File Save Problems in CS2, Not Better than CS

NC
Posted By
Noel_Carboni
May 14, 2005
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908
Replies
14
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Closed
I’m running Adobe Photoshop on Windows XP SP2.

I have used Photoshop since the early ’90s. I used Photoshop CS since it was first released. There were quirks when using File-Save As… I learned to work around them because I really couldn’t find a way to eMail Adobe a problem report.

Now I have one of the first CS2 upgrades shipped. To my dismay, File-Save As seems to have been changed, but still has serious quirks on a Windows machine! To make matters worse, there is no simple way that I can find to simply eMail a problem report to Adobe to describe a problem and start the process of getting it fixed. I’ve worked with Photoshop long enough to know how to distinguish a bug from user error.

I searched these web pages, and short of paying more money for support I cannot find a way to simply report a product defect to Adobe. So I have registered here and am posting a minor defect with the product publicly.

Here’s a way to reproduce a File-Save As… problem:

1. Open a JPEG image – e.g., from a digital camera. In my case I opened the file D:\MMEDIA\Photos\2005\05\Bedroom Renovation\IMG_3652.jpg.

2. Do some simple editing (e.g., downsample and sharpen).

3. Choose File Save As… and replace the name in the filename field by typing a different directory and file name, but without extension. In my case I replaced the original filename with c:\temp\Tile and pressed the [Save] button.

4. A dialog popped up entitled Adobe Photoshop and containing a big red X and the text "Could not save as ‘c:\temp\c:\temp\Tile.jpg’ because the file name was not valid."

I run into the above quite often. It’s not earth shattering, but it costs me time and concentration, and I’d really rather not have to learn to work around obvious Windows dialog errors yet again.

Possibly related problems with typing in directory names occur when changing file types as well. The directory can be lost! For example, at File – Save As… I could type c:\temp\Tile then select .bmp format then select Photoshop (.psd) format. The filename is changed and the directory is lost on the second format selection, resulting (if I’m not paying close attention) in the file being saved in the original directory from which the image was opened. Why change types twice you may ask… This is quite common if one tabs to the Format field and presses keys (e.g., P for Photoshop .psd) to cycle to the desired format.

The right way to do this would be to change the current default directory on the very first interaction with the dialog box after name entry. Look to Microsoft Outlook Save As… for a good example.

* ** Please correct these problems in Photoshop CS2 ASAP. You will be saving me and I’m sure others many frustrating episodes of file save failures and misplaced files.

* ** Please provide a direct way I can report product problems without having to post on this public forum. And I really don’t want to hear about paying extra for telling Adobe about product bugs.

Thanks.

-Noel Carboni

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RB
Robert_Barnett
May 14, 2005
What’s with the dual c:\temp\c:\temp for the path to save the file in?

Robert
PB
Paul_Budzik
May 14, 2005
Are you typing the path into the file name?
SF
Sergi_Feurio
May 14, 2005
‘c:\temp\c:\temp\Tile.jpg’

The save path itself is not valid, that’s why it says the file name is not valid. It should be ‘c:\temp\Tile.jpg’
PC
Pierre_Courtejoie
May 14, 2005
What Paul meant is that you shouldn’t type the path in the title of your file…
NC
Noel_Carboni
May 14, 2005
I am not seeking help here, I am reporting a product problem.

If this is not the right venue to report a bona fide Photoshop bug, could someone please let me know what is? The method to do so is not by any means obvious.

I typed only c:\temp\Tile into the filename field in the Save As… dialog. I did not type anything into the title and I never typed the path twice.

Go through the exercise exactly as I described it and you can reproduce this problem.

-Noel
PC
Pierre_Courtejoie
May 14, 2005
Noel, if you just want to report a bug, just click on the contact us button on top of this page, it’ll lead you to this page: <http://www.adobe.com/misc/comments.html>

Where you’ll find a link to the bug report page: <http://www.adobe.com/misc/bugreport.html>

Hope this helps. Sorry for having tried to provide a suggestion 😉
NC
Noel_Carboni
May 14, 2005
Thanks, and I apologize – on re-reading my posts I sound awfully terse. I guess the search for how to eMail a bug report to Adobe had left me a bit irritated.

Please accept my apologies, and thanks for the suggestion and especially for the link to the "Report a Bug" page.

Please also note that finding the "Report a Bug" page is not at all easy!

-Noel
PC
Pierre_Courtejoie
May 14, 2005
No problem, Noel. Text based communication can sometimes not convey our thoughts as we wish…
B
BobLevine
May 14, 2005
A search for "bug report" would have brought you right to that form.

Bob
NC
Noel_Carboni
May 15, 2005
I searched for a lot of things but as it happens not "bug report". Try searching for "reporting errors" or "email adobe" for example.

Once you know where to look you know where to find it. 🙂

In any case, the bug has been reported. Thanks everyone.

-Noel
IL
Ian_Lyons
May 15, 2005
A "File Name" cannot contain the following characters /\:*?"<>| This is a Windows convention and nothing to do with Adobe.
NC
Noel_Carboni
May 15, 2005
Thanks for stating the obvious, though it’s not applicable to this discussion. Of course a filename itself may not contain a colon nor backslash – that’s because these things delimit drive letters and path components, among other things.

A file save dialog must be able to accept a path as well as a filename. Every Windows application allows this, and always has. Indeed it has to do so to conform with Windows standards for look and feel.

Plain and simple, Adobe Photoshop CS2 does not handle the entry of a path and filename properly. It’s handled only partially. I have listed an easily reproducible example of the error.

Adobe themselves got it right up through Photoshop version 6 (which I still run as well as the newer versions). It’s broken now, in CS2.

-Noel
DM
dave_milbut
May 15, 2005
a way around it would be to type

‘c:\temp\’ into the save box and hit enter… that SHOULD change the folder to ‘c:\temp\’ and leave the dialog open.

then type in ‘Tile’

and it should save correctly.

but you’re right typing ‘c:\temp\Tile.jpg’ should do it the way you’re saying while leaving the dialog in the same folder you started in…
NC
Noel_Carboni
May 15, 2005
Thanks, Dave. I was beginning to think I was the only one who uses path information.

Yes, I had found the workaround you described as well. However, I’ve not made it a habit yet, and there are some operations that it doesn’t suit – for example to save with the same filename but in a different directory.

I use the old Send To powertoys a lot, often using "Send To Clipboard as Name" and using Windows as an integrating environment. I may capture a folder name using Explorer, then paste it in front of the filename in the Save dialog, for example. This usually works okay – and most importantly works in other applications – but if I do it with Photoshop and happen to also change the file type the path can be lost as I described at the top of this thread.

Thanks again, everyone, for your comments.

-Noel

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