Background for PS

R
Posted By
rlmslo
Sep 28, 2006
Views
320
Replies
16
Status
Closed
Howdy
My problem is a simple one: when I open PS I get the tool bar on the left, option bar, ect on top and pallets on the right. In the middle is my desktop picture. Is it possible for PS to put a blank background in there? I know when I put a photo I am going to work on on the desk top, and hit the F key, I can cycle through several backgrounds. What I would like is to just have a plain background available when I first open the program.

Thanks for any help

rlmslo
Related Tags
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WG
Welles_Goodrich
Sep 28, 2006
There’s no capacity to do that in Photoshop however there is an answer. I’m addicted to creating colorful desktop images and to avoid exactly the issue you mention I use Desktop Curtain. It works with Intel Macs too.

<http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/26396>

I set it up so it is exactly 50% gray and floats above the desktop icons. A contextual menu allows you to quit.
R
Ram
Sep 28, 2006
You know… this is stating the obvious, but…

I solved that problem years ago by setting my desktop to a solid gray.

< http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1w1oGoubS6FokBQP1W eDxTRwa77ec1>
B
Buko
Sep 28, 2006
the desktop gray should be 192,192,192
WG
Welles_Goodrich
Sep 28, 2006
OK, I’ll bite. Why?
B
Buko
Sep 28, 2006
Because that is the same as the grey background when you go to full screen mode.
WG
Welles_Goodrich
Sep 28, 2006
Damn! That makes too much good sense.
RM
Rick McCleary
Sep 28, 2006
Because that is the same as the grey background when you go to full screen mode.

192/192/192 is the default background for full screen mode. But you can change it to anything you like. I use something a bit darker (140/140/140) and then set my desktop to match, as you suggest.
B
Buko
Sep 28, 2006
I believe that 192/192/192 is also the same as the old Kodak neutral grey photocards for getting light readings
R
Ram
Sep 28, 2006
Buko,

the desktop gray should be 192,192,192

I tried that. It was too light for my taste.

Because that is the same as the grey background when you go to full screen mode.

Well, that’s irrelevant. 😀

I never see that gray background in full screen mode anyway.

It also seems a lot more convenient to use one of the grays built into System Preferences.
R
Ram
Sep 28, 2006
I believe that 192/192/192 is also the same as the old Kodak neutral grey photocards for getting light readings

I don’t have the exact numbers in front of me, but those Kodak cards were NOT neutral, despite claims to the contrary.
R
Ram
Sep 28, 2006
Here, check this out:

<http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/products/tools/card.shtml>

I get readings of 140,140,132. Not quite neutral. (Firefox and Safari)

That’s a lot closer to the 145,145,145 I’m using than the much lighter 192,192,192 in the Photoshop apron.
B
Buko
Sep 28, 2006
I pretty sure I got the 192/192/192 from Bruce Fraser.
R
Ram
Sep 28, 2006
Oh, the 192.192.192 is indeed the Photoshop apron, no doubt about that.
RM
Rick McCleary
Sep 29, 2006
Oh, the 192.192.192 is indeed the Photoshop apron, no doubt about that.

….and that "apron" value is adjustable. Select the value you want in the color picker and shift-click on the apron with the paint bucket tool.
R
Ram
Sep 29, 2006
Thanks, Rick. I knew that; but the color of the apron is really irrelevant to me for all practical purposes, since I virtually never see it.

I do see my desktop, though, especially on the second monitor, so that’s what I’m really concerned about.
B
Buko
Sep 29, 2006
What I have done is take one of the Graphite desktop pictures converted it to grayscale and adjusted it close to 192/192/192. I prefer the lighter gray.

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