Hue is our desktop application that allows photo retouching teams to better manage their post-production workflows. Hue has two components: a standalone desktop app, where you can manage all of your tasks, and a Photoshop extension that allows you to manage the images you are editing within Photoshop.
Access Settings
To access the settings menus in Hue, head to the 3-dot menu at the top of the app. From the pop-up menu, select Settings.
In the Hue settings panel that appears, the menu will be subdivided into separate categories of options. In the sections below, we will walk through each.
Settings Tab | Description |
General | Settings that control the app's basic functionality. |
Workspace | Settings for file storage and management. |
Interface | Settings that control the task panel interface. |
External Applications | Settings to connect to supported external programs. |
Proxy | Settings that control how Hue accesses the internet. |
General Settings
In the General Tab, the top section is dedicated to settings that control Task Actions, as well as settings related to Work Files.
Task Actions
After first hitting 'Open' to files assigned to you in Hue, the program will transfer images from the task into Photoshop. How exactly that behaves is controlled with these options.
When Hue... | Function |
Opens a task: | → Open task without opening images Hue loads the task (references, checklist, etc.) but does not auto-open any image files in Photoshop.
🗣️ Good for large tasks or slower machines where you don't want everything loading at once. → Only open the first image Hue automatically opens just the first image of the task in Photoshop. It lets you start working immediately on one file while opening the rest yourself as needed → Open all images (default) Hue automatically opens every image in the task in Photoshop at once. Fastest to get going on multi-image tasks, but the heaviest load up front. → [Optional Toggle: Open Variants] Ticking this option tells Hue to also open the task's variant (fan-out) images according to the same rule. |
Uploads a task: | → Open the next assigned task When 'Upload' is completed from the task panel for a task in Photoshop, Hue will automatically port in the next task and related imagery. → Dont open the next assigned task When 'Upload' is completed from the task panel for a task in Photoshop, nothing will happen. The user must return to the main Hue interface and select a new task. |
Bulk opens: | → Last active task only (default) Hue creates/opens the working file for just one task– the last active in the batch. The other tasks are loaded into Hue, but their files aren't opened in Photoshop until you pick them individually. 🗣️ Lighter on Photoshop and machine resources. → All assigned tasks Hue creates/opens the working files for every task in the batch, one after another. Everything is ready in Photoshop up front, but it's the heaviest load– the more tasks in the batch, the longer the initial open takes. During this batch open, Hue intentionally holds off loading images until all tasks are prepared to keep things stable. |
Work Files
Hue Cloud Work Files: Some options involving Creative Force Cloud are related to an add-on feature. They will be highlighted as such in the following section. Please contact your CSM for more information.
Qualifier |
When work files are available in the Creative Force cloud... |
Work File Option | Function |
| → Yes (default) When you pick the task, Hue automatically downloads and opens the existing work file from the Cloud. You continue from where the previous editor left off (layers, edits, etc.). → No Hue ignores the Cloud work files and instead downloads the original input assets, so you start clean from the source images every time. → Ask Me You decide per task, when triggered, the task shows a "Choose Work Files" prompt with two buttons:
|
Download & Use ExistingQualifier |
After Hue uploads a task... |
These specific settings control what Hue does with your Photoshop work files once a task has finished uploading.
Work File Option | Function |
Save Work Files | → Yes (default) Hue saves the working files (e.g., the layered → No It does not retain a version of the working file. |
Close Work Files | → Yes (default) Hue automatically closes the task's files in Photoshop after upload, clearing your workspace. → No The files stay open so you can keep working, review them further, and then close them manually as needed. → Ask Hue pops up a "Do you want to close the work files?" prompt each time, letting you decide per task. |
| → Yes Hue saves a local copy of the work files. → No (default) Hue does not save a local copy of the work files. |
Back-Up Work Files Locally | When the option above is set to 'Yes,' a Backup Folder picker plus a naming template (built from merge fields) appears. If your studio uses Editorial, you can set separate E-Comm and Editorial backup folders/naming. |
Workspace Settings
The Workspace defines the working folder that images will be loaded into while you are working on them. You can also define how long working files remain on your computer before they are purged.
🗣️ Tip: The cleanup service in Hue only runs one time when the user opens the application. This means that if your Keep setting is set to 1, and you begin a task at 10 pm and close the task to work on later, the clean-up service will delete the file upon opening the app if the app is opened after 10:00 pm.
The Keep Work File setting is especially relevant when dealing with rejections. When a file is rejected, the system will open the latest file that exists within the working folder for the task; however, if the Keep Work Files duration has passed (i.e., Keep Working File is set to 3 days and the task is rejected on day 4), the layered file will have been cleared, and the system will create a new file. This new file will be a flattened version of the previous work file version.
Interface Settings
Within the Interface settings, you will be able to rearrange, order, or hide specific sections in the Hue Task Panel in Photoshop. The first two components, Task Files & Current Files, are static and can not be changed.
📝 Note: Interface preferences are saved on the user’s account and the local workspace. This means if you change the user’s account and Hue workspace, you will have different interface settings.
Option | Function |
 | Drag to change the order in which components appear. |
 | Toggle to enable or hide a component so it does or does not appear. |
Component | Description |
Preset | The shooting/processing preset applied to the task |
Ghost Mannequin | Reference images/guidance for invisible mannequin shots. |
Resource Files | Supporting files attached to the task for the artist to use. |
Outfit Details | Details about the outfit/product being worked on. |
Color References | Reference images showing the correct product colors. |
Instructions | Written instructions for how the task should be completed. |
Color Change | Information for color-variant/recolor work. |
Rejection | Feedback and reasons when a task has been rejected in QC. |
Retouching Brief | The retouching guidelines/brief for the task. |
Creative Brief | The overall creative direction for the shoot/project. |
Good Examples | Reference images showing desired, on-target results. |
Bad Examples | Reference images showing what to avoid. |
External Applications
In the External Applications tab, you can point Hue to where the application is installed on your machine. This allows Hue to connect with the applications.
Once you have selected the application path, it is not possible to change it afterward. You will need to delete the folder path below and restart Hue.
{workspace_folder}/application/application-preferences.Hue
Proxy Settings
If your company uses any proxies in order to access the internet, these settings can be found in the Proxy tab. These are considered advanced settings and should not be changed unless having already consulted with your internal IT Team or studio Network Administrator.
Updating Hue
At a consistent cadence, Creative Force will roll out new versions of Hue containing new features and enhanced optimizations. When these updates become available, you will then have the option to choose to download the new version and install with a restart; otherwise, Hue will appear as up to date.
To manually check for updates, go to Hue along the top of your system OS menu, then select About Hue.