OPEN GL OF VIDEO CARD NOT RECOGNIZED BY CS4

[jer...@adobeforums.com]

When I first started using PSCS4, I was using a nVidia gs7800 card and with it open GL was flaky so I changed to an nVidia GeForece 9500 GT w/512 RAM )claiming open GL 3.0) and then open GL was stable. With the upgrade to 11.01 and the latest nVidia drivers for my card, PSCS4 now says I have no open GL it can use and I should either change my video card and/or update its software. What gives and, more important, how can I get get PS to use the open GL I have?

[Chri...@adobeforums.com]

If Photoshop doesn't recognize the card, then something in the card's driver is saying that it is not capable of running the OpenGL APIs used by Photoshop.

[jer...@adobeforums.com]

Thank you for your reply but it doesn't help me at all as I have the latest video drivers for my card and when I spoke with the card's manufacturer's tech support they said that open GL is controlled by Windows so I should take the matter up with Microsoft (fat chance of getting satisfaction there).

Furthermore, I am using a PS plugin--Phototools Pro 2-- that offers a mask painting brush IF it detects open GL and it does offer me that mode so it is detecting my open GL working within PS but PS can't find it for itself as it did before its latest revision.

How can I troubleshoot this enigma?

[Chri...@adobeforums.com]

No, their driver capabilities are controlled by the card's driver -- and that is supplied by the video card/GPU maker. Microsoft doesn't enter into it.

[Zeno_...@adobeforums.com]

Sometimes new drivers introduce new bugs, try installing those older nvidia drivers that you had when OpenGL was still working for you

[jer...@adobeforums.com]

AS I stated twice previouosly, open GL is working as it is recognized by a plugin from within Photoshop. Photoshop's preferences has it greyed out with a message that Photoshop standard doesn't recognize open GL though I am running Photoshop Extended (or at least I was until I did the recent upgrade). How can I determine if I am still running Photoshop CS4 EXTENDED?

[Steve Sprengel]

OpenGL is not a monolithic thing. There are many capabilities and both the plugin and Photoshop, itself, are interrogating the OpenGL interface to see what the driver reports it can do. Apparently the plugin sees what it needs to, but Photoshop, itself, does not. Its hard to say where the problem is, whether Photoshop is doing something wrong, or the driver, but as has been suggested, already, roll back your drivers to the ones where Photoshop recognized OpenGL.

Extended Photoshop has a 3D menu item along the top and says Extended if you do Help / About Photoshop..., so if you see both of those you are using Extended. Both Standard and Extended Photoshop use OpenGL for certain general image display operations so I wouldn't worry about the term "standard" in the error message if the 3D menu exists and the Help / About report the correct things.

Standard Photoshop uses OpenGL for image-display just like Extended so I wouldn't worry about the

[jer...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks. Your reply is helpful.

[jer...@adobeforums.com]

I was able to locate, download and install an earlier version of my nVidia driver. Now open GL is recognized by PSCS4.

My apologies to Chris Cox and my thanks to all who advised me to go back to an older, working version of the video driver. It reminds me again "if it isn't broken, don't try to fix it." No more going for the latest drivers.