Lost gradient files?

D
Posted By
DN2
Feb 15, 2005
Views
639
Replies
10
Status
Closed
Yesterday I was using one of the metal gradients. Today, it is not available. It looks like somehow I have overwritten the metal gradient files and I don’t know how I did that. Also, when I go to edit fill with pattern, it won’t do it. I can do it from the paint bucket, but not from the menu. I was able to do this before too. If anyone has any ideas on how I can find the lost gradients, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

How to Improve Photoshop Performance

Learn how to optimize Photoshop for maximum speed, troubleshoot common issues, and keep your projects organized so that you can work faster than ever before!

Y
YrbkMgr
Feb 15, 2005
What is a metal gradient? Do you mean a Style, or a gradient? Have you checked your presets manager to see if they are in there? (Edit|Presets manager).

when I go to edit fill with pattern, it won’t do it

What happens? What is the image mode – RGB? What version of PS are you using?
D
DN2
Feb 15, 2005
Thank you for answering. I have Photoshop CS. It is in the gradient presets – Metals. They were there yesterday. I was looking for the gradient named silver. I don’t know if somehow when I was using the gradients and bringing up the different sets and making some of my own custom gradients they got lost somehow. You find them if you go to gradients and then look at the different types – pastels, metals, color harmonies, special effects.

I looked at the edit/presets manager and it appears only the ones I have currently loaded are there. Even if I go to the metals one and say load, the right ones are not there. They are the ones that came with CS, not custom ones. Is it possible I am overwriting them? I don’t understand how that can happen to a part of the program. I can understand how you can do that to your own gradient creations. It seems like if that is the case, then there should be some kind of major warning about you are just about to delete a part of the program.

Also, I can’t figure out why yesterday I could go edit/ fill with pattern and it would work and today it won’t. I can only do it with the paint bucket. Makes no sense to me.
Y
YrbkMgr
Feb 15, 2005
Okay, well, I don’t have CS, only version 7, so I can’t comment on styles or gradients that may have shipped with CS. There are "Metals" gradients that ship with version 7 so the following may help.

Is it possible I am overwriting them?

Not unintentionally.

When you open the presets manager, select Gradients from the dropdown and click the Load button. Do you see the Metals.GRD? Can you load it?

I can’t figure out why yesterday I could go edit/ fill with pattern and it would work and today it won’t.

Well, that depends on exactly what you’re doing. Can you do it on a brand new image? Create a new image in RGB mode with a transparent background; can you fill it with a pattern?
D
DN2
Feb 15, 2005
I opened a new document and looked at the gradients. I don’t know why I keep getting many copies of the ones I make.

I did find copper and chrome, but still cannot find silver. The weird thing is yesterday, when I was looking for copper, I couldn’t find that. Makes no sense.

As for the filling with a pattern, (just so you know how I am doing this) I went into the new document, used the rectangular marquee tool created shape, then went to edit fill with pattern. Nothing. This baffles me more than anything because I know for sure that was working fine. I have been doing that a lot in the last couple of weeks.

I really appreciate your help.
Y
YrbkMgr
Feb 15, 2005
You’re not really answering my questions. That limits my ability to help you troubleshoot. Please re-read post #3 and answer those questions.
D
DN2
Feb 15, 2005
I am sorry, I thought I was answering the questions. This is my first time to the forum and it is sometimes it is hard to describe something. Anyway, yes I do see metals.grd. If I load that, it doesn’t have silver in it. It is like silver is just missing. That is how I found the copper and chrome by loading that file. I am in RGB mode.
Y
YrbkMgr
Feb 15, 2005
No worries, we’ll get there.

Okay, so two issues: you’re missing a default gradient, and you cannot apply a pattern.

The first issue is simple. Reset your preferences per the procedure in te faq, then reinstall Photoshop. That way you will be sure that the metals gradient will contain everything the default did.

On the second issue, can you create a gradient on a new image (File|New) with RGB mode and transparent background?
D
DN2
Feb 16, 2005
If I reset my preferences and reinstall Photoshop, won’t I lose some of the patterns that I made and want to keep?

Would I reinstall Photoshop without uninstalling it first?

I am not going to have time to do this procedure at this moment, but I really appreciate your help. Thanks!
DM
dave_milbut
Feb 16, 2005
won’t I lose some of the patterns that I made and want to keep?

YES! save them first. and any other customizations you might want, like actions, swatches, styles, brushes, etc.
Y
YrbkMgr
Feb 16, 2005
To clarify Dave’s point…

It depends on how you saved your patterns. Consider this:

If you created a pattern called "Course Weave", it is in your presets manager. Resetting your preferences will overwrite it, reinstalling will not – because reinstalling doesn’t affect your preferences, and this information is stored in the preferences file.

But if you saved Course Weave as a part of a default set, one that photoshop installed, reinstalling will overwrite it.

And conversely, if you saved Course Weave as it’s own pattern from the presets manager, then reinstalling will not overwrite it, but resetting your preferences will.

In this latter case, after one resets their preferences (NOT a part of the install process), they would have to load that Course Weave pattern in the presets manager (or patterns palette).

How to Improve Photoshop Performance

Learn how to optimize Photoshop for maximum speed, troubleshoot common issues, and keep your projects organized so that you can work faster than ever before!

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections