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Control (Mac)/ right mouse (Win) -click on the eye icon next to a layer (on the Layers panel) to color code a layer. Note: the Background layer will have to be converted to a layer (in the Layers panel, drag the Lock icon to the trash) before color coding.
Thanks for correcting me on this, Mike!
In the Histogram panel, use the fly-out menu to select either Expanded View or All Channels View. Then, click and drag in the histogram to view the Levels, Count and Percentile of the range selected.
Many Panels have unique options accessible via the panel’s flyout menu. For example, selecting Panel Options from the History panel’s flyout menu provides several customizable preferences for history behavior. Several Panels also share shortcuts/behaviors - so if you use one option with one panel, try it with another. For example, for all panels that have the ability to discard something from the panel, Option (Mac) / Alt (Win) -click the trash can icon to delete the selected item (layers/multiple states/channels etc.) while bypassing the dialog box.
With Photoshop CS4, when using more than one monitor, you can distribute Photoshop’s panels to multiple monitors and save them as workspaces.
Most people typically use a subset of the many panels that Photoshop CS4 has to offer at any given time. For example, if you are color correcting an image, then you may want the Info, Histogram and Layers panels showing. If you are recording actions to help automate tasks, you might want the Actions, History and Layers panels open. The easiest way to switch between the sets of panels that you might need for different tasks is to save them as workspaces.
Rearrange the panels the way that you desire and then use the Workspace Picker (on the far right side of the Application Bar) to save the workspace. (Workspaces can also be saved via Window > Workspace > Save Workspace.) Workspaces can also contain custom Keyboard Shortcuts and Menu items.
At the top of the Workspace Picker list you will see any custom workspaces that you have saved as well as the default workspaces that ship with Photoshop CS4. Simply click to select the desired workspace from the list. Try selecting the ” What’s new in CS4” workspace - it will highlight all of the menu items in Photoshop CS4 that have been modified!
While transforming an image (Edit > Free Transform) you can change zoom level of the image using the old standby - Command (Mac) / Control (Win) “+” (plus) to zoom in, Command (Mac) / Control (Win) “-” (minus) to zoom out. Or, you can quickly zoom to a specific point using via the Navigator panel.
To change the zoom percentage in the Navigator panel, enter a percentage, drag the slider, click on the Zoom In or Zoom Out icons (the small or large mountains), or Command (Mac) / Control (Win) -drag in the thumbnail a new rectangle the size over the area that you want to zoom into.
Use the Info panel’s flyout menu to set the Primary and Secondary Color readouts and Mouse Coordinates (or use the shortcuts mentioned previously this week!). You can ALSO customize what Status Information you prefer to have displayed (Document Size, Profile, Dimensions etc.). In addition, you can choose to hide show Tool Hints (brief suggestions for using the currently selected tool).
Since, I’m going to be unavailable next week, I’m going to post a weeks worth of Photoshop shortcuts, all at once!
On the Info panel, click the eyedropper icon (with the small right-facing triangle) next to either the Primary or Secondary Color Readout to quickly select what information is presented and how. Choose between Actual or Proof Color, Color Mode, Total Ink or Opacity and Bit Depth options.
On the Info panel, click the Cross Hairs icon (with the small right-facing triangle) to quickly change the units of measurement used to track cursor coordinates.
Select Preferences > Cursors to control the look of your painting tool icons. Choose between Standard, Precise, Normal Brush Tip (which displays the brush size based on those pixels in the brush that are painting with 50% or greater opacity), and Full Size Brush Tip (which displays the cursor size around any pixel that is painted regardless of opacity). With any of the above options, you can also chose to Show Crosshair in Brush Tip to display a center point in a brush. Personally, I use set the painting Cursors to Normal Brush Tip and then use the “caps lock” key to display precise cross hairs for brushes as needed.
For Other Cursors, choose to see the Standard Photoshop icon, or choose Precise to display the cursor as a target with crosshairs. Note: clicking on any of the radial buttons will show a preview in the preferences.