Using Photoshop/Dreamweaver

Hello all,

After using a Mac Mini for a few months, I've decided that I'm going to switch to a full-fledged iMac Core Duo. Yay!

One of the things that I've had problems with though is using applications like Photoshop. The way the program functions is to have a separate window for each component. A separate window for palettes, a separate window for tools, a separate window for all of the files that were open. Open up several photoshop files and it gets confusing. Open up a website that you're working in simultaneously with the Photoshop concept graphic and it gets chaotic!

GoLive was absolutely horrendous to use for this reason as well, and as far as I can tell Dreamweaver is the same way.

So, how do you guys use these apps without losing your mind along with all the files and windows scattered across the desktop? Mac is known as the gold standard for designers, so I'm sure that there are more productive ways of using the software that won't drive me crazy, I'm just trying to figure out your techniques.

Thanks,
Ken

umm..i dont no. it bothered me at first but thats the way lots of complex apps are. it allows you to organize thing the way you want. using expose definetly helps in this situation. as for the core duo. i dont think thats such a great idea. yeah its oretty fast but its rev a. lots of things just wont work right. yeah they claim rossetta is perfect for running powerPC apps but i dont buy that. find a rev a electronics product that didnt have its glitches or problems. i would definetly wait for rev b.

Exposé is your friend in this case. When I'm working on a Photoshop that has lots of 'donor' images that are open, there can be a lot of image windows associated with Photoshop along with browsers, email clients, Finder windows etc. F9 whisks all the windows away and I can pick the one to bring to the foreground, or F10 to just whisk the PS image windows to pick. You already have one hand on the keyboard to toggle all the tools and one hand on the mouse (or in my case, Wacom stylus) right? In addition to doing the "Photoshop dance" across the keyboard, doing the Exposé dance should follow as you whip your windows into shape and select precisely what you want.

And of course F11 to get to the desktop. Or whatever you assigned, those are the defaults. I use hot corners as well.

Honestly, your "problem" is just a matter of taste and opinion. Most Mac users I know (myself included) really like the separate little windows, because they allow for a great deal of workspace flexibility that MS Windows simply doesn't allow for, and it's much more aesthetically pleasing to always have your desktop background behind your work rather than the standard grey of Windows apps. Exposé does help when you've got a lot of windows open, of course, as walkerj said. If that doesn't fix it, though, and you're still a bit daunted, perhaps you should reconsider your switch; old habits die hard, and some people just prefer the look and functionality of Windows to Mac OS.

I think it mainly stems from my overzealous multitasking... I typically work with many, many programs/windows open and the way Adobe/Macromedia manages their Windows will just take some getting used to from the perspective of a Windows user.

Consider not switching? Not on your life. I absolutely loved the Mac Mini and the OS X experience. I was just curious as to how others managed the multiple window philosophy in this case. Everything else about Mac OS X is elegant, graceful, and an incredible improvement over my Windows experience. I'll get used to this one pet peeve and figure out how to make it work for me instead of vice versa.

My only complaint about using Expose to manage the multiple windows is that each of the open windows could show what program the window belongs to with a program icon or something. That would be really helpful to immediately see that these windows belong to Photoshop and those belong to GoLive, etc.

That withstanding, thanks for the feedback on how you manage your program!

Ken