# feathering not available?



## Osmer_Toby (Apr 7, 2004)

whenever i use the actions palette to vignette a selection, the first step is accomplished (taking snapshot), then i get the message "feathering command not currently available, continue anyway?"  if i click yes, the vignetting occurs, but with hard edges.  

any idea how to fix this?
ps7, btw


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## drlynn (Apr 7, 2004)

Sounds like a flaw in the action, like it's trying to feather the selection before the previous function is finished, or the particular selection tool this action uses doesn't have a feathering option.   Is this an action you downloaded, made yourself, or one of the stock Adobe ones?
Try to do it manually and see if you can feather your selection.


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## Osmer_Toby (Apr 8, 2004)

ya- its a stock action. wierd thing is it used to work.  i am able to feather manually before i initiate the action, but i'm trying to get the thing to work the way it's supposed to.
thanks for the thoughts...
-t


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## drlynn (Apr 8, 2004)

Most of my experience is in PS 6. Just got CS but am still playing around trying to learn.
Does PS 7 have switchable defaults for certain tools, like the selection tools?  I'm wondering if something has been switched off/on that is keeping the action from accessing the feathering option.

Are any other tools or actions having trouble? If it's just this one thing, then I would say it has to be a setting that has been changed.  If other functions are screwing up as well, then maybe there is an error on your hard drive and the program needs to be reloaded.


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## Osmer_Toby (Apr 8, 2004)

> I'm wondering if something has been switched off/on that is keeping the action from accessing the feathering option.



yup, that's what i'm thinkin, too.  guess i just gotta keep diggin...
thanks doc!


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## drlynn (Apr 9, 2004)

Well, I just tried the stock vignette action in Photoshop CS, and it does the same thing if I don't make a selection with my marquee tool first.

The action I have doesn't include making a selection, only vignetting a selection already made.

Is it possible this is what is happening to you?


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## Osmer_Toby (Apr 9, 2004)

nope, i have the marching ants before i click on the action...
(man, i hope nobody from the peanut gallery gets ahold of _that _statement!  )


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## drlynn (Apr 9, 2004)

Your secret is safe here!   

But if you have an active selection and it still won't feather, then it's gotta be a setting changed deep down somewhere.  I found a website by a guy who writes for _Photoshop User_ that gives a lot of tips as well as some troubleshooting articles.  I'll post that url here over the weekend from my home PC. I don't have the site bookmarked here at work.
I belioeve I remember him talking about similar problems he has run into at workshops he was teaching, etc and how he handles them.


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## Osmer_Toby (Apr 9, 2004)

once again, thanks doc!  i think you're right on the money re: the problem.  it'll be interesting to check out that website- sounds like it's full of nuggets of info...


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## drlynn (Apr 10, 2004)

Here you go:

http://www.digitalmastery.com/tips/

This is Ben WIllmore's Photoshop site.

One thing he recommends is to restart the program while holding down shift-alt-ctrl (win) or shift-option-command(mac) which trashes all your preferences.  

It might take a while to get all your PS preferences back to where you like them, but it might solve your problem, also.


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## Osmer_Toby (Apr 12, 2004)

cool man, thank you very much!  i'll be usin this one...


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