Knowledge Base

Retouching Toolkit, like Photoshop, is an advanced product, but once you get up to speed it will be a very effective tool. If you are not yet familiar with the tool, we recommend that you start with our video tutorials.

If the information below does not help, please feel free to contact us.

Installation Instructions

Step 1: Download and Install

Download the latest version of Panel Maker from the member page.

Step 2: Configure Settings in Panel Maker

Open Panel Maker and click on 'Settings' in the top menu bar.
Ensure the 'Photoshop Path' is set to your current Photoshop version.
- For Intel/Windows users: Click 'Install' under 'Photoshop Custom Panels'.

Step 3: Install Panels

In Panel Maker, click on 'Install Panels' in the top bar.
Select 'Install' for each product you wish to add.
Click 'Finish Installation' at the bottom. Photoshop will open and prompt you to run a script for installing presets and actions.
- If Photoshop doesn't open, recheck the Photoshop Path in step 2.1.

Step 4: UXP Upgrade (Optional)

If you've purchased the UXP upgrade for new custom panels, download the Custom Panels .CCX file from the member page.
Double-click the .CCX file to initiate installation via Adobe Creative Cloud.
- If the installation fails, reinstall Adobe Creative Cloud.

Troubleshooting

For Apple M1/M2/M3 users: Panel Maker requires the toolkit upgrade for compatibility. Upgrade here: Toolkit 4.0 Custom Panels Upgrade
Running old panels on Apple M1/M2/M3? Use Photoshop in Rosetta emulation mode, noting a potential performance trade-off.

Get started with Panel Maker 3.0

Part 1 – How to install

Part 2 – How to troubleshoot

Questions & Answers

Note about Apple M1 & M2 SUPPORT

To run Toolkit Workflow and your custom panels in native mode you need to purchase the 4.0 panel upgrade in our shop.

Download

Where can I find the download link?

Go to our Login page and follow the instructions on the screen. If you have lost your e-mail and licensing key, you will need to contact support with your purchasing receipt so we can try and find it for you.

Where do I find my licensing key?

Go to our Login page and follow the instructions on the screen. You will be emailed a code to where you can retrieve your licensing key.

HOW DO I UPDATE TO THE LATEST VERSION?

Go to our Login page and follow the instructions on the screen. Once you downloaded the new installer, simply run it again. If you are looking to update your Addons, click on Install Addons button inside of the Panel Maker application.

CAN I ROLL BACK TO A PREVIOUS VERSION ?

We only offer the latest version because it has the most recent bug-fixes and updates. If you have any issues installing or using the newest version, please let us know and we will assist you.

Requirements

WHAT ARE THE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS TO RUN THE RETOUCHING TOOLKIT?

Please note: Upgrading to the latest new major version on release day on a production machine where you rely on third party software such as the Retouching Toolkit is strongly discouraged.

A valid Photoshop license is required to utilize the Retouching Toolkit (trial or hacked/pirated versions will not work). Photoshop CC 2017 or newer is required to run it, but in order to receive the full experience, Photoshop CC 2018 is strongly recommended.

Currently Adobe Photoshop supports:
– Microsoft Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 (64 bit)
– Windows 8.1 (64 bit), or Windows 10 (64 bit)
– Apple Mac OS X 10.10 or newer

Depending on the respective companies, this may change in the future. We will always do our best to ensure everything is updated to work with each new version release.

Installation

IS THERE ANY INSTALLATION GUIDE?

Yes. Head on over to our video tutorials and you will find guides there.

I AM GETTING A SYSTEM ERROR WHILE INSTALLING

Please take a screenshot and send it to our support. We will help you figure out what is wrong.

I'VE INSTALLED BUT THERE ARE NO PANELS IN PHOTOSHOP

You will find the panels under Window/Extensions in Photoshop.

If you are using Panel Maker, make sure there are layouts loaded and that you saved them. You will also need to restart Photoshop if you had it open during installation.

CAN I ROLL BACK TO A PREVIOUS VERSION ?

We only offer the latest version because it has the most recent bug-fixes and updates.

If you have any issues using the latest version, please let us know and we will assist you.

MY VIRUS PROTECTION IS WARNING ME THAT THERE IS A VIRUS!

We protect all our computers and make daily virus checks, and we also upload our software to several trusted virus tracking companies. If you feel unsure, please contact us before installing, with the virus warning message and we can confirm if it is an actual virus or a false-positive alert.

WHEN TRYING TO INSTALL IT SAYS UNCERTIFIED SOFTWARE, HOW DO I PROCEED?

Since we are a small company, we have not yet decided to buy the expensive certifications needed to sign our installers. We will do this in the future, but for now we are waiting in order to pass the savings along to you.

You will need to right/option click and approve the installer to proceed.

IS THERE A WAY TO MANUALLY INSTALL?

Yes there is, but please allow us assist you to solve the installer error. Please contact support and attach a screenshot of your error.

Doing an automatic installation is always the better option since we are doing frequent options.

HOW DO I UNINSTALL THE RETOUCHING TOOLKIT ?

To uninstall the Panel Maker you go to Add or remove programs in Windows, and on Macintosh all you need to do is drag the Panel Maker from Applications to your trashcan.

However, if you want to completely remove every trace of your panels, you will also need to follow a few manual steps. We will show these in a video shortly.

HOW CAN I DO A CLEAN INSTALLATION IF I GET ISSUES DURING A VERSION UPGRADE

Before you delete or perform the uninstall, start the Panel Maker application and click on Settings. The file paths for Extensions and Retouching Toolkit settings are both displayed on the first tab.

– Open the Extensions Path folder and manually delete all panels named com.wallstrom.*

– Open the App Data Path folder. Manually delete the whole folder called Retouching Toolkit.
PLEASE NOTE: This will remove all panel customisations that you may have done – so if you want to save them first make sure to click on the Export button to store them in a different location.

– After deleting the extensions and settings, you now need to delete the Panel Maker application.
On Macintosh you want to go to Applications/ and remove Retouching Toolkit and/or Panel Maker (depending on the previous version/s you had installed you might have one or both.) On Windows, go to control panel and add/remove programs. Find Retouching Toolkit and click on uninstall.

– Log in to our website to download the latest version of Panel Maker – make a note of the version number for the next step.

– Run the downloaded installer and launch Panel Maker. MAKE SURE that the version number at the to of the application bar is the same as the version you downloaded, or the panels will not work. (Should the version number be different you have started an older version of the Panel Maker. Close it and find the new one you just installed.)

– Run trough the wizard steps and let it install the default panels and also make sure to press download on the Addons that you have purchaed.

– You now have a completely reset installation and should see the panels in Photoshop.

Panels

MY PANEL SAYS ‘NO LAYOUT AVAILABLE’ OR ‘LICENSE INVALID’

Make sure the panel exists in Panel Maker and that you saved. You also need a valid Photoshop license – Trial or cracked versions do not work.

MY PHOTOSHOP ACTIONS ARE NOT SHOWN IN PANEL MAKER

Make sure you have the correct Photoshop version selected in Settings of Panel Maker, then under Command Tab in Panel Maker press the “Load from Photoshop” button.

CAN I CREATE MY OWN PANELS ?

Absolutely! That is the whole point of the Panel Maker software. However, if you want to share them with a friend, they will require their own Panel Maker license to utilize them.

CAN I UPLOAD PANELS FOR OTHERS TO USE ?

Yes, share them as you will, you made them and they are yours. You are even allowed to sell them. But please be aware that the end user need a Panel Maker license to be able to use them. We are also very interested in seeing what you create so please get in touch!

I CAN ONLY SEE TOOLKIT 1, 2, AND 3 IN PHOTOSHOP ?

The default number of custom panels in the new Panel Maker is set to 3. To increase this number go to Settings/Install and increase to the amount you want. Then press Install. Make sure Photoshop is closed when you do this. We set it to 3 as default because all of our own panels now come as separate panels, and we have several new UI elements that allow you to make compact panels.

COULD I REQUEST A FEATURE ?

Absolutely, we love to hear about new ideas! Please join the Retouching Toolkit Facebook Community and let your voice be heard!

DO I NEED TO BE CONNECTED TO INTERNET ?

No! We firmly believe that professional tools should always be reliable, and they absolutely need to work no matter if you are travelling for lengthy periods without Internet. For this reason we have not added any limitations to using our panels once you did your initial key verification.The only limit to our software is when we release new critical updates of Panel Maker, in which case you might be forced to replace the old version after a certain amount of time – if you want to make any changes to your custom panels.

(You obviously also need to be connected if you are installing for the first time, or upgrading to a new Photoshop version since a new license check is required.)

However, we strongly encourage you to start Panel Maker once in a while when you are online, just to make sure you are running the latest versions since we are constantly improving all our software.

License

I'VE LOST MY LICENSE KEY

Go to our Login page and follow the instructions on the screen. You will be emailed a link to where you can retrieve your licensing key.

If you also lost access to the registered e-mail, you will need to contact support with a screenshot of your full purchase receipt so we can try and help you recover it.

COULD I PURCHASE MORE THAN ONE LICENSE IF I NEED IT ?

Of course! However, since our licensing keys are personal, you will need to buy each one individually.

If you are looking to buy a large amount of licensing keys, please contact support and we will arrange a bundle discount for you.

I'M GETTING 'ACTIVATIONS LIMIT FOR THIS LICENSE REACHED' ERROR, WHY ?

We allow up to three (3) personal activations per license. If you reach this limit and want to remove activations, please contact support.

I HAVE MORE THAN 3 COMPUTERS, CAN I GET AN EXTENDED LICENSE?

Contact us with the reason why you need more. Remember licenses are personal, so if you own a company you need a license per each individual person using the software.

DO YOU OFFER COMPANY LICENSES ?

We do not offer company wide licenses, but we will help you if you wish to buy several licenses at once. Please contact support and we will arrange a bundle discount for you.

WHAT DO I GET WHEN PURCHASING A LICENSE ?

Aside from access to the Retouching Toolkit and any additional panels and products you purchased, you are guaranteed consistent updates, support, and sneak previews of our newest products. Not to mention, you receive peace of mind, knowing that your workflow will improve, saving you time, energy, and money.

Buying

I GET AN ERROR THAT PREVENTS ME FROM PURCHASING

Please let us know urgently and we will investigate. Provide a screenshot, and if possible the steps you took to recreate the error.

MY PAYMENT IS DENIED, WHAT CAN I DO ?

Please contact our payment provider FastSpring – because of privacy concerns we do not store information about failed purchases.

DO YOU OFFER ANY TRIAL VERSION OF THE SOFTWARE ?

We do not believe that a limited trial version will show the full potential of the software, and past experiences shows very few trial downloads translates to actual purchases. So we have chosen not to spend the extra development time.

BUT we offer a 14-day refund guarantee – no questions asked.

I HAVE A DISCOUNT CODE. HOW DO I USE IT ?

Simply put the products you want to purchase in your shopping cart. Once you get to the checkout screen there is a input box where you can enter the discount code.

DO I HAVE ACCESS TO LUMINOSITY IF I PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED A BUNDLE ?

If you bought the pre-sale package prior to 1st of August 2018 you do. If you bought the Bundle Large, or Bundle XL, you do. For other packages it depends on the current deal we had when you purchased it. If you login to your download page and it is listed there, you also have it.

HOW DO I GET A REFUND ?

If you are within the first 14 days of your purchase, contact support and select REFUND in the drop-down menu. Please note: We will ask you to start Panel Maker to complete the process of invalidating your key, so make sure not to uninstall it before you request a refund.

Promotions

CAN I GET A REVIEWER OR PRESS COPY ?

Yes, if you are a big name in the industry, or part of a major publication, please contact us so we can assist. We sometimes also offer limited discount codes for good content that you can share with your audience.

DO YOU OFFER PRESS RELEASES OF SOFTWARE BEFORE LAUNCH FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ?

Yes, please contact us trough support. If you require any further assistance or information please let us know.

HOW CAN I BECOME AN AMBASSADOR ?

Contact us and we can talk about it. However, please know that the amount of spots is limited, and in order to ensure the high level of content that our users expect, we are picky when it comes to offering ambassadorships.

DO YOU OFFER AN AFFILIATE PROGRAM ?

We’ve had this in the past, but it was a lot of administration with little gain.

The door is not closed completely, but you would have to convince us it is worth it. If you have a lot of followers and are very confident that you will generate big numbers of sales through quality content, feel free to contact us and we will discuss it.