Photoshop 3D Issues

September 10, 2019 |

A while back, the advanced 3d options in Adobe Photoshop stopped working on my computer. When I tried, the results included grayed out options and the message:

Adobe Photoshop CC 2018

The 3D features require that ‘Use Graphics Processor’ is enabled in the Performance preferences. Your video card must meet the minimum requirements and you may need to check that your driver is working correctly.

In some instances, such as when I try to import my Adobe Fuse characters, I got the spinning cursor as if my system was busy but the character did not import.

Now that I have upgraded to Windows 10 to take advantage of more 3d programs, it is time to fix Photoshop!

1. Update graphics drivers

Click the Windows Start button and type “Device Manager”.

Open Device Manager

Click the arrow to expand Display Adapters

One at a time, Right-click your graphics cards (integrated and dedicated) and “Update Driver”
Intel(R) HD Graphics 530 – my integrated
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M – my dedicated

1b. Make sure Photoshop is using the correct graphics card

If you have multiple graphics cards, you may need to tell Photoshop which one to use for best performance.

  • Right-click on Photoshop (either the shortcut on your desktop or the .exe in your program files)
  • Go to “Run with Graphics Processor” and select “Change default graphics processor …”
  • This opens my NVIDIA Control Panel where I can select programs and tell them which graphics processor to use.

2. Photoshop Settings

Open Photoshop and click Edit > Preferences > Performance
screenshot 9:59 AM 8/26/2019
– Check “Use Graphics Processor”
– Advanced Settings: Drawing mode is “Advanced”. The following should be checked “Use Graphics Processor to Accelerate Computation”, “Use OpenCL”, and “Anti-alias Guides and Paths”.
Do not check 30-bit display

10:02 AM 8/26/2019 screenshot

3. Save any open files and restart your computer.

Upon restarting, check if you are able to use the 3d features in Photoshop. A simple test would be to:

  • Open a picture in Photoshop (or a copy of a picture to be extra safe)
  • Click on 3D > New Mesh from Layer > Mesh Preset > Cylinder
  • Wait several seconds. Your artwork should be wrapped around into a cylinder shape.
  • Close without saving or save your file with a different name.
Posted in Uncategorized

About Michelle Hestand

Michelle is a website manager in East Texas. She mainly works on websites related to health, traveling entertainment, and family life.

Leave a Comment