Curves in PSE 13 -- Effects Panel

I am afraid you were in the wrong place. You get that message when you are in the Effects panel in the Editor. The .png file from the Grant's Tools unzipped folder needs to be copied/pasted into the photo effects folder within Elements. 

It looks like you did it right this time. You pasted the .png file from the Grant's Tools unzipped folder into the right folder within Elements.

C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\11.0\Photo Creations\photo effects

If you are still getting the "tree" thumbnail in the Effects panel, this means that Elements, for some reason, is not generating the action-specific thumbnail.

Let's try this! One step at a time!

1. Effects panel:

- Go to the Effects panel (Window>Effects>My Effects).
- Right-click on the thumbnail, select "Delete Content".
- Ignore the warning.

2. photo effects folder:

- Go to the photo effects folder (C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\11.0\Photo Creations\photo effects).
- Delete these two files -- Action Curves.atn and Action Curves.png.

3. Effects panel:

Load the Curves .atn file into the Effects panel following the instructions posted earlier.

photoshopelementsandmore.com/post/62729

4. photo effects folder:

- Check if Elements generated a .png file to go with the .atn file.
- If it didn't, copy/paste the .png file from the Grant's Tools unzipped folder.

NOTE:  Keep Elements closed while you are doing this copy/paste job.

5. Effects panel:

- Check the thumbnail to see if now you have an action-specific one.
- If you are still getting the "tree" thumbnail, . . .

- Close Elements.
- Delete the ThumbDatabase.db3 file (C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\11.0\ThumbDatabase.db3).
- Open Elements and see if now you have the action-specific thumbnail.

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The purpose of the .xml file is to put the action file in its own category in the Effects panel. Elements has already taken care of it. When you load the .atn file into the Effects panel, it automatically goes into a category called "My Effects".

OK! Here we go.

Effects panel:

If there was nothing to delete when you did "Delete Content", then, it looks like you had already removed the Curves .atn file you had loaded to the Effects panel.

photo effects folder:

I am afraid that's the root of the problem. Elements should have generated a .png file (thumbnail) for the Curves .atn file and it didn't. That's why you couldn't find one.

Effects panel:

You can load only one .atn file at a time. You have seven .atn files in Grant's Tools. You need to load only the Curves .atn file.

You should have no problems if you follow these instructions.


At this point in the troubleshooting, here is what you need to do.

1.  Load the Curves .atn file to the Effects panel following the instructions above.
2.  Close Elements.
3.  Go to the photo effects folder.  (C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\11.0\Photo Creations\photo effects}
4.  If there is a Curves .png file, delete it. Then, copy/paste the one that comes with Grant's tools.
5.  If there isn't a Curves .png file, copy/paste the one that comes with Grant's Tools.
6   Open Elements.
7.  Check the Effects panel to see which thumbnail is there -- the "tree" or the action-specific thumbnail.

I cannot understand why this is happening. Those instructions have proven to work again and again.

Here are the instructions from The Missing Manual for Photoshop Elements by Barbara Brundage. If you compare them with the ones I posted, you will see the sequence of steps are identical.

"Simply click the four-line square at the Effects panel's upper right, choose Load Effects, find the file on your computer, and then click Load. The effect appears in a category called My Effects."

Source: The Missing Manual, Chapter 13.

This should be the result . . .



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Yes, you need to load only the .atn file. That's the file which contains the action steps. That's all Elements needs to run it.

I don't see how you could have caused any damage. However, to rule out this possibility, you could start with a clean slate.

Make a fresh download of Grant's Tools. photoshopelementsandmore.com/post/10444

NOTE: I have double-checked the Curves action. I see no problem, i.e., the file is not corrupted.

Before you proceed to load this action to the Effects panel, take these precautionary steps.

1.  Go to the photo effects folder (C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\11.0\Photo Creations\photo effects).
2.  Delete any file pertaining to the Curves action -- .atn and .png (if there is one).

NOTE:  Keep Elements closed while you do this "cleaning-up" job.

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I have The Missing Manual for both versions -- PSE 11 and PSE 13. Yes, the instructions are the same.

Sepiana,

Well, I unstalled ver. 11 from my computer and then installed the ver. 11 directly from my DVD. Sad to report, I got the trees again. The copy of 11 I deleted from the computer was most likely from the DVD anyway, so this is not surprising.

I tried to download 11 from the Adobe website but had trouble finding the correct download page. I had to create a new password, it had been a while since I visited that website. This should be easy, I'll try again. Any tips?

Paul

Great! I'll call them tomorrow am. Thank you!

Paul, let's try a different route -- a live chat with Adobe Support.

- Go to this Adobe page -- helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/downloaded-older-app.html
- Click on the "Contact us" icon at the lower right corner of the page to open a live chat with Adobe Support.

Or you could post on the Adobe Photoshop Elements forum.