You can change the color Photoshop uses for the non image area of the document window by simply choosing a new color and then shift + click on the border area with the paintbucket.

Two designers walk into a bar and sit down with their Powerbooks. One designer says to the other, "How much you want to bet I can correct the highlight and shadow of this image without using any adjustment tools or filters directly on the image?

The other designer takes him up on the bet and a minute later begrudgingly hands his associate $10.

How did the first designer win the bet?

Say that you created an effect using a layer style but it is not quite exactly what you want, perhaps you want a drop shadow to have a halftone effect or you want to switch the stacking order of the effects. Well there is a easy way to divide them into layers...

Short version:
For print work you want your images at 300 dpi (dots per inch).
Lineart: 1200 dpi
For web design you want look at the pixel dimensions.

Long version: Are you seated comfortably? Then let's begin...

"What did you create the business card in?"
"Photoshop!"

I've lived that nightmare many times. Photoshop is a great program, probably my favorite. But a page layout app it isn't. Fuzzy bitmapped 72 dpi text isn't my idea of a good time. However there is a way that a text heavy layout can be done in Photoshop and sent to a prepress tech without them burning you in effigy.

Here's some rainy day fun, let's animate Illustrator blends to make interesting animated gif's.

There are quite a few steps involved, but once you got them down you'll be making these with ease.

1. Copying Layer Styles
Say you have a text layer with a drop shadow, bevel, outer glow etc
etc and you want to apply that style to another layer. You can simply
go to the layer that has that layer style applied to it, control
click (mac) or right click (pc) on the layer style icon in that layer
and choose "Copy Layer Style" from the pop-up menu that appears. You
can then choose a layer that you want to apply that layer style to
and control or right click on that, and choose "Paste Layer Style"
from the pop-up menu to apply that layer style.

2. Breaking Apart Layer Styles
Perhaps you have a layer style applied but its not quite the way you
want it to appear. Perhaps you want to apply a filter to the drop
shadow...well did you know you can break that layer style into
separate layers by control or right clicking on the layer style icon
in that layer and choosing "Create Layers" from the pop-up menu. You
can then target individual layers and apply filters, delete rearrange
etc to your heart's content!

Life is too much fun!

Client comes in,
wants business card,
doesn't have the company's logo,
points you to company website,
icky low res garbage on website,
you notice company has downloadable brochure in pdf format,
you download said brochure,
notice that the company logo is present in brochure,
hey that logo looks pretty damn good,
open pdf in Illustrator,
wipe tears of joy from eyes when you see company logo sitting there in all its vector splendor,
dump vector logo into business card layout,
present to client,
receive accolades, promotion, keys to the washroom...