Adobe Photoshop

What works

After some local OS and winecfg adaptations, PS works as expected.

All brushes, effects, and rendering (e.g. liquify, lightning effects) functions work.

TLDR; after specific adaptations, PS works as advertised.

What does not

[01] On Xubuntu/ xfce, ALT key in PS doesn't work.

[02] With the install of wine + PS on a box with Xubuntu 20.04 LTS, upon boot, the "wine window with PS" becomes unresponsive. This is accompanied with extreme CPU loads. Menus do not respond, and it is not possible to minimise the wine window+PS (i.e. Always on Top). In some occasions, after long periods (e.g. 30 mins), after repeated clicking on the PS menu, the windows open and function is restored. In some cases these symptoms are accompanied by PS components "flickering" (think low refresh rate kind of).

Workarounds

[01] ALT key in PS doesn't work.

Solution: On Xubuntu, disable SYSTEM > WINDOW MANAGER TWEAKS > ACCESSIBILITY > "Key used to grab and move windows"; set to "None". Explanation: By default, this is set to the ALT key. This disables the ALT functions in PS (e.g. select target for Clone Stamp).

[02] The "wine window with PS" becomes unresponsive, PS components "flicker".

Solution: In winecfg > Graphics > disable/ untick "Allow window manager to control the windows". This will launch PS in its "native" window, and speed and response is restored. This approach works both on Intel and AMD GPU boxen. "Window decoration" can be left ticked.

What was not tested

TWAIN (use resident XSANE, which is perfect!)

Hardware tested

Graphics:

• GPU: Intel
• Driver: open source

Additional Comments

This install of PS on wine went through an (apt) update from an original wine 5.0 install.

Update went well, although, when PS was started, wine...

[1]Reports to update the wine cfg

[2] Asks user to update mono

[3] Asks user to update gecko

Both step 2 and 3 failed, as DL/ update of these components never occurred. However, when both are cancelled, and PS is started afterwards, all functions as before, with issues.

If unsure, backup .wine directory before update (!)

Addition to hardware information here: these results were found on multiple boxen, which had both Intel and AMD graphics.

• You shouldn't have to copy Photoshop from Windows; just install it under Wine by running its Setup.exe. (To run a .exe under wine, you have to doubleclick it, right click and choose "Run with Wine", or run it from the commandline using the 'wine' command, depending on how your Linux distribution integrates Wine.)
• Never use a cracked version of Photoshop.
• Never run Wine as root.
• Use a recent version of Wine (1.0.1 or later).
• Before installing Photoshop, install the Times32 font by downloading and running one of the corefont installers, e.g. http://heanet.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/corefonts/times32.exe , else Photoshop will abort with a "hardware error" [see bug 9623]
• The Clone tool uses the ALT key in a way that conflicts with many window managers. Here's how to fix that:
  • Ubuntu: System / Windows / Movement Key, and pick "Super" instead of "Alt".
  • Kubuntu: K / System Settings / Look and Feel / Windows / Movement Key, and pick "Super" instead of "Alt"
  • Suse with Gnome: Computer / Control Center / Look and Feel / Windows / Movement Key, and pick "Super" instead of "Alt"
  • Fedora 8 Gnome: System / Preferences / Look and Feel / Windows / Movement Key, and pick "Super" instead of "Alt
  • Suse with KDE: Gecko / Favorites / Configure Desktop / Desktop / Window Behavior / Window Actions / "Inner Window, Titlebar & Frame" , and pick "Meta" instead of "Alt"
    
  • Earlier KDE: KDE Control Center / Desktop / Window Behavior / Window Actions / turn off the alt-combos.
  • Earlier Gnome: Destop Preferences / Keyboard Layout / Options / Alt/Win key behavior [expand tree]; select new behavior for modifier keys

Thanks to earther for the following email:

I was having problems with the Photoshop 7 ALT-Click keybinding in a new Debian install running Compiz.  I did the standard window manager tweak but it still didn't work properly.  Then I discovered an ALT-Click keybinding in the Compiz Window Management > Move Window > Initiate Window Move settings. I changed it to 'super' like in Gnome window management and voila, it seemed to get it working again in Photoshop. You might want to add that bit of info to the clone tool info on the Photoshop 7 page.

earther