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No Layer Left Behind: A More Efficient Photoshop

One of the best moments we experience as designers is opening up a blank Photoshop Document (PSD). It represents a fresh start, a new client.

“This time will be different,” you say. “I’ll label my layers and group them accordingly.”

So, for the first 50 or so layers you stay on track by taking the time to name them. But eventually you get to a point where you start duplicating groups and before you know it, you’ve regressed to files named Layer 64 copy 3, Vector Smart Objects and imported layers from other PSDs like lost puppies without names or groups to call their homes.

Most designers will argue that time does not permit them to label their layers and groups. “As long as the structure is there it does not matter what I call the layer because I’m the only one who is going to see it right?” Wrong.

As designers, weeding out bad design habits and applying good design etiquette is essential for being a productive.

Don’t change to fit the computer, change the computer to fit you.

If the mouse isn’t your cup of tea invest in a tablet. Personally, as a left-handed creative, I find it easier and more productive to work with a Wacom tablet. I am able to design with my left hand and navigate the keyboard with my right. Do what works best for you; you’re a designer so get creative.

Learn keyboard shortcuts.

Knowing the shortcuts is half the battle and taking time to learn a few tricks will cut your time down significantly. There are many amazing resources available to learn keyboard shortcuts for the entire Adobe suite such as Training On Site. Have a post-it next to your monitor with the shortcuts so you remember to use them. PSD Tuts+ is another great resource for tricks, tutorials and quizzes. Testing yourself is a great way to keep growing as a designer.

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Now you can get GIMP’s power with Photoshop’s look and feel

You’re after a free image editor. You want a powerful one, something that gets compared favorably to the likes of Photoshop. You find Paint.NET and PixBuilder Studio intriguing, but just that little bit lacking. Ultimately, though, when you ask about a powerful, free image editor, you’re going to be pointed towards GIMP.

And that’s where the trouble begins, because while GIMP is undoubtedly the most powerful free image-editing tool there is, it’s also one that puts newcomers off because of its multi-paned floating user interface. But what if you could marry the interface of Photoshop with the power (and free price tag) of GIMP? The good news is, you can, thanks to an open-source, cross-platform program called GIMPshop.

GIMPshop, as its name implies, is built on the open-source code behind GIMP. What the authors have cleverly done is apply some design tweaks to the user interface to give it a more familiar feel to other image editors out there, in particular Photoshop.

This has been achieved in three different ways: first, GIMPshop alters GIMP’s menu structure to closely resemble Photoshop’s. Second, it’s substituted various terminology with that used by Adobe’s flagship product. And finally, it utilises a plug-in called “Deweirdifier” to combine GIMP’s many floating windows into just three: the Toolbox on the left, main window in the middle and all other key windows — brushes, layers and so on – merged into one pane on the right.

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