This chapter discusses Photoshop's user interface. It covers file storage requirements for images, familiarizing yourself with the different UI elements like panels and docks, customizing preferences, changing keyboard shortcuts, arranging documents in windows and tabs, dragging and dropping documents, changing document backgrounds, and accessing tools via flyout menus. The goal is to help the reader get acquainted with Photoshop's interface.

1. Ch 2: Getting Acquainted with Photoshop’s User Interface
Photoshop CS6 Essentials
By Scott Onstott

2. Ch 2: Getting Acquainted with Photoshop’s User Interface
File Storage Requirements
• Images take up space according to how
many pixels they are made up of.
• You can specify the dimensions of a
new document in pixels, inches, cm,
mm, points, picas, or columns
• When specifying a document’s size in
units other than pixels, the resolution
(in pixels/inch or pixels/cm) is used
to calculate how many pixels will be
created.
• The Image Size is an estimate of how
much RAM and disc space the file
will consume.

3. Ch 2: Getting Acquainted with Photoshop’s User Interface
Photoshop’s User Interface
• Familiarize yourself with all the
parts of the UI
• Learn the jargon used to identify
the UI elements such as panel,
dock, application frame,
options bar, and so on.
• Using the correct terminology will
help you to understand this
book and will enable you to
ask directed questions about
Photoshop.

4. Ch 2: Getting Acquainted with Photoshop’s User Interface
Application Preferences
• There are many user-configurable
preferences in Photoshop
• Access preferences from the
Photoshop menu in Mac OS and
the Edit menu in Windows.
• You can jump directly to a specific page
within the Preferences dialog box
from the Preferences cascading
sub-menu.
• Reset preferences by holding
Opt+Cmd+Shift while launching
Photoshop

5. Ch 2: Getting Acquainted with Photoshop’s User Interface
Saving Keyboard Shortcuts
• You can change keyboard
shortcuts by choosing Edit >
Keyboard Shortcuts
• Shortcuts are arranged in three
groups: application menus,
panel menus, and tools.
• Expand the hierarchy and locate
the command or tool you are
interested in and then click in
the shortcut column
• Press any combination of
modifier keys to record the
shortcut and click Accept

6. Ch 2: Getting Acquainted with Photoshop’s User Interface
Shortcut Keys
• Active keyboard shortcuts are listed
in the menus
• Learn frequently used commands
shortcuts as you use them and
then start to transition from using
menus to using the keyboard to
increase your productivity
• Mac OS uses symbols to represents
its modifier keys
• The Mac Command key is
equivalent to Windows Ctrl ley
• The Mac Option key is equivalent to
Windows Alt key

7. Ch 2: Getting Acquainted with Photoshop’s User Interface
Arranging Documents
• You can open documents in
windows or in tabs (controlled
by a preference setting on the
Interface page)
• The Arrange Documents drop-
down menu on the Application
bar has many different options
for tiling tabs
• You can also convert between tabs
and windows by choosing Float
All in Windows from the
Window > Arrange sub-menu

8. Ch 2: Getting Acquainted with Photoshop’s User Interface
Dragging and Dropping
• Drag and drop document window
their title bars or from tabs to
float or dock documents
• You can work with tabs, windows, or
a combination of both
• The application background
underlies all document tabs and
windows
• The document background
surrounds each document,
whether the document uses a
tabbed or windowed interface

9. Ch 2: Getting Acquainted with Photoshop’s User Interface
Document Backgrounds
• You can see the document background by
zooming out enough so that the effective
size of the document is smaller than its
window, or by resizing the document
window larger than the pixels inside it
• Select the Paint Bucket tool and right-click the
document background to choose Gray,
Black, or a Custom color. You can change
the background color to contrast with the
image you are viewing
• Full Screen with Menu Bar and Full Screen
modes maintain separate document
background colors

10. Ch 2: Getting Acquainted with Photoshop’s User Interface
Accessing Tool Flyout Menus
• Most of the tools in the Tools panel have
flyout menus hiding additional tools
• You can access hidden tools by pressing
Shift and the letter of the visible tool
• For example G selects the Gradient tool.
Shift+G selects the Paint Bucket tool.
• Pressing Shift and the shortcut letter
cycles back to the original tool after
all the items in the flyout have been
selected one at a time