Interface preferences

The Interface panel, shown in Figure 2.18, allows you to define the general look of the Photoshop interface including windows, panels, and documents:

• General: This defines the color and border used for the standard and full screen modes. You also can specify whether to show the following:
• Show Channels in Color: By default, channels are displayed in grayscale when you view them individually. Displaying the channels in color can give you a better perspective on the color, but it’s not the best option when trying to determine tonal adjustments that need to be made to an individual channel.
• Show Menu Colors: When this option is enabled, the colors that you define using Edit ➪ Menus or Window ➪ Workspace ➪ Keyboard Shortcuts & Menus ➪ Menus are displayed in the menus. The ability to toggle this on and off can be useful if the menu colors are distracting for some of your workflows.
• Show Tool Tips: When enabled, a textual description of tools, settings, windows, and panels is displayed when the mouse hovers over these things.
• Panels & Documents: This defines the behavior of panels and document windows using the following options:
• Auto-Collapse Iconic Panels: When enabled, panels that are opened by clicking the panel icon close automatically when you click another panel or tool in the workspace.
• Auto-Show Hidden Panels: This reveals hidden panels on rollover.
• Restore Default Workspaces: Photoshop keeps track of the panels that are opened and layout changes you make to the current workspace. When you open the workspace again, the panels are back to the way you left them. The Restore Default Workspaces button resets the workspace to the default settings.
• Open Documents as Tab: When enabled, files are opened in tabbed document windows that are docked to the document workspace. When disabled, files are opened in a floating document window.
• Enable Floating Document Window Docking: When enabled, you can dock floating
  document windows with each other to make floating document groups that can be
  controlled together.
• UI Text Options: This allows you to set the language and font size used for the text in  Photoshop’s menus, tools, panels, and so on. You need to restart Photoshop after changing these settings.

FIGURE 2.18
The Interface settings in the Preferences dialog box allow you to define the look and feel of the windows, documents, and panels in Photoshop.

In this tutorial:

1. Photoshop Workspace 
2. Workspace Overview 
3. The Document Workspace 
4. The Application Bar 
5. The Workspace Presets 
6. The Toolbox and Tool Options Bar 
7. Cruising Main Menus 
8. Understanding Panels 
9. Understanding Tools in Toolbox 
10. Using Presets 
11. Setting Preferences 
12. Interface Preferences 
13. File Handling Preferences 
14. Transparency Gamut Preferences 
15. Customizing Shortcuts and Menus