Last week, Colleen and I invited Adobe’s own Jeff Tranberry to join us for our weekly Martini Hour. During the show, we discussed the Configurator, which is a free utility from Adobe Labs that lets you create custom palettes for Photoshop CS4.
If you’ve ever used Configurator, you know that it provides access to just about every tool and command available to Photoshop. Make a new palette, drag a tool or command into it, and you have your own customized interface. Problem is, Adobe left out a few of the new features available to Photoshop CS4, including the Adjustments palette and Vibrance command. I now make them available to you in the form of a palette I’m calling Photoshop CS4 Treasure Trove.
You’ll need to be a member to gain access to this palette.
To download my custom CS4 palette and its supporting files (which you’ll need to build your own Configurator palette), click this CS4 Treasure Trove.zip link and save the attached ZIP file to your hard drive. Then unzip the file to create a folder filled with the following:
- Treasure Trove.mxp: Double-click this file to open it in Extension Manager (pictured below) and automatically install the palette in Photoshop CS4. You’ll also need to restart Photoshop. Then choose Window > Extensions > Treasure Trove to open the palette. If you get a weird message, close the palette and try reopening it.
- CS4 Treasure Trove.gpc: Interested in creating your own custom palette? Open this file inside Configurator. I recommend using this file as a template for your own palette adventures. Delete the buttons you don’t want; add other buttons as desired.
- Line.gif: Your everyday average spacer image, used in the GPC file.
- PsCS4-treasure.png: The header image, which credits Jeff Tranberry and Julieanne Kost for their contributions to the scripts. Without them, this palette would not be possible.
(This is my second Photoshop CS4 palette. My more ambitious Channels & Masks palette is also available for free to members of dekeOnline. Note that you have to own Photoshop CS4 to use either of these palettes.)
Note. At any given moment, I’m bound by a dozen NDAs with Adobe. But I can say this: For the present, CS4’s custom palettes are more interesting novelties than absolute imperatives. But come next year, Configurator appears poised to blossom into one of those tools that separates the power users from the enthusiasts. To ramp up and get ready, download the free Configurator from Adobe Labs.
Configurator enthusiasts can learn more at Jeff Tranberry’s site. Action and automation fans will find much to love at Photoshop evangelist Julianne Kost’s blog. (Hey, we’re all geeks. Embrace it!)
Missing other functions in Configurator? Add your comments and I’ll look into them.
Yo, Mr. Teach…so I got a questions….
By the way, aren’t you looking fabulous today. :-D
But anyway….I just took a look at the extra info on a pic I doctored all to hell and posted to Flickr, and the info is as long as your arm times eleventy twelve, and may even reach all the way around Texas. How come?! Srsly, every little thought and afterthought and nudge and tickle and choke is recorded in there. It’s embarrassing! See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/petrapaignton/3871091813/meta/in/photostream
How do I fix this? If anyone knows, please tell me so I don’t look quite so metadatedly obsessive compulsive.
Thank yoo. :-/
Cool
Great photo man.
Wow
This looks like a great tool I need to try.
I think you mean tool.
I think you mean tool. Anyway i think this will work well.
Remove Metadata Fast
No one have any clues? I know I’ve seen Deke do something on metadata removal at some point, but I can’t find it - maybe I dreamt it? (Yes, when I have an erotic dream featuring Deke, there is no sex. Can you believe it?! Fucking weird, I tell you. It’s all just my toes curling while listening to him talk tech and thrusting his cursor around various toys…I mean tools. And panels. Lots of panels….)
But back to metadata. I know I can turn off the EXIF info in Flickr, but I don’t mind people viewing my camera settings - it’s just all that PS history stuff that shows up in screeds - “turn active layer on, turn active layer off, turn active layer on, turn active layer off, cry, scream, drop opacity 80%, drop opacity 79%, drop opacity 78%, hide layer, show layer, kick neighbours cat, drain glass, pour another one, hide layer, refer to book, refer to Lynda.com, cry, scream…ad nauseum…
*shrug*
Looks awesome…got to try
Looks awesome…got to try it.
Do you have History Log turned on?
If so, yours sounds big enough to burn on an open fire.
You get to it by pressing Ctrl+K (Cmd-K on the Mac),
lol, it’s all so obvious really, isn’t it…
Now I feel like a total drop kick. So simple, yet the answer still managed to elude me. I swear I’m not dumb. Honest! ...even my mum said I’m not dumb, you ask her….
Thanks, Deke. It was turned on. Dunno why, it’s not like I ever look at those logs. I’ll donate them to California - I heard they need more dead wood*.
*just kidding - I seriously hope all our special Cali Deke peeps are ok. Stay safe, guys and girls.
delete me (and all that spam, too)
delete - screwed up
why do you call this as
why do you call this as Photoshop CS4 Treasure Trove?
CS4 Treasure Trove - how about CS3?
Will this custom pallet and supporting files work in CS3? I haven’t yet tried to install it. I went through an epic CS3 installation effort a while back, which is why I’m still using CS3 (I’ll upgrade again when CS5 is available to the mainstream). It would be good to know if I should expect it to work beforehand (perhaps the “CS4” reference is a clue…?).
By the way, I am also a huge Deke fan since signing-on with lynda.com. I’m in awe of your incredible teaching style, efforts and contributions (thankyouthankyouthankyou) - j
I had the same problem!
I had the same problem!
Whoa
Allright, how’d you do it? I recall you said there must be a “hook” to the vibrance in the past. Where is it, cap’n?
-iVan
__________________________________________________
Deke, I’m working on your
Deke,
I’m working on your second book, Channels & Masks, and couldn’t get the Paste Behind mac shortcut (p. 147) to work. I’m using CS4 and Tiiger on my Mac. Any thoughts? I’ve tried several times.
Thanks,
Yukon
Very informative post thank
Very informative post thank you so much for sharing
Naruto
Shippuuden
Thanks a lot for such a detailed info
Thanks a lot for such a detailed information i’ll be trying this sooner and will post back the results i achieved. Once again thanks for your great tips.
Marry Butler
http://getpaidcentral.com
Illustrator CS4 One-on-One
Okey-Dokey Deke-Mon…When will your new tome, AI 1-on-1, be available? I have loved all previous 1-on-1 tomes…Channels and Masks, InDesign, Photoshop. Please say the AI will be home for X’mas!
J
Bad News
Hey there,
Just to let you know, Deke’s Illustrator One-on-One will be a CS5 (or whatever the next version is called) release, so it’s possible you’ll see it before next Christmas but not this one.
In the meantime, he has an Illustrator One-on One video series available at Lynda.com, it’s about 40 hours and is the best training around for CS4.
Hope that helps
Extension Manager Won’t Install….
I keep getting an error message tellong me it won’t install…running Vista….Any ideas?
Thanks…
Tutorials
How do I access tutorials features 1 to 4?
\“Photoshop CS4, Channels & Masks - one-on-one\” book
I know your are very busy, but I just started to read and install several beginning items, as described in your book, “Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks.
(1) I tried installing “Channels and Masks.mxp” as described on Page xvii. I get an “Error Message” stating, “Could not complete your request because Photoshop does not recognize this type of file.”
I reinstalled Photoshop CS4 Extended, thinking this might solve the problem, but it didn’t.
As far as I believe, all software on the computer are running the latest updates.
My computer is an iMac 24” running Snow Leopard 10.6.2
(2) Thinking there might be additional information, on the video, PsCM videos.htm, I double clicked on that icon, but the only thing I saw was Firefox with a Blank opening screen.
Apparently, I need some help/additional guidance, etc.
Happy B-day Deke
It is just great to know that I share the same b-day with one of my favorite person.
Have a great one - Oscar Roldan
Hey, happy birthday!!
Happy birthday, Deke. Stay cool.
CS4 eraser problem
Hi, hope someone can help me out, the problem that I am having is when I use the background eraser, or the eraser, a line deleting anything in its path comes from out of nowhere. This is not a once only time, hope someone can tell me what I am doing wrong.
Photoshop Top 40
Where are the older ones: #1 - 4 of the the PS Top 40 located?
Older episodes of Photoshop Top 40
That is to say, Features #3 thru Feature #40, are located here.
No install -
Hello Perhaps someone can help me.. I try step one and double-click and it opens the manager but get the error message that it cannot create the program files…. treasure trove folder - it attempts both x86 and the 64 program files directories…
any help
much appreciated
George