Exit
  • Global community
    • Language:
      • Deutsch
      • English
      • Español
      • Français
      • Português
  • 日本語コミュニティ
  • 한국 커뮤니티
0

How do you know the image is saved?

Advocate ,
Oct 14, 2025 Oct 14, 2025

With most documents in Mac, you see a black dot in the upper red dot that shows the file needs to be saved while you are working on it. I don't see that with Photoshop. So if you do a save, how to you confirm or know the image is saved?

 

Also,  each image I bring into PS comes in tabs, ,to drag over a layer from one file to another i have to undo/ seperate tabs, fine. But then now both images sometimes go to (what call it when not it tabs and tucked into the grey backdrop?).. ie. How d o I get an image that is floating in it's own window back into the  (can't remmber terminology) the gray background?  How insert it back there. Thanks!

TOPICS
macOS
283
Translate
Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines

correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Expert , Oct 14, 2025 Oct 14, 2025

A star at the end of the file name in the title bar indicates unsaved changes. Not that I ever look for that: If you can't remember, it's not saved.

 

I made keyboard shortcuts for "consolidate all to tabs" and "float all in windows" (ctrl+F and shift+ctrl+F in my case), and find myself switching constantly. Each has advantages and disadvantages. With "save in background" checked, look for the blue save progress bar in the status bar.

 

If I have to nitpick, there is far too little visual diffe

...
Translate
Adobe
Enthusiast ,
Oct 14, 2025 Oct 14, 2025

How do you know the image needs to be saved?

Brother Larry, I honestly hadn't noticed that the red 'close app' icon in the "traffic signal" even had a black dot in its center. So, yes, that's one way you are notified that the document hasn't been saved. The other ways are 1. the doc title might still be unnamed 2. and "—Edited" is to the right of the doc title.

How do you know the image is saved?

1. "—Edited" will change to doc_title.ext, e.g., test document,rtf.

2. the black dot disappears.

3. File>Save is grayed out.

 

Photoshop is pretty much the same.

 

I don't use tabs; someone who does will have to answer the question about dragging. 

[In Settings/Preferences>Options, I have Open Documents In Tabs and Enable Floating Document Window Docking boxes unchecked. I don't have much dexterity with my trackpad (I'm mouseless).]

 

Larry
Translate
Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines
Community Expert ,
Oct 14, 2025 Oct 14, 2025

A star at the end of the file name in the title bar indicates unsaved changes. Not that I ever look for that: If you can't remember, it's not saved.

 

I made keyboard shortcuts for "consolidate all to tabs" and "float all in windows" (ctrl+F and shift+ctrl+F in my case), and find myself switching constantly. Each has advantages and disadvantages. With "save in background" checked, look for the blue save progress bar in the status bar.

 

If I have to nitpick, there is far too little visual differentiation between active and inactive image windows, and it's easy to save/close the wrong one. You may have to grab it and drag it a little to make sure you have the right window.

 

 

Translate
Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines
Advocate ,
Oct 15, 2025 Oct 15, 2025

D great answer, I've never know about the star.   Did not understand the rest, let me try again on Part 2

 

You see screenshot is locked in to my workspace?

 

I pull it off the tab, floating, but how do you get it back, locked into tab  locked in there again, if you want that?

 

ps.png

Translate
Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines
Community Expert ,
Oct 15, 2025 Oct 15, 2025

This is controlled by a couple of checkboxes in Preferences (if I remember correctly, called Settings in Mac):

prefs_windows_1.png

 

The first one just controls how the image opens, tabbed or floating. It has no bearing on behavior after it's open. Your choice how you want them to open.

 

The second is the one you want. This lets you tear loose to a floating window, but also lets you re-dock to a tabbed window, just by dragging the title bar straight upwards to the option bar. When you see a blue line, it docks to a tabbed window. Just like when you dock panels.

 

Next, look in the Window menu. All the commands here can be assigned custom shortcuts. As you can see here, I've made shortcuts to float all windows or tab all windows:

tabs_2.png

 

This way, tabbed or floating can be switched on the fly as you work.

Translate
Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines
Advocate ,
Oct 15, 2025 Oct 15, 2025

D I had that checked ,but I was not dragging it back well. I just practiced and now its good. BTW, I had dozen of great shortcuts for years, I even kept and excel of them. I don't do shortcuts anymore.  When PS went to subscriptions, its become a total mess getting shortcuts from version to version. I 've posted several times about it and I get the head spinning results on how to do, way to hairy/ and complicated, so now I have no shortcuts, even though I love shortcuts, not worth it.

 

I mean it's worth it if you can use them year after year, but the subscription model annihilated that.  The threads I had on this, I'd have to take a week off work, just to review on how get your shortcuts to not vansih and work..

 

I posted 4 threads here was best one I think total chaos

 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/keyboard-shortcut-problem-madness/m-p...

 

I'm just photographer not an engineer, so way to hairy.. if you ever make it to LA D an want to   come by and show me let me know, but I've given up even though love shortcuts. used to for years...

Translate
Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines
Community Expert ,
Oct 15, 2025 Oct 15, 2025
quote

its become a total mess getting shortcuts from version to version.


By @larry45

 

To be fair, it was an equal mess with "perpetual" licenses. You went from one version to the next back then too, and you had to remake the shortcuts in the new version back then too. What trips most people up now is that they forget to uncheck automatic updates so they get caught by surprise.

Translate
Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines
Advocate ,
Oct 15, 2025 Oct 15, 2025
LATEST

thanks D I did not understand that, except the mess part.  Why doing this?

 

IN short I'm done with shortcuts, but like them when had them.  If anyone knows this well and is in LA let me know!  I don't think anything short of in person on computer would work explaining it.. SEe threads I posted, great people , like going to mars or need a phd 

Translate
Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines