As a hobbyist exploring the exciting world of digital creativity, you may find yourself immersed in the endless possibilities offered by Photoshop. While professionals often emphasize the importance of an organised workspace, this concept applies just as much to hobbyists. What are the benefits of organising your Photoshop workspace, and why investing a little time in this can greatly enhance your experience, let us have a look why.

Easy Navigation:

When you start your editing process in Photoshop, the last thing you want is to spend valuable time searching for the tools and features you need. By organising your workspace, you can arrange your panels, tools, and assets in a logical and intuitive manner that works for you. This ensures that you can easily locate and access the tools you need, allowing you to focus on unleashing your creativity without unnecessary distractions.

 Simplified Learning Curve:

Photoshop is a software with a wealth of features and options, which can be overwhelming for beginners. By organising your workspace, you can simplify the learning curve and make Photoshop more approachable. Customise your workspace to display only the tools and panels that you frequently use, reducing clutter and helping you do essential functions faster this streamlined approach allows you to enjoy the process of learning and experimenting without feeling overwhelmed.

Enhanced Creativity:

An organised workspace fosters a clutter-free and visually pleasing environment, which can have a positive impact on your creativity. When your screen is clean and uncluttered, you can fully immerse yourself, allowing your imagination to flow freely. This enhanced focus and creative mindset can result in more satisfying and enjoyable projects, as you feel inspired and empowered to bring your ideas to life.

My Workspace(s)

I have several workspaces saved for different functions.

Creative Workspace ~ which has the panels,tools, various plug in panels I use and my actions panel set up for my creative workflow

Teaching Workspace ~ as I teach Photoshop OnLine I have a workspace set up with the panels/tools, but not showing my plug in panels etc. It looks uncluttered for the learner

Zoom Workspace ~ similar to my Teaching Workspace with a few extra tools I use to demonstrate

Watch the video how I customise my Photoshop Workspace.

Customise your Workspace

To change your workspace in Photoshop, follow these steps:

1. Launch Photoshop: Open Adobe Photoshop on your computer. Ensure that you have the latest version installed for the best experience.

2. Access the Workspace menu: In the top menu bar, go to "Window" and find the "Workspace" option. Click on it to expand the workspace-related settings.

3. Choose a preset workspace: In the Workspace submenu, you'll see several preset options such as Essentials, Photography, Painting, 3D, and more. Click on any of these options to switch to that particular workspace.

4. Customize the workspace: If you want to create a custom workspace or modify an existing one, you can do so by selecting "New Workspace" or "Reset [Workspace Name]" from the Workspace submenu. Choose "New Workspace" to create a new workspace.

5. Arrange panels: Once you're in the workspace of your choice, you can arrange panels to fit your preferences. Panels contain various tools and settings for different tasks. To move a panel, click and drag its tab to a new location. To dock a panel, drag it to the desired side of the application window until you see blue highlighting, then release the mouse button.

6. Expand or collapse panels: If a panel is too narrow to display its contents fully, you can expand it by clicking the double arrow icon at the top-right corner of the panel. To collapse a panel, click the same double arrow icon again.

7. Create custom panel groups: You can create custom panel groups by clicking and dragging the panel's tab to the tab of another panel. This creates a group with tabs for easy access. You can also create a new panel group by selecting "New Group" from the panel's options menu (accessible through the panel's top-right corner).

8. Save your custom workspace: If you've customized the workspace to your liking, you can save it as a custom workspace. Go to the Workspace submenu, click on "New Workspace," give it a name, and click "Save." Your custom workspace will now appear as an option under the Workspace submenu.

9. Switch between workspaces: At any time, you can switch between workspaces by going to the Workspace submenu under the Window menu. Click on the desired workspace name, and Photoshop will adjust its layout accordingly.

By following these steps, you can change and customize your workspace in Adobe Photoshop to suit your workflow and preferences. The specific tools and panels you have on your Photoshop workspace depend on your personal workflow and the type of tasks you commonly perform. However, here are some essential tools and panels that are commonly used in Photoshop:

Tools Panel: The Tools panel contains various tools for selecting, editing, painting, retouching, and more. Some important tools include the Move tool, Rectangular Marquee tool, Lasso tools, Crop tool, Brush tool, Clone Stamp tool, Healing Brush tool, and Eraser tool. You can access the Tools panel by pressing "V" on your keyboard or by selecting the respective tool from the Tools menu.

Layers Panel: The Layers panel allows you to manage and manipulate different layers within your Photoshop document. Layers are crucial for non-destructive editing and organizing your artwork. You can create, delete, duplicate, hide, and rearrange layers using this panel. You can access the Layers panel by pressing "F7" on your keyboard or by going to Window > Layers.

Colour Swatches Panel: The Colour Swatches panel provides a range of predefined colours that you can use for painting, filling, and applying gradients in your artwork. It allows you to quickly select colours from the swatch library or create your own custom swatches. You can access the Colour Swatches panel by pressing "F6" on your keyboard or by going to Window > Swatches.

Brushes Panel: The Brushes panel allows you to select and customize brushes for painting and retouching. You can adjust brush size, hardness, opacity, flow, and other settings to achieve the desired effect. You can access the Brushes panel by pressing "F5" on your keyboard or by going to Window > Brushes.

History Panel: The History panel keeps a record of your actions and allows you to undo or redo steps in your editing process. It provides a visual timeline of your changes, and you can revert back to any previous state by clicking on a specific history state. You can access the History panel by pressing "F9" on your keyboard or by going to Window > History.

Adjustments Panel: The Adjustments panel provides a range of non-destructive adjustment layers that allow you to modify the colour, tone, and overall appearance of your image. It includes adjustments such as Levels, Curves, Vibrance, Hue/Saturation, and more. You can access the Adjustments panel by going to Window > Adjustments.

Info Panel: The Info panel displays information about your artwork, such as the color values of a selected pixel, the size and position of objects, and other measurements. It can be helpful for precise editing and aligning elements. You can access the Info panel by pressing "F8" on your keyboard or by going to Window > Info.

Properties Panel: The Properties panel is where you'll find controls and options for whichever layer is selected in the Layers panel.

These are just a few essential tools and panels in Photoshop. Remember that you can customize your workspace by adding or removing panels to suit your specific workflow.

Invest some time in tidying up your Photoshop environment, and watch as your hobbyist journey becomes even more fulfilling and rewarding. Happy creating!