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of keys you wish to assign as a shortcut for that particular tool or menu item. Now the thing to be aware of here is that Photoshop has already used up nearly every key combination there is, so you are likely to be faced with the choice of reassigning an existing shortcut, or using multiple modifier keys such as: or plus a letter or Function key, when creating new shortcuts.

Figure 1.28 The Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus dialog showing the keyboard shortcut options for the Photoshop Application Menus commands.

Creating workspace shortcuts

If you scroll down to the Window section in the Keyboard Shortcuts for Application Menus, you will see a list of all the currently saved Workspace presets. You can then assign keyboard shortcuts for your favorite workspaces. This will allow you to jump quickly from one workspace setting to another by using an assigned keyboard shortcut.

Task-based workspaces

You can use the Workspaces list in the menu bar to access alternative panel layouts, tailored for different types of Photoshop work. Note that you can expand the Workspaces list by dragging the double-bar that's circled in red outwards (depending on how much screen width you have available). You can also save a current panel arrangement as a new custom workspace via the Workspace list menu or by going to the Window menu and choosing Workspace Save Workspace… This opens the dialog box shown in Figure 1.29, which asks you to select the items you would like to have included as part of the workspace (the workspace settings can also include specific keyboard shortcuts and menu settings). The saved workspace will then appear added to the Application bar workspace list (Figure 1.30).

Figure 1.30 The Workspace list settings can be accessed via the Application bar menu shown here, or via the Window Workspace submenu. Workspace settings are now automatically updated as you modify them. However, to reset a workspace back to the default setting, you can do so via the Workspace list menu (circled in blue above).

The Workspace settings in Photoshop CS5 are now more accessible and one of the big improvements has been to force all workspace settings to include panel locations and have them update as you modify the layout you are working in. This means if you select a workspace and fine-tune the panel layout or other settings, these tweaks are automatically updated. When you switch to another workspace and back to the original, the updated settings are remembered (although you do have the option of reverting to the original saved setting). As you can see in Figure 1.29, saving keyboard shortcuts and menus is optional and the way things stand now, if you choose not to include these settings as part of the workspace, the menu and keyboard shortcuts used in the last selected workspace remain sticky. Let's say you save a custom workspace that excludes saving menus and shortcuts. If you switch to a workspace setting that makes use of specific menus or keyboard shortcuts and switch back again you can add these menu and shortcuts settings to the current workspace setting (until you reset).

Figure 1.29 The Save Workspace menu in Photoshop can be used to save custom panel workspace setups. These can be recalled by revisiting the menu and highlighting the workspace name. To remove a workspace, choose Delete Workspace… from the menu.

Reordering the workspaces

As you add a new workspace it will appear to the left of the Workspace list. However, you can reorganise the order the workspaces appear in by dragging and dropping them to a new position.

Saved workspaces location

Custom and modified workspaces are saved to the following locations: User folder/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop CS5 Settings/(Mac),userfolder/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CS5/Adobe Photoshop CS5 Settings/(Windows Vista).

Figure 1.31.

Here is an example of the Photography workspace in use.

Working with a dual monitor setup

If you have a second computer display, you can arrange things so that all the panels are placed on the