CHOOSE YOUR PREFERRED COLOR for the interface and screen modes

In previous versions of Photoshop, you were able to change the color of the background behind the image you were working on, with the tools and panels remaining a light color. Photoshop CS6 now gives you color options for the interface. The color themes include four different shades from light gray through dark gray, and the changes take place immediately when you select a different Appearance Color Theme from the Preferences Interface window. 

Viewing your images against darker or lighter backgrounds acts like a traditional matte surrounding your central image, and helps the eye see the colors and contrast more accurately. When the tools and panels around your image are too light, it can distract your eye. You can even match the tools and panels with the background color of your selected screen mode, giving you a more uniform backdrop for viewing and editing. 

Darkening the user interface is particularly useful for photographers and those working in both Photoshop and Lightroom, or another application with a dark appearance, because less of a visual shift occurs when switching applications.

 

 

Note: You can better judge the options if you first open an image and press F once to change the view mode to Full Screen with Menus.

1 Click Photoshop (Edit).

2 Click Preferences.

3 Click Interface.

The Interface pane of the Preferences dialog box appears.

4 Click the title bar and drag the Preferences dialog box slightly to the side or down to see the tools and panels.

5 Click each of the four Color Theme boxes to see the changes.

TIPS

Did You Know?

Pressing the F key toggles the screen modes from Standard, to Full Screen with Menus, and then to Full Screen.

Try This!
 

You can use the F1 and F2 keys to toggle the darkness levels of the user interface. By default, the F1 and F2 keys are secondary shortcuts to other functions. On a Mac, F1 is bound to Edit -> Undo/Redo and F2 is set to Edit Cut. In Windows, F1 is set to Help and F2 is set to Edit ->Cut. You can delete these default settings, as in task #8, because those tools have other keyboard shortcuts. You can then quickly darken the user interface by pressing F1, and lighten it by pressing F2.