Inspiring

Answered

Multiple Guide Sets in Photoshop

Forum|Forum|15 years ago
August 12, 2010
7 replies
34227 views

I've been able to find very little documentation (mostly just user requests) about having multiple guide sets in Photoshop. I really think this would be a useful tool. Has anyone heard anything about this feature (maybe in upcoming versions - can it be done another way)?

Correct answer Shan-Dysigns

I had forgotten about this post, and after briefly scrolling over it, I can see why. It's amazing how heated a post can get when people are simply looking for answers and there are those who get offended when their answer isn't considered the ultimate solution.

RaveWolf - I appreciate the time you took to write your post, but in all reality, what you suggested is almost as manual as the other suggestions (and not easily and quickly edited) - it's hard to move a 1 px line quickly and accurately (opposed to simply dragging guide lines around).

The solution I found is to group all relative layers together, convert them into a smart object, double click the smart object (previous guide lines will accompany). Clear those guide lines and create a new set however needed). When you are finished, close the document making sure to save it, and then you are back to the original document with its original guide lines. Even if you add new guide lines to the original document, the smart object will only contain the guide lines added when editing that smart object. My problem is solved!

So, in my scenario (as if I was starting a new project), I create a new document, create an empty group naming the group according to the different page titles I may be designing (ie. home, services, contact, etc). Convert each group into a new smart object, then edit and set guide lines accordingly per smart object. This allows me to have ONE master document while being able to edit the various other documents contained in the smart object.

G

graphicgoose

Participating Frequently

I don't want to get involved in the 'debate', but I stumbled across the post while searching to see if this kind of functionality had been added in yet. I want to +10000000 the OP's idea. Just being able to have 'layers' with different sets of guides that you could turn on and off would improve my workflow a thousand fold. None of the 'work around' solutions would speed up my workflow, in fact they would slow it down but maybe alleviate the headache of trying to remember which guideline, out the thousand (exaggeration) streaking every which way across my screen, is the one I want.

Really feel like Adobe has missed a trick here. It's always been one of those things when I consider everything that Photoshop can do and I'm like... "Really? You can't do that? Huh...weeeeeird."

Paul Riggott

Inspiring

For per layer guides see...

http://www.ps-scripts.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4617&sid=7fec7f697a5c4221bd06d6fcc24fed70

G

graphicgoose

Participating Frequently

Yeah, I have seen it. Trying to tackle figuring a script and how to use it makes my brain hurt unfortunately. Also, it still looks like a pretty clunky solution from what I do understand of that thread.

Paul Riggott

Inspiring

This thread may be of interest to you, as there is a script that will allow multiple guide sets NB: the name must not contain a # as that is what is used as a seperator.

The quide sets are saved in the documents metadata.

CS5 or better is required...

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/932834?tstart=0

Noel Carboni

Legend

It's time for everyone just to move on and ignore anything further said here, however derisive or irritating it may seem.

Please allow me to make a few suggestions:

Sign up for forums using your real name, and post only things you'd say to others in person in polite company, and of which you'll be proud of having associated with your name far into the future.
Arguments, bad judgment, and misunderstandings happen. Defusing an argument is an admirable skill. ANYONE can escalate one - it's a skill we acquire at age 2.

Everyone reading realizes, when someone throws an insult out publicly, that it's the person doing the insulting who's making the mistake. Don't propagate it to yourself by responding in kind. Take a higher road and just laugh it off. You'll be proud of having done that later.

And there's no need to explain or justify what's happened; it's out there for all to see.

"Heh heh heh, thank you for your opinions. I shall treasure them!"

-Noel

RaveWolf

Participating Frequently

Hi All,

Please accept my full apology...

I Said... "WOW! Is this the best solution you guys can come up with? Really! I come across this over a year later (unfotunetly) and no-one has come up with anything better!"

I now fully understand why the solutions ended... Clearly, the only person that can please Shan, is Shan himself. (125 posts since 2009?) are any of those solutions satisfactory?

Again - My Full apology.

Shan-DysignsAuthor

Inspiring

RaveWolf,

Apparently, you don't understand how your first comment came across.

WOW! Is this the best solution you guys can come up with? Really!

You don't think that reads as you basically saying everyone is stupid for not coming up with a solution to the issue?

I thanked you for your time in responding to a 15 month old thread which had inadvertently been left as unanswered. I HIGHLY doubt the frequency of my posts has any relevance to anything, so I must have missed the point you were trying to make when throwing that into your comment. The solutions ended because the thread had reached a point of overly heated exchanges simply because there are those who can't stand to hear their solution may have flaws in theory. Some people like to respond to threads and not even take the time to truly understand the issue in all its surroundings. This thread had juumped ship from talking about the issue to people being mad when I questioned their methods/answers as to why I didn't think that was the best solution (I do have that right, correct)?

Granted, your idea may work for you (and some others) in your own way (whatever way that may be). I merely commented about how manual your idea was compared to the solution I had ultimately come up with. If you want to take offense to your answer not being what I ultimately use, then you are going to have a rough time on these forums because not everyone is going to find your answer as their best solution.

For MY issue, I can't see a better solution than what I mentioend above about creating a smart object thus having the chance to create an entirely new set of guidelines. My solution ends up taking 2 clicks to solve the entire problem. Compare that to yours. That's not me saying your idea isn't worthy - I'm saying your idea wouldn't be better (for me) in my situation. Again, if you are that offended, then good luck in your future posts.

RaveWolf

Participating Frequently

My point proven!!! Thx

RaveWolf

Participating Frequently

WOW! Is this the best solution you guys can come up with? Really!

I come across this over a year later (unfotunetly) and no-one has come up with anything better!

Here is my Solution that I have been using since PS6:

1) Create a New Group. Call it "GUIDES" for easy reference or whatever is easiest for you to identify.

2) Select Line Tool (U)

3) Set size to 1px (or bigger, depending on your requirements)

4) Draw your Line(s) (Guides) as desired - Horizontal, Vertical, Diagonal, or Other.

5) Done.

* Don't forget to move the "Guides" Group to the top of the layers list so that it is above all layers.

* also check your Snap settings under the "View" menu.

Bonus:

You now have the most advanced and fully customizable guides ever. Let your imagination go wild!!

Ideas:

1) Create 1 Line per Guide.

2) Create a Hierarchy of Groups under your main guides group - (Banner, Title, Heading, Subheading, Text, Arrows, Buttons, Image #, etc)

3) Colourize your Lines (Guides) for easy identification

4) Use the "eye" to show or hide your guides - either as a whole or individualy or as desired.

5) Colour code your Groups as well.

6) Create a PSD file that contains ALL of your Templates and copy this, to that document. You will now have a database resource of Templates.

6a) Now if you create a new document, you can open your Template Resource PSD document and drag the required template(s) to your new document and adjust as needed.

7) You can even use the "Lock" to lock your new guides.

* Now you don't have to worry about searching your millions of "Actions" every 10seconds to find the Guide(s) you need. Just Click to Show or Click to Hide. Simple!

"Actions" are for repetitive or time consuming tasks, not to Show or Hide stuff.

I think this covers what you need or needed...

I hope this helps with future stuff and those that may need this in the future.

Regards,

RaveWolf.

Noel Carboni

Legend

Nice tip, RaveWolf, and great first post! Thank you for your contribution.

-Noel

Z

zcreem

Participant

I came here looking for the same thing, and personally found the Actions idea great, so thanks for the question and thanks for the answer.

The Actions works a treat.

A

Anonymous

Shan-Dysigns wrote:
I've been able to find very little documentation (mostly just user requests) about having multiple guide sets in Photoshop. I really think this would be a useful tool. Has anyone heard anything about this feature (maybe in upcoming versions - can it be done another way)?

Save a blank file with the desired guides and use it as a template.

Shan-DysignsAuthor

Inspiring

Save a blank file with the desired guides and use it as a template.

How does that help with anything? My question had nothing to do with using the same guides over and over. My question was about having multiple guide sets within a document.

There are many instances when a particular document can become inundated with guide lines (especially if you are creating multiple layout versions of the design and want to keep everything in the same psd document) - who wants to have to manage 4 psd's containing 4 different layouts of the same content? So, the question relates to being able to create a set of guide lines, group those guide lines into a fashion to where they can be visible or not, be able to create a whole new set of guidelines, and so on. I can only imagine how simple this would be to incorporate into Photoshop - maybe it's a future feature - maybe I'm alone in thinking it could be a useful tool. Has anyone else thought this would be a cool feature?

Noel Carboni

Legend

And Shan, I've already solved your problem, and would have contributed my solution if you hadn't been so impolite to JJ and JJ. Try and be a little more polite to folks (especially the one who suggested the solution you're about to use -- I mean, come on).

First, I wasn't impolite to John Joslin. After his first reply, I explained how my issue is beyond needing a template. Then he replied mentioning InDesign. I replied about pushing the Photoshop software and other general conversation. Show me where I was impolite to him.

I'm perfectly polite and appreciative as long as people are responding with educated suggestions and not just responding for the sake of upping their "posts" count. Again, I'm not saying that necessarily happened here, but once I (at least thought) made it clear that actions would not work in this case, that idea kept being pushed. I spent many years contributing in other forums (mainly Flash), and I can't count how many times the original poster got upset when people would basically respond with meaningless garbage (simply because they were trying to have the most posts), so it was a game to many. Many times my reply (which was the ultimate answer) was so covered up with random garbage from others, I stopped wasting my time trying to help. Many times people would bark back to me about how my answer didn't work (how I was just wasting their time), but I quickly shut them up when I actually made a Flash example to show them. Rarely did I get a retraction or a thank you (another reason I stopped contributing). So, when I actually look for another's advice or opinion, I tend to only have topics which are for the more experienced designers. There are many PS users that know the software like the back of their hands, but couldn't design a simple graphic. It is not my intension to me mean to people on here, but I have a limited amount of time to break away from my work, and you have to admit, some of the answers on these forums are just way out there (as if the responder knows nothing about what they are talking about). My flaw is taking the time to let them know how and why their suggestion wouldn't work - I should just ignore them I guess. That's why I'm so quick to jump on people when their suggestion just seems so bizarre.

Another thing I don't understand: why do you respond around 11:50 PM last night with

"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_(page_layout)

Shoe!"

then edit your whole post sometime this morning? That is kind of weird to me. You did that before too.

Anyway, your link has nothing to do with my purpose, and as far as I see, is more of a series of templates than anything else. If you think this has to do with Photoshop, I'd like to hear how you think so. I don't know about your design skills, but I don't use templates - I create everything from scratch. If I need a template, I will make it myself. The fact is, I need these guide lines to be fully customizable and be able to be moved around at will. Creating a template wouldn't work because I would never need the same sets of guide lines again. Using InDesign wouldn't work because I don't have the time to refresh myself on another program when I've already built something in Photoshop (not to mention I may run into this issue 2 times a year) - yeah, all this for something I might need twice a year. Recording actions wouldn't work because even after setting the guide lines, I may have to move them for both horizontal and verticle menus (and still be able to go back and forth between the two and edit elements).

Bottom line is: none of the suggestions fit my cause - a cause that was not worth all the banter back and forth. If you think I'm mean in my responses, then don't read my future topics (no harm, no foul).

"Shoe"?

The culture around here occasionally gets hostile. Just ignore it; try not to get caught up in it. You're expressing a valid need and idea. More power to you.

The Photoshop Jedi says: "There's good in them, I can feel it."

-Noel

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