Expert: Scott Valentine - 4/10/2010

Question
I've only had Photoshop (CS4) for a couple of weeks ... so I'm really not an expert. It has been working fine so far. I was editing some pictures today and I might have changed something without realizing it. Now, when I want to create a new document or open one, I get this message "Could not complete the command because of a program error". So basically, I cannot use Photoshop anymore at the moment. Do you know why I get this message and how it can be fixed? Thank you for your help.

Answer
Bonjour, Amélie!

This problem typically happens when something in the active memory gets corrupted. It has happened to me several times, and I have not found a way to prevent it. However, there are a few things you can try:

Stop and restart Photoshop
Clear the preferences file (Hold down SHIFT while PS launches)
Create a new layer in your document and try copying your work there to continue
Choose a different operation, undo it, then try the original one again

Errors like these are very difficult to track down. For me, it usually happens with selection tools and paths. The quickest way to try and clear the problem is to choose a different operation and undo it (for example, if the error happens when you try to fill a selection, save the selection as an alpha channel or mask, then deselect, apply a filter then undo that filter).

If that doesn't clear things up, try to update your copy of CS4. Check to see if the error happens with every operation, or if it is only isolated to one kind of operation. If it happens all the time, uninstall and reinstall Photoshop.

Please let me know if this doesn't work, and I'll try to get more information to help you.

Kind regards,

-Scott