Photoshop Tips - Change The Pasteboard Color In Photoshop

Tired Of That Default Gray Pasteboard? Make It Any Color You Like!

Here's something that definitely qualifies as more of a trick than an actual Photoshop tip, but if you're tired of your pasteboard (the blank area all around your photo) being that default gray color, you can actually change it and make it any color you like! Keep in mind that you'll want the pasteboard color to be gray when doing any serious work on your images, but if you just want to have some fun or play a trick on someone else, here's how to change the pasteboard color.

First, select Photoshop's Paint Bucket Tool from the Tools palette. By default, it's hiding behind the Gradient Tool, so you'll need to click and hold on the Gradient Tool for a second or two until a fly-out menu appears, then select the Paint Bucket Tool from the fly-out menu:

Next, click on the Foreground color swatch in the Tools palette:

This brings up Photoshop's Color Picker. Select whichever color you want to use for the pasteboard. I'll choose a shade of red. Again, this is just for fun, not for serious Photoshop work:

Click OK once you've chosen a color to exit out of the Color Picker. Move your mouse cursor into the pasteboard area, hold down your Shift key, and click on the pasteboard. Instantly, the pasteboard changes to the new color:

Try this little trick on a friend's computer when they're not looking. Just make sure to set the pasteboard back to its original color before they get too upset.