobe had to fund a development effort that would be useless to me and any number of other users who have chosen for whatever reason not to keep current with their operating system.

-Noel

[Page D]

I knew you (or someone else) was going to say something like that about Windows XP!

I'm no computer programmer, but when I proceed to burn to DVD in Elements 8, it opens up a quite seperate dialogue within the application, and it bares the "by SonicSolutions" legend at the bottom. What's to develop? Can't this same 'plug-in' be incorporated within Photoshop CS6, with minimal software rewriting?

[Noel Carboni]

That helps make my point!  SonicSolutions is a 3rd party company that makes DVD writing software.  Adobe may actually pay them a fee for including that software in the package.  They also often supply the software that comes with DVD drives, so that makes it likely it's quite inexpensive.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of the bad news that XP is over and done with.  But note, for example, that Photoshop CS6 won't even allow you to use the GPU on your video card with XP.  You're missing out on a lot of nice GPU-dependent features by making the choice not to keep current.

-Noel

[Page D]

Re: Second Paragraph - I know that some GPU-enabled features are not supported on XP, but it's not true to say that Photoshop CS6 won't allow you to use your GPU on your video card at all, with XP, Noel. I have the option, in the 'Performance' section of Preferences, to enable graphics card acceleration. If it wasn't possible in XP, this option would be greyed out, or missing. Having said that, my particular graphics card is, indeed, not 'officially' supported with Photoshop CS6, although I can certainly engage the graphics card acceleration option. The 'Oil Paint Filter' will ONLY work if I have the graphics card acceleration option engaged, for instance. The big ommision for XP users is the lack of the '3D' features, the option missing altogether from the top row (I knew this before purchasing Photoshop CS6).

[station_two]

My main beef with Ps Elements is that is overpriced by about $90  US Cy. 

[Page D]

Couldn't disagree more. I paid about £55, here in the UK, for Elements 8, when this was the latest version. It is extremely good value for money when you consider what it can do. I've outgrown it now, and have upgraded to Photoshop CS6, but Elements 8 was a superb application for learning the fundamentals of Photoshop, before the investment, not to mention the greater complexity, of Photoshop CS6.

[Noel Carboni]

I'll concede that it's reasonable that you should expect that the $700 product will be a superset of the functionality in the $100 product.

Thank you for clearing up for me what is and isn't available in XP, Page D.  I had thought there was more that you couldn't do.

-Noel

[station_two]

Ps Elements is the only software for which I have ever demanded a full refund.

[Page D]

With respect to you, station_two, I do think it is very easy to criticise with just a few words but without going into any real detail to elaborate on your point of view. I would be fascinated to learn exactly why you feel this way about Elements. I trust you are referring to a recent version, station_two? More features/capabilities have been steadily added with each new version, and there are quite often 'workarounds' for missing options, which pretty much get you to the same place. Which version did you briefly use and take back? How did it limit you? Do bear in mind that it is a fraction of the cost compared to Photoshop CS, and so it is reasonable for Adobe to provide you with fewer features/capabilities. Elements 8 can do an awful lot for a mere £55, in my opinion. I would say (especially when I view some of the resulting photographs I have processed and printed with it) it is the best-value piece of software I have ever bought for my PC!

[cherelynd]

You can't automatically assume that someone using Photoshop differently to you doesn't know how to use it. The inability to lock the aspect ratio when using the free transform tool frustrates me no end.

Coming from a print background rather than a creative background it is very rare that you don't want to lock your aspect ratio. I use keyboard shortcuts to access the percentage field when transforming then the arrow keys to increase and decrease the percentage. If I hold the shift key down it doesn't lock the aspect ratio it jumps the percentage by 10% rather than 1% so to have to pick up my mouse to lock the aspect ration when that is the only option I ever want is annoying.

[Ronald Keller]

Exactly my feeling too.

[VintageDR]

OK bright light, leave your attitude at the door and try answering the question without being a smart ass. There are some of us with disabilities that prevent us from holding down the shift key and moving Mouse simultaneously to maintain aspect ratio. Is there anyone who can answer the question intelligently? Is there a way to lock the aspect ratio as my default?

[VintageDR]

Regarding my photoshop issue with aspect ratio I believe it has to do with "Legacy". My old computer (older processing chip) MacOS Catalina V10.15.7 with Photoshop V22.5.3. The new computer uses Monterey V12.0.1 with Photoshop V22.5.3.