Understanding Adobe Photoshop’s Workspace,
Adjustment Layers/Masks & Palettes
  Suitable For Adobe Photoshop
Skill Level - Beginners

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 Photoshop users will notice that newer interfaces are slightly different to previous Photoshop Creative Suite versions. This tutorial explains the differences, and demonstrates how to optimise Photoshop’s workspace so that my Photoshop tutorials will be easier to follow using newer Photoshop versions. 

New Photoshop Additions Click Here

Note
Photoshop’s Tools, Effects, Commands; Layers and Layer Masks are accessed in exactly the same way in all versions.

The Masks Panel
Centralise Images
CS Live Tab
Workspace Tabs
Photoshop Workspace
Saving/Restoring Workspaces
Disable The Tabbed Images Setting
Newer Photoshop Workspace Palettes
Adjustments/Masks Panel Plus Layers Palette
Docking Newer Photoshop Workspace Palettes
Dragging And Dropping Between Tabbed Images
Important Extract Filter And Pattern Maker Plugins News
How To Change The Appearance Of Te (Default) Dark Grey Workspace

Photoshop’s Workspace
Many of my tutorials involve dragging and dropping photographs on top of each other from within the workspace, (using the Move Tool). However, by default, later versions have Open Documents as Tab active; therefore, when you open an image it will appear as illustrated below, and subsequent opened images will be placed directly on top of the first, making dragging and dropping between images difficult. (When the Open Documents as Tab setting is active, you can toggle between multiple images by clicking their respective tabs, these are positioned along the image’s top menu-bar - as highlighted below).



To disable this (tabbed) setting; from the top menu, choose Edit then choose Preferences then choose General.



Then from the subsequent Preferences dialogue box, activate the left-side Interface tab; and unmark the following Open Documents as Tabs box.



Then click OK.


Next time you open an image onto Photoshop’s workspace, it will open as a Floating Window, as illustrated below - making it possible to drag and drop between open images.



Note
Dragging your image’s top menu-bar towards Photoshop’s upper menu will expand your image’s grey workspace.





If you change your mind about your image’s position; left-clicking and dragging the image’s top menu-bar downwards, returns it to its previous state.





Tip: Snap Your Image To The Top Menu’s Horizontal Bar
Another way of centralising an image is to snap it to the top (horizontal) menu-bar by dragging your image towards it: as soon as you see a blue horizontal bar, your image should automatically snap to it.



Dragging And Dropping Between Open Images
If you have Open Document as Tab active, and have more than one image open on Photoshop’s workspace, you can still drag and drop between images.  To do so, first
left-click over one of the tabbed image’s top menu-bar - as illustrated below.



Then simply drag the image to the side; this separates the images, so enabling dragging and dropping between images.



Photoshop’s Workspace Palettes

Tip - Save/Restore The Workspace
To restore Photoshop’s default workspace, from the top menu, choose Window then choose Workspace, then select your choice from Essential (Default) and Basic. When you have created a personalised workspace, to save it, from the top menu, choose Window then choose Workspace then choose Save Workspace.



To personalise the right-side Palettes/Panels; from the top menu, choose Window. 
You will then see the following drop-down menu that contains a list of Palettes. To remove a Palette from the workspace’s right-side; left-click to remove the tick - from, for example, Animation. This will remove the Palette from your workspace.  To add a Palette to the workspace, (for example the History Palette), click a tick before History.



This is one of my Saved Workspaces.



Tip
After you have created a workspace you like the look of, remember to save it.

Docking Your Workspace Palettes
After you have introduced the Palettes of your choice, they can be docked. For example, illustrated below is the History Palette I added earlier.



To dock a Palette, so leaving more visible workspace; left-click the following chevron arrows.



The Palette will then be docked, as illustrated below. To redisplay the History Palette
in full, left-click the following History Palette tab.
 



Note
Right-clicking a Palette’s icon reveals the following drop-down menu.



Tip
You can quickly toggle the Palettes on and off by tapping your keyboard’s Tab key. 
Tap it again to return your Palettes.



Adjustments/Masks Panel Plus Layers Palette
Adjustment Layers are still accessed in the usual way, from the top menu (Layer then New Adjustment Layer) - as illustrated below.
 

Or from the foot of the Layers Palette;- in exactly the same way as earlier Creative Suite versions.
 

However, if you are utilising Photoshop’s default (Essential (Default)) workspace, you will notice the Adjustments and Layers Palettes share a Palette that is situated above the Layers Palette - as illustrated below. 



As a result, when Adjustment Layers are activated, instead of tweaking the settings via the usual Adjustments dialogue box, you have immediate access to Adjustment settings via the Adjustments Panel - as illustrated below.

            

If, for example, you have three different Adjustment Layers applied to an image; as you click on each Adjustment Layer, (in the Layers Palette), you can immediately access the Adjustment settings. As you tweak the settings for an Adjustment Layer, you can also go directly to the Layers Palette and adjust, for example, the Blending Mode.

Layers Palette - Note
If you need to expand the Layers Palette, double-left-click the following Layers tab.

Tip
To minimise the Layers Palette, double-left-click the Layers tab once again.

                 

To navigate through different Adjustment Layer choices; first click the following arrow found at the foot of the Adjustments Panel.



Then from the subsequent dialogue box, (bottom-left), click an Adjustment Layer’s icon of your choice; for example Curves. You can then adjust the Curves settings - and its Presets, from within the Adjustments Panel - as demonstrated bottom-right.

Note
You can navigate through different Adjustment Layers by clicking their respective buttons - illustrated bottom-left.

                 

Tip
If you click the following button, (bottom-left); the Adjustments Panel will expand. 
Click the button again to reduce the Adjustment Panel’s size.

    

Note
You can quickly access various Adjustments settings by clicking the following arrow.



The Masks Panel
The Masks Panel shares a Palette with Adjustments - as illustrated below



The Masks Panel offers direct editing control over the appearance of an active Layer
Mask. Therefore, if you have followed my Resurface Eyeballs PDF Tutorial; (after first creating a Layer Mask in the usual way by clicking the Create a New Mask icon at the foot of the Layers Palette, or from the top menu, choosing Layer then Layer Mask); you can quickly access the Masks Panel’s dialogue box - changing the Mask’s Density and Feather as needed - as illustrated below. In addition, you can quickly edit the Mask Edge, Colour Range and Invert it, if you wish.
 
 

Students: Important Extract Filter, Pattern Maker Plugin News - From Adobe
There are some plugins and presets that have been removed in later Photoshop versions. If you wish to use these plugins and presets, you can find them in your Goodies folder on your DVD install disc; or you can download them from Adobe via the link above.



How To Install The Plugins - (Install Plugins Tutorial).
First, close Photoshop: then unzip the following PHSPCS4_Optional_Plug-Ins(2).zip download, (found in the link above).



And install the extracted PHSPCS4_Cont_LS1.exe file into the Adobe Photoshop CS4/5 folder that is located in your main program files. 
 
                                                 

Then reopen Photoshop - and your filters should be ready to utilise - as illustrated below.



Disable Tapped Images
In order to open Start Images images separately: (disabling the Tabbed Images setting): first, close Photoshop. Then from the top menu, choose Edit then choose Preferences then choose General. From the subsequent Preferences dialogue box, click Interface, and from the Panels and Documents menu, unmark Open Documents as Tabs - as illustrated below - then click OK. Now, open Photoshop, and when you next choose Ctrl then O to open your Start Images, they won’t be tabbed together.





Photoshop’s Workspace Choices, Essentials, Design and Painting
Photoshop have the ability to set your desired Workspace. Newer version students can select from Essentials, Design or Painting - as illustrated below. For example, if you are using one of Photoshop ’s Painting Tools, you would click to activate the Painting tab - as demonstrated. (My on-line Painting tutorial can be viewed here).

Photoshop’s Later Workspace Tabs



In addition, CS Live tab is situated as illustrated below: clicking the tab displays the following drop-down list.



Photoshop’s Workspace Tabs



How To Change The Default Dark Grey Workspace
It’s easy to change the default dark grey workspace’s appearance. To do so, from the top menu, select File then select Preferences and then select Interface - as demonstrated below.



Now, from the subsequent Preferences dialogue box, (from under the Appearance tab),
left-click over a colour of your choice. 



And complete the change by clicking OK.



Take a little time to familiarise yourself with newer workspaces; creating an environment that is suitable for your workflow. And remember, when you have created a workspace that suits your current needs, don’t forget to save it.


Wendi E. M. Scarth. Top of Page.