Can you change the background color in PS?

[NorCalAl]

I'm talking the area behind the photo you're working on. Can you darken it like in LR?
If so - can someone point me to how I do it? I thought I saw a way to do this once, but it could have been another app...I just don't remember.
TIA!

[Gix]

Choose paint bucket tool and color and hold shift and click in background.

[NorCalAl]

So this works for the app itself? I'm not talking the photo, but the area behind the photo - the app backdrop. Sorry if I'm not being clear, cause I'm not sure what the area is called. If you had a photo open, and it is not covering the background area, that backgound area is the portion I'm trying to change.
When I do as you suggest, with no photo open, I can select the paint bucket, but once I go to that background area, the cursor becomes just a cursor again.

[Gix]

When you open a photo you have to maximize 1st or press the f key once. Then it will work. Hope that helps.

[NorCalAl]

I guess I'm not being clear at all - I'm not interested in changing a single photo. I'm interested in changing the area of Photoshop that is behind the photo you may be working on - the application itself. If you were to have a photo open, but not maximized, so that you can see some of the grey area of the app itself, that grey area is what I'm trying to change.
Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?

[Mike_Canon5D]

I don't thnk you can change the application's grey background, but you can change the bg color of the preview window for the picture been edited by using the paint bucket, selecting the color, and clicking the bg while holding the Shift key. This will work as long as the edges of the previewing window are expanded beyond the photos' edges. It is useful when working on graphics that will be used for web design and want to see how the photo will look against certain colors. Hope this helps.

[NorCalAl]

Perfecto!

[PhotosGuy]

If you just need a black bkg, hit the F key twice & TAB once. Then once each to go back. Or variations on that.

[crawford]

You can change the background colour (in Windows XP anyway) but it requires you to change the settings for Windows:

Clear the screen of windows and right click on the background. Select properties at the bottom of the menu.

Select the appearances tab

Click on the advanced button

In the item list box select Application Background

Click on color1 and select your new background colour. Click on OK

There you have it (but remember ALL applications will have this background colour).

Alan

[Headcase650]

I learn something new every day. This is great, I think changing the background to black is going to make my day.

[PhotosGuy]

I think changing the background to black is going to make my day.

Keep in mind that, if you have a black bkg & want to calibrate your monitor, you should "warm up" the monitor with something like Notepad open so all the RGB guns have been active.