CS4 vs. CS2 interface/feature problems

[Richard_...@adobeforums.com]

I just recently upgraded from CS2 to CS4 and am finding it changed enough that it's slowing me down. I have a couple questions I hope someone can answer.

What is bothering me the most is that when I left click over an image I no longer can duplicate it, or change its size. I'm stuck with going to the menus and that takes longer than what I'm used to.

I've also been unable to figure out how to split the properties panels that now want to form two columns instead of one, and I haven't figured out how to break any given panel up and use only the part I want.

My guess is I just haven't figured out how to set the preferences to get what I'm looking for. Any help would be much appreciated.

[John Joslin]

The interface changes are very extensive and too numerous to explain here.

I strongly suggest you look at the introductory videos on the help site accessed from the Help menu in CS4. There are dozens of useful links on that page.

when I left click over an image I no longer can duplicate it, or change
its size.

On that one, assuming you mean "when I right click on the title bar of an image", it's gone. I assigned a shortcut key. I now have F11 for the resize dialog and F12 for save for web.

[Richard_...@adobeforums.com]

Thank you, John. Yeah, I get the right/left thing mixed up but you knew what I was talking about. Wow, I wonder how Adobe felt removing the right-click-over-title-bar feature improved the product.

[John Joslin]

It couldn't be implemented with the new interface design.

After all this time I still find myself trying to do it the old way. :(

[Ben_R...@adobeforums.com]

Having used CS4 for a day or two now the tabbed thing annoyed me so I turned it off. However, if I want to quickly maximise a window now I can't.

Well... I can, but it maximises to the whole screen coving up all my tools and layer panels etc. I liked how in previous versions it maximised to within the working area. Is there a simple setting for this which I'm missing?

[Rob_K...@adobeforums.com]

Ben,

Cycle through the 3 screen modes with the "f" key.

Rob

[John Joslin]

If you select the Zoom tool, in the Options Bar you will see buttons for:

"Actual Pixels" "Fit Screen" "Fill Screen" and "Print size"

Experiment!

[Ben_R...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks, "fill screen" followed by "actual pixels" does the job but it's going to take a while to get used to not just double-clicking the title bar!

Pressing 'F' is also helpful although the middle screen mode loses the titlebar and floats the layers panes etc above.

Thanks guys!

[Anthon...@adobeforums.com]

Ben: Why not just 'fill screen' or just 'actual pixels' I don't find you need both.

Anthony.

[Ben_R...@adobeforums.com]

Say I'm working on a small file, when I fill screen to maximise it, it makes it really zoomed in. I'd rather it kept the same zoom level I was at originally (like the real maximise does), and filled the screen with background. Most of the time when I'm laying things out (not retouching) it's at 100%, so 'actual pixels' gets me back to that quickly.

[Anthon...@adobeforums.com]

Ben: I take your point. Because we all do things without really thinking about it (a bit like driving a car, I suppose), I tried a small image to see what I actually did in these circumstances. I hit fill screen then found I was zooming with the scroll wheel of the mouse to resize the image to suit. with my wacom pen, I was holding alt then pressing with the pen tip to reduce the size to suit.

Maybe there is some mileage there for you?

Anthony.

[Richard_...@adobeforums.com]

John, now that I've had some time I'd like to thank you again. I have begun associating F keys with the things I am accustomed to doing differently. I'd like to ask one more question and make a comment about something; but since I don't know if you'll be looking at this, I'll do some poking around first to see if they've already been asked (and I can find them). The thing is, big surprise, I don't have a lot of free time to do that. Thanks again.

[John Joslin]

Why not ask? If I don't pick it up someone else will.