Changed behavior of crop tool in Photoshop CC

I keep my PS CC up to date, and it currently reports as Adobe Photoshop CC 2019, Release 20.0.0, on my Mac. I’ve just recently noticed that the crop tool is working differently than it used to , but I’m not sure exactly when it changed.

Prior behavior: I would drag the crop tool over an image to select the cropped area, and before I committed to that selection I could move any side of the overlaid crop box independently to fine tune the area.

Current behavior: after I’ve made my initial crop selection and I try to move one side of the crop box all four sides change to maintain the aspect ratio I’d just created.

I can uncheck an option while the tool is active so that I can move any side independently. but then the image shifts around to keep it centered on the screen. This is very annoying.

Am I missing something? Does anybody know how to get back the old behavior?

Sounds like you’ve just got the wrong option selected on the left side of the options bar when the crop tool is selected. Here’s a screen shot of my normal setup for crop and it is working the same name as it did in CC 2018 (and prior versions).

Thanks, Keith, for the quick response. Unfortunately, that didn’t fix things fro me. I’ve set the tool to W x H x Resolution with the W and H boxes clear, and I’ve checked the option to use Classic mode. Once I’ve drawn a crop box on an image and then try to move a side for a different crop that side plus the two adjacent sides all move at the same time to maintain the aspect ratio.

Here’s a screen grab.The lightest gray edge is my PS background color. The cropped edges of the image are masked at 75%. If I grab the bottom edge to pull it down and show more of the image then the left and right edges move out at the same time. This happens with any other side as well.

@Richard_Ditch - Hit clear and set the crop to “Ratio” and you should be able to move each side or each corner independently.

Hit clear and set the crop to “Ratio” and you should be able to move each side or each corner independently.

That’s how I started, and changing back does not resolve this. If I drag from the midpoint marker of any side then the two adjacent sides also move in or out with the side I am dragging. If I grab a corner and drag only the two sides meeting at that corner will move but they still move together to maintain the aspect ratio.

I’ve got “Use Classic Mode” checked in the pulldown menu marked by the gear. If i un-check Classic Mode, then I can drag any side independently but the underlying image shifts around to keep the crop area centered on the screen. I find this very annoying almost to the point of inducing nausea.

I can only replicate the behavior you with classic mode. If I uncheck classic mode, then click clear, all works as expected.

I just installed the new build of PS. I am seeing exactly the same behavior on my Windows machine (Win 10 1803). It drives me nuts!

If I check ‘Classic Mode’ I see the same behavior Richard noted in his OP.

I liked Classic Mode in the earlier (2018) version–it worked!
-P

Try holding the shift key while you are cropping. Just read an article about the change. Maybe that will work. ??

I’ve been looking around on line as well, including the Adobe user forums.

Although I can’t find a specific reference this change seems to be tied to the way the Transform commands now work. And holding down the shift key is now required to uncouple the edges.

My testing shows that while in Classic mode I must hold down the shift key and the place the courser over a corner handle and make sure it changes from the crop symbol to the double-headed arrow, then I can drag that corner and only the two connected sides will move. It doesn’t work from the handles at the half way point on any side.

Agreed. I can replicate the behavior you are seeing if I use Classic Mode. If I turn off Classic mode, hit clear to get things reset all works just fine without any extra work. I’m on a Mac. Maybe it is behaving differently on a Windows box.

I am seeing the same on Windows.

Seems consistent with what I am seeing on Windows. I guess, if I want to use Classic Mode, I’ll have to get used to the crop grid staying centered and the image shifting it’s position in the work space. Arrgh!

I hope Adobe fixes this…soon!
-P