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Preferences

The PhotoTools preferences control many important aspects of the software. Preferences are persistent, like a switch and maintain their settings until you change them. You can access the Preferences from the Photoshop menu on a Mac OS X system or the Edit menu on a Windows system.

Apply PhotoTools to:
The Apply PhotoTools to options controls what layer information is sent to PhotoTools for processing. The options are a copy of the current layer, new merged visible layer and duplicate merged document. Note that PhotoTools always applies the results to a new layer of some type, leaving the original image intact so you can easily remove or alter PhotoTools results.

Option	When to Use
Copy of Current Layer: Creates a copy of the current layer and returns the results of PhotoTools to that layer, placed above the original target layer. This option will duplicate an existing layer mask.	Use this option if your image has only a singe layer or if you wish to only affect a single layer, including objects like text on a transparent background. An existing layer mask is maintained so the results of PhotoTools will only appear to affect the unmasked area.
Stamped Visible Layer: Creates a new layer at the top of your layers palette and merges (stamps) all the layers beneath it to this new layer. This creates a single layer composite of your image and protects all the original layers for future editing. Any layer masks, text layers, adjustment layers, and layer styles will be rendered. Hidden layers will not be seen.	Use this option if you have a complex image and you want the results of PhotoTools to affect the entire image, rather than a selection. This is a great way to simplify your work on a complex file or to create multiple looks in a single file for client review. You can do this by simply turning off each PhotoTools layer and then running PhotoTools again to create multiple layers, each with a different look that can be turned on or off at anytime while still maintaining the original layers.
Merged Duplicate File: Creates a duplicate document of your image and reduces it down to a single layer. Any layer masks, text layers, adjustment layers and layer styles will be rendered. Hidden layers will not be seen.	Use this option if you prefer to keep your original layered file separate from PhotoTools. Each time you launch you PhotoTools it will create a new document, keeping the original file as is.

Preview Mode
PhotoTools offers several preview modes that can be adjusted based on your preference. The preview mode options include Fastest Preview, Balanced and Full Image.

Option	When to Use
Fastest Preview: Creates a smaller proxy preview of your image, approximately 1024 pixels on a side.	This option will make previewing and adjusting effects in the PhotoTools interface faster. This is great if you are learning how to use PhotoTools. Because the preview is smaller than your original file the quality of the preview image will not be as high when you zoom in. PhotoTools attempts to adjust its results to different sized images however you may see slight differences when you compare the preview image to your final image. When you press Apply, PhotoTools will take a few moments to apply the Stack of effects to your original image.
Balanced Preview: Creates a medium sized proxy preview of your image, approximately 2048 pixels on a side.	This option balances preview speed with zoom quality and accuracy. Previewing most effects will still be fast and the quality of the image when zooming in will still be good. Occasional discrepancies between the preview and final image will be less frequent than with fastest preview. When you press Apply, PhotoTools will take a few moments to apply the Stack of effects to your original image.
Full Image: Uses the original image for the preview in PhotoTools. (Mac OS X only)	This option is best for advanced users or users who work with smaller files. This uses the full sized original image which means the preview zooming quality and the results will match exactly with the original file. Previewing complex effects can be slow with large files so this mode is best for users who know what effects they plan on using. When pressing the Apply button, there is no processing time as PhotoTools has been processing the full image during preview.

Preferences will take affect until the next time you open PhotoTools.