A friend recently "lost" his menu bar and tool palettes while working. Unknown to himself, while typing some text, he "F'd" himself. Here is some info on shortcuts to HIDE and SHOW different "VIEWS" of your PHotoshop desktop!

(note: Cs3 had FOUR views, instead of three (they added a crappy semi-floating option that most people hated, so it went away in Cs4)- but same shortcuts will apply)

Here we go:

A) to change screen view, hit the "F" key (while NOT in Typing mode. If in Typing mode, hit ESCape, then "F") Each time you hit "F" key the ScreenView jumps to the next option.

B) CS4 has three "steps" to cycle through in "F" mode i) normal ii) floating on background (you can hand-pan past the edges of the image) iii) all tools and palletes OFF, on black background.

C) if you hit TAB accidentally, you'll turn off ALL TOOLS and PALETTES AND MENU bars (this is great to look at your image without junk around it. Hit TAB again and they come back. (I suspect this is what happened to you - that or, if the background went to black, you were on Scene iii as above).

D) if you hold SHIFT and hit TAB all PALETTES disappear but TOOL BAR is left behind. Repeat the keystrokes to bring stuff back into view!

E) even with EVERYTHING hidden, you can always hit Shift+CMND+S and you can SAVE AS at any time.

Basic stuff, but many folks either forget or don't realize these options are there. Now you know!

Thanks, now I can start the Canada Day Drink Fest, well now.

Cheers

that's right! They start the drinking a few days EARLY in the Hamilton area - I forgot that!

(If I remember correctly, they never really STOP drinking in Hamilton, right? Thank goodness you live in Exciting Burlington Which Is Very Very NEAR Hamilton! )

Now go practice your F-ing shortcut!

Sitting in my beaver suit watching all the mounties go by. Got that mixed up, in the mountie suit checking all the beaver.

http://www.emmasbackporch.ca/burlington/index.html

Local watering hole with a view of Lake Ontario and the wonderful steel mills spewing crap in the air

Looks like that is where we'll have to meet when I come back East in the fall - I likey! !

now - how about that F-ing shortcut?

That F-ing shortcut is F-ing great!!

Seriously! This one can catch the un-initiated by SURPRISE and then it is no laughing matter! Depression can set in as well as a fanatical devotion to the Cowboy Junkies!

You best MEMORIZE these shortcuts before YOU become a member of the Legion of the DAMNED!