CS5 KERNING/TRACKING type problem

Question

i googled this and it's impossible, but it seems i'm the only one having this problem.
this is the case
for example i have one word EXAMPLE, and when i change tracking on the whole word, tracking on every letter changes. but when i then try to change tracking or kerning on just one letter, it changes tracking on all other letters for first like 60 points.
in detail, i click on the kerning or tracking number box and go with arrows up/down to change the number used, and it changes the numbers by 20 (tracking) and by 10 (kerning). the first three taps on arrows up or down changes not only the kerning/tracking on one letter but messes up the whole word and all other letters, and only after the first three taps in one direction when i go on does it work normal changing that letter kerning while all other letters have constant kerning. as you know, kerning and tracking is usually a very delicate job where you don't need to change much, so when i can't normally see what is happening on first 60 points, it gets very iritating.
what is even worse, this is not just a preview problem. how i see it when i change the kerning with like two taps on upper arrow, when the rest of the word gets messed up, whey i click yes checksign, it stays like that
english is not my native language so i don't know if i succeded explaining this the right way, but if it doesn't work, i gzuess i'll have to make a video of this thing happening
is there a solution for this problem?
thank you

Answer 1

Hi.
Rick (and I think Komeci) have it right. The only way to adjust kerning manually is to set the cursor between the two letters. Then set the value from the dropdown menu or use Alt+Arrow.
If you highlight two adjacent letters, there are only two kerning options, Metrics & Optical, both automatic. The default is Metrics. Metrics uses the font's built in kerning. Quality of results will depend on the quality of the font set. Mileage highly variable. Set to Optical, Ps looks at the shapes of the two glyphs and optimizes the spacing independent of the kerning metrics of the font.
Below you can see the difference. In both I selected the whole word and set the kerning mode.
With metric kerning, in this font, Lucida Sans, the E is too close to the X, and the L is too far from the E, among other things.
The optical kerning looks better. The spacing is more uniform. The M and P might still be a little too far apart. But much better than metric. And reason to consider leaving your kerning set to Optical instead of Metric.
Anyway, you can automatically kern letters, words, or whole texts by selecting them. You can only manually kern two letters by clicking between them. If you select any number of letters or words, and use the arrow keys, you are adjusting tracking. The kerning dropdown will show two options, Metrics or Optical. Numerical values are greyed out.
When you click between two letters, Alt+Arrow adjusts the spacing between the letters.
When you select any number of letters, Alt+Arrow adjusts the tracking of the selected letters.
I'm pretty sure none of this helps you, Komeci. Sounds like something's broken. I'm a Ps driver, not a Ps mechanic. Good luck.
Peace,
Lee