Tool Presets

Tool Presets

Tool presets are one of the best ways to avoid problems with tool settings. As I discussed in Chapter 2, many problems are caused by failure to double-check the settings in the Options Bar before using a tool. You can avoid those potential issues by creating your own tool presets. I'll use the Type tool as an example, but the same theory applies to all tools.

Step One.	Press T to switch to the Type tool, and then select your settings in the Options Bar. For the Type tool, this also includes adjusting your settings in the Character and Paragraph dialogs (which are found under the Window menu).
Step Two.	Click on the tool thumbnail (in the leftmost corner of the Options Bar) to open the Tool Preset palette, then use the flyout menu to choose New Tool Preset, or simply click on the Create New Tool Preset icon on the right side of the palette. In the resulting dialog, name it and click OK. (Photoshop will "help" by including the tool name. Personally, I don't bother including the tool name , as I view the tool presets with the Current Tool Only checkbox selected in the Tool Preset palette, so I know what tool presets I'm choosing from.)
Step Three.	Now, anytime you want to use a tool, rather than changing all the settings in the Options Bar, just pick the tool preset that you have created from the Tool Preset palette.

It's extremely important to remember that you must choose the preset before using the tool. In other words, if you've already started typing, it's too late to choose a tool preset. Some toolsthe Brush, Pencil, and Shape toolsalso feature a checkbox to include the Foreground color in the tool preset. Needless to say, you'll have to determine on a case-by-case basis when you want to include the color in a tool preset.

No surprise here: Once you've created a series of tool presets, you probably should create a backup set using the Preset Manager (found under the Edit menu). Note: Look in the "Swatches" section if you need to see how this is done.

This is yet another example of how taking a bit of time upfront can save you "oodles" of time later. Think how much easier it would be to load in a set of swatches rather than trying to hunt down the color you used for a client in a project. Or how much time you'll save by clicking once with a copyright brush instead of repeatedly typing with the Type tool. Take the time to make your own swatches, brushes, shapes , gradients, and patternsand then reap the rewards: consistency and speed!