In the new Photoshop version CS4, there is the possibility to create your own custom panel with your favourite and most used tools to improve your workflow.

To get started, you have to download the tool from http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/configurator/. Then install it and follow the instructions step by step. For me it was really easy to understand, how to create my own panel. It’s just drag & drop. The only requirement is that you must have Adobe AIR installed on your system.

A short guide to create your first custom panel:

1) Start the Adobe Configurator and choose File -> New Panel, then it should look like this screenshot

2) Drag & Drop your favourite tools or filters on the empty panel on the right. You can also change the tooltip of the tool and the position

3) When you’re finished, click File -> Save Panel into the plugin folder from photoshop (in most case it will be the Plug-ins/Panels directory)

4) Now restart Photoshop and activate it by clicking on Window -> Extensions -> Panel name

It’s a really usefull tool to improve the workflow and I don’t have to search for the needed tools everytime