PhotoGIFΓäó has the most advanced preferences capabilities of any Photoshop plug-in. The default behavior of nearly every aspect of opening and saving single image GIF files and multiple image GIF animation files is controllable through preference settings. In PhotoGIFΓäó the preferences dialog is available from the plug-in about box. This is accessed from the Apple menu. While Photoshop is running in the foreground the first menu item under the Apple menu is ΓÇÿAbout Photoshop...ΓÇÖ and directly beneath that is a hierarchical menu item, ΓÇÿAbout plug-inΓÇÖ. When you select ΓÇÿAbout plug-inΓÇÖ from the Apple menu, a hierarchical menu will be shown to the left of the Apple menu with a list of plug-ins in it. ΓÇÿ PhotoGIFΓäó...ΓÇÖ will be one of the top items in this menu and selecting the ΓÇÿ PhotoGIFΓäó...ΓÇÖ item from the hierarchical menu of plug-ins will cause the PhotoGIFΓäó about box to be displayed.
 
In the about box there are four buttons, ΓÇÿCredits...ΓÇÖ, ΓÇÿSupport...ΓÇÖ, ΓÇÿPreferences...ΓÇÖ and ΓÇÿDoneΓÇÖ. The ΓÇÿCredits...ΓÇÖ button displays the credits screen. The ΓÇÿSupport...ΓÇÖ button displays the contact information for technical support for PhotoGIFΓäó. The ΓÇÿPreferences...ΓÇÖ button displays the preferences dialog for PhotoGIFΓäó. The ΓÇÿDoneΓÇÖ is equivalent to an ΓÇÿOKΓÇÖ button, and makes the about box go away.
The preferences dialog for PhotoGIFΓäó has four separate panels for controlling various aspects of the plug-inΓÇÖs behavior. Individual panels are accessed from the popup menu in the top, left of the preferences dialog. The panels accessible from the popup menu are ΓÇÿReadingΓÇÖ, ΓÇÿImage optionsΓÇÖ, ΓÇÿMulti-optionsΓÇÖ, and ΓÇÿQuantizationΓÇÖ.
- The ΓÇÿReadingΓÇÖ panel
The ΓÇÿReadingΓÇÖ panel controls default behavior for opening multiple image GIF animation files. The settings in the ΓÇÿReadingΓÇÖ panel correspond directly to the controls in the Multi-image open options dialog and allow you to choose the default editing method for multiple image GIF animation files.
 
- The ΓÇÿImage OptionsΓÇÖ panel
The ΓÇÿImage optionsΓÇÖ panel corresponds directly to settings in the single image options dialog and allows you to set default behavior for whether to show the multiple image options dialog after the single image options dialog; optimizing palette usage; transparency; interlacing; and whether the dialogs for adding the file being saved to an existing file, to create a multiple image GIF animation file, will be shown by default.
 
- The ΓÇÿMulti-OptionsΓÇÖ panel
The ΓÇÿMulti-optionsΓÇÖ panel corresponds directly to settings in the multiple image options dialog and allows you to set default values for disposal method, looping, and delay time.
 
- The ΓÇÿQuantizationΓÇÖ panel
The ΓÇÿQuantizationΓÇÖ panel applies to the color reduction options dialog. The ΓÇÿQuantizationΓÇÖ panel allows you to set default values for color reduction method, the resolution, and dithering.
Canceling from the preferences dialog at any point will return you to the about box for PhotoGIFΓäó without changing any of the PhotoGIFΓäó saved preference settings. Hitting the ΓÇÿOKΓÇÖ button will save the new preferences settings if you have made changes and will also return you to the about box for PhotoGIFΓäó. To exit the about box, hit the ΓÇÿDoneΓÇÖ button.
