Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Swatches
The Swatches panel is like a painter's palette in that it holds sev-
eral colors ready to use. Many colors are loaded by default, which
are useful when painting or using filters that utilize those colors. If
you click the panel's submenu, you'll discover many more swatch
topics to load for specialty purposes like web browser colors, spot
color printing, or thematic color swatches (such as a blue saturated
range). You can also store any custom colors you create for easy
access by clicking on an empty space to store the swatch.
TEMPORARY BANISHMENT OF PANELS
Tip
Docking Panels
To save space, any floating panel
can be collapsed to an icon. Simply
drag a panel to any new panel's
edge or the edge of the screen, and
a blue line will appear (which indi-
cates where the panel will dock).
The most common place to dock
panels is on the right edge of the
screen, but they can be docked on
the left or bottom edges as well.
If you want to hide your panels, you can quickly toggle them off and on:
• Press the Tab key to hide all the panels.
• Press the Tab key again and they return.
• Press Shift+Tab to hide everything except the Options bar and
Tools panel.
• To focus on only your image, press the F key once to go to Full Screen
Mode With Menu Bar. Press the F key again to go to Full Screen and
hide all the user interface elements. Press the F key once more to
cycle to Standard Screen Mode. You'll also find the Screen Mode
Switcher located at the bottom of the Tools panel.
Styles
The Styles panel is where you can visually access Layer Styles,
which are the combination of layer effects (they can also be
applied singularly to create effects such as beveled edges, drop
shadows, or glows). Effects are most useful in combination, and
advanced photorealistic effects can be achieved. Photoshop ships
with several built-in styles, and many more are available for down-
load from Adobe's website (
www.adobe.com/exchange)
as well as
many other Photoshop sites. Layer Styles are frequently used for
text and image effects but can also be used for web rollover effects
for buttons. For more on Layer Styles, be sure to read Chapter 13,
“Layer Styles.”
