photoshopHelp

Warning Will Robinson

Photoshop provides plenty of safety nets for the wary user. They usually materialize as helpful dialog boxes that say things like "Are you sure you want to do this?" and "Is that what you're wearing" After awhile, they can become annoying, so if you're like most people, you start selecting the Do Not Show this Dialog Box Again Please, I Get it Already option. Thank goodness they're gone.

Then one day you begin to wonder about that warning dialog. What exactly did it say? Was it really important? Did you ever read it? Never fear, you can always retreat.

Choose Edit > Preferences > General

and click the Reset All Warning Dialogs button located at the bottom of the box. All warnings will now appear at the appropriate times. Every last one of them.

Grid Size Preferences

Radhika writes,
I came across your site using Google - thanks for answering all the questions I've picked up a lot of good tips, now I have a question regarding the default Grid Size
Choose View > Show > Grid (Ctrl+')
When the grid appears it always seems to be too big for my needs.
Is there any way to change the grid size? Thanks a lot

Grid Size is controlled in the Preferences.

Choose Edit > Preferences > Guides, Grids & Slices The Guides, Grids & Slices dialog box appears. In the Grid section choose a Color:, Style:, and Gridline Every: for grid spacing. You can even create Subdivisions for increased accuracy.

When you're satisfied, click OK.

Grappling with the Grid

Radhika. writes,

This question is in regards to the default Grid Size and how to control it's size...

Choose View > Show > Grid
When the grid appears it always seems to be too big for my needs.
Is there any way to change the grid size? Thanks a lot.

You control the Grid size from the Preferences dialog box.

Choose Edit > Preferences > Guides Grids and Slices.

In the Grid section, you can change the major Grid size by entering a value in the Gridline every: text entry box and choosing a measurement eg. mm. inches, percent, etc. from the dropdown menu. You can even add a minor subdivision by entering a value in the Subdivisions category.

Locked Files Scratch

Eileen writes,

PLEASE HELP!!! What does it mean by "Could not initialize Photoshop because the file is locked"? I changed the first scratch disk from "start up" to my "D drive" which had the most extra space. Since then Photoshop won't start and just giving me that message. What did I do wrong and what can I do to fix it? Thank you for your help! What did I do to my computer....would I be able to fix this on my own?... Please say "yes"...

Yes. Now, about that computer. Just kidding, hopefully I can help you get going again. First, let's delete the Preferences file.
While holding the keys,  launch Photoshop via the Programs menu
While holding the Ctrl + Alt + Shift (PC) or Command + Option + Shift (Mac OSX)
Open the application, choose Start > Programs > Adobe Photoshop CS2
An Alert box appears, "Delete the Adobe Photoshop Settings file?"
Click Yes.
Photoshop should open.
Check the default Preference settings.
Choose Edit > Prefs > Plug-ins and Scratch Disks
The Plug-ins and Scratch Disks Preference dialog box appears.
The startup disk is reset as the Primary Scratch drive.
You might try changing the Primary disk to D drive again, past experience would  indicate that this road is  one we don't wwant to travel again.
You also could try leaving startup as the Primary and make the D drive your secondary.
Click below to see what Adobe recommends when choosing a Scratch drive.

Scratch

Rae writes,

I was considering buying an external hard drive to use for the scratch disk in Photoshop. They are very cheap right now. Does that make sense? Will it make things go faster?

Scratch disks are an important part of the Photoshop process. When you run out of RAM, it's scratch disk to the rescue. By default, your primary scratch drive is the same drive that your OS is running on.

Choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-ins and Scratch Disks...
By default,  Startup is selected in the First: dropdown menu.
Choose a second, third and even a fourth scratch disk drive.
Click OK.

Whatever drive you designate, it should be the fastest drive on your computer. Rather than using an external drive, consider installing a second internal hard drive or partitioning a section of your current drive instead. De-fragment often.

Change the Channel

Have you ever wondered why the color Channels, in Photoshop, display as grayscale images?
Choose Window > Channels
If the image is in RGB color mode, you'll have three individual color channels, Red, Green, and Blue plus a composite channel of all three.
If the image is in CMYK color mode, you'll have four individual color channels, Cyan, Magenta , Yellow, and Black plus a composite channel of all four.
By default, the Channels display in black and white.
To see them in their full-color glory.
Choose Edit > Preferences > Displays & Cursors
The Displays & Cursors Preferences dialog box appears.
In the Display: section, select the Color Channels in Color option.
Click OK.
Choose Window > Channels
The channels are now in color.

Recent Work

You probably already know that in Photoshop you can easily access the last ten files you worked on through the menu bar.
Choose File > Open Recent
Did you know that you can increase the number of recent files that appear?
You can in the Prefs.
Choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling
Change the Recent File List Contains text-entry box to a new value.

Photoshop Preference Reset

Dan asks,

I've seen your Post on Preferences. Isn't there any easy way to reset the prefs without having to go find them

Yes, there is a keyboard shortcut you can use to re-set the Preferences to their default settings.

While holding the Ctrl + Alt + Shift (PC) or Command + Option + Shift (Mac OSX)
Open the application, choose Start > Programs > Photoshop CS2
An Alert box appears, "Delete the Adobe Photoshop Settings file?"
Click Yes.

Note: This works for either Photoshop or ImageReady.

Plug-in Legacy

Jack writes,

I just upgraded to CS2 and I am having trouble with my plug-in filters. Any suggestions?

Whenever you are installing third-party plug‑ins, start by following the installation instructions that came with it. You may want to try running the installer to make sure that ALL the components are installed properly. 
If you're still having trouble, some plug-ins require a legacy Photoshop serial number.
Choose Edit > Preferences > Plug-ins and Scratch Disks
The Plug-ins and Scratch Disks dialog box appears.
Enter the serial number of the previous version of Photoshop you used your plug in.
Click OK.

User Interface Control

Long hours in front of a computer monitor can wreak havok on your eyes. Give them a break by increasing the font size of the Photoshop User Interface.
In Photosop CS2 you can do so in the General Preferences.

Choose Edit > Preferences > General
The General Prefs dialog box opens.
Select Large from the UI Font Size dropdown menu,
and restart Photoshop.

The font size for the options bar, palettes, and tool tips are all increased. My optic nerves feel better already.