SciPanel User Manual

Overview

SciPanel is a Photoshop CEP plugin designed for scientific image processing, focusing on layout, alignment, distribution, and annotation. The plugin provides various automation tools to help researchers quickly and accurately organize and annotate figures for scientific publications.

The plugin features a comprehensive multilingual system supporting 17 languages: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese (Brazil/Portugal), Italian, Russian, Turkish, Arabic, and Indonesian. Language can be switched via the flyout menu in the top-right corner of the panel.

Main Features

Quick Actions: Quick access to common functions such as layer group swapping, move to selection, guide management, etc.
Better Resize: Resize layers to nearest guides, match size to a target layer, or resize to exact pixel dimensions, with anchor control, aspect ratio lock, multi-layer support, and linked layer grouping
Better Alignment: Advanced alignment tools with support for linked layer group alignment and anchor layer alignment
Better Distribution: Distribution tools supporting edge distribution, center distribution, top/left distribution, and bottom/right distribution
Better Move: Quick movement tools with 8-direction movement, gap mode, guide snapping, and row/column spreading/shrinking
Better Rotate & Flip: Rotation and flip tools with customizable anchor points and angles
Better Renamer: Batch rename layers with templates, variables, find & replace, prefix/suffix modes, and save/close automation
ABC Label: Batch-add ABC labels to layer groups with automatic layout detection, alignment, and preset support
Figure Label: Add figure labels (e.g. "Figure 1", "Fig. S2") to the document canvas with configurable position, font, and preset support
Dimension Marker: Add dimension lines and measurements to images
Flyout Menu: Access Help, About, Check for Updates, and Language settings via the flyout menu () in the top-right corner of the panel

Quick Actions

The Quick Actions area is located at the top of the plugin, providing the most commonly used function buttons that can be used directly without expanding any panels.

Button Reference

Row 1

Button	Function	Detailed Description
Swap Groups	Swap layer groups	Select two layer groups and swap their positions. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+M. Right-click to choose anchor mode: Top-Left, Top-Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right, Left Edge, Right Edge, Top Edge, Bottom Edge, Center, or Mirror
Group to Selection	Move layer group to selection	Move the selected layer group to the top-left corner of the current selection
Quick Move to Selection	Move layer to selection	Move (or copy) the selected layer to align with the current selection. Default direction is top-left. Right-click to choose direction (9 directions) and toggle copy mode
Remove Panel Prefix	Remove panel prefix	Remove letter prefixes (e.g. `A` , `(B)` ) from layer group names. Works on selected groups or all groups if none selected. Right-click to choose prefix format
Crop Document	Crop to content	Crop the document to the combined bounds of all layers. Right-click for options: Work on Copy, Include Hidden Layers, Delete Empty Layers First, Delete Hidden Layers First, Flatten After Crop
Get Layer Info	Get dimension info	Display dimension info for current selection, layer, or canvas. Right-click for Document Info, Color Info, or Detect Fonts
Uppercase	Convert to uppercase	Convert selected text layers to UPPERCASE. Right-click to enable Panel Label Mode: when enabled, finds all text layers matching the specified label format (e.g. `a`, `(a)`) and converts them from lowercase to uppercase
Export Panels	Export panels	Export each top-level layer group as a separate image file. Right-click for format options

Row 2

Button	Function	Detailed Description
Add Comment	Add comment annotation	Add a text comment with background rectangle. Auto-cancels after 30 seconds if no action is taken. Right-click to set padding
Groups to Selection (Arrange)	Arrange layer groups in grid	Move multiple layer groups into the selection area with automatic grid arrangement. Right-click to set spacing (default 150px)
Collapse All Groups	Collapse all layer groups	Collapse all layer groups in the Layers panel
Rename & Sort A-Z	Rename and sort (A on top)	Add A-Z prefixes based on layer group positions, sorted with A on top. Right-click to choose prefix format, naming order, and toggle “Remove old prefix first”
Batch Crop Document	Batch crop documents	Batch crop multiple PSD/TIFF files in a folder to their content bounds
Measure Gap	Measure gap	Measure the gap between two selected layers (horizontal/vertical)
Lowercase	Convert to lowercase	Convert selected text layers to lowercase. Right-click to enable Panel Label Mode: when enabled, finds all text layers matching the specified label format (e.g. `A`, `(A)`) and converts them from uppercase to lowercase
Batch Export Panels	Batch export panels	Batch process multiple files and export their panels. Right-click for file type and format options

Row 3

Button	Function	Detailed Description
H-Center	Horizontal center guide	Add a horizontal guide at the vertical midpoint. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
V-Center	Vertical center guide	Add a vertical guide at the horizontal midpoint. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Midlines	Center guides	Add horizontal and vertical center guides based on current selection/layer/canvas. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Rename & Sort Z-A	Rename and sort (Z on top)	Add A-Z prefixes based on position, sorted with Z on top. Right-click to choose prefix format, naming order, and toggle “Remove old prefix first”
Delete Empty Layers	Delete empty layers	Delete all empty layers (zero-dimension layers and empty text layers) from the document
Delete Hidden Layers	Delete hidden layers	Delete all hidden layers. Right-click for options: Include Locked, Include Groups, Include Off-Canvas, Unlock Groups First
Capitalization	Change capitalization	Convert selected text layers to Title Case or Sentence case. Right-click to choose mode
Border	Border guides	Add guides on all four sides based on current selection/layer/canvas. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode

Row 4

Button	Function	Detailed Description
Top	Top guide	Add a horizontal guide at the top edge. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Bottom	Bottom guide	Add a horizontal guide at the bottom edge. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Top + Bottom	Top and bottom guides	Add horizontal guides at both top and bottom edges. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Left	Left guide	Add a vertical guide at the left edge. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Right	Right guide	Add a vertical guide at the right edge. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Left + Right	Left and right guides	Add vertical guides at both left and right edges. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Clear Guides	Clear guides	Clear all guides in the current document. Icon indicates whether guides exist (red = has guides, green = no guides)
Collapse All	Collapse all	Collapse/expand all function panels

Smart Guide Detection

All guide buttons (Top, Bottom, Left, Right, Top+Bottom, Left+Right, H-Center, V-Center, Border, and Midlines) intelligently detect the current context:

With selection: Add guides based on selection bounds
With selected layer: Add guides based on layer bounds
No selection or layer: Add guides based on canvas bounds

Export Panels

Export each top-level layer group as a separate image file. This is useful for preparing individual panels from a composite figure.

Controls

Control	Function
Format	Export format: PNG, TIFF (LZW), TIFF (No Compression), JPEG, PSD, or PDF. Right-click for format selection menu
Delete Panel Letters	Remove single-letter layer names (A, B, C...) before exporting
Include Non-Group Layers	Also export layers that are not in groups
Export Panels	Execute the export

Export Process

The document must be saved first
A folder named [DocumentName]_Panels will be created in the same directory
Each top-level group is exported as a separate file
Files are named after the group name
PSD format preserves the internal layer structure of each group; other formats flatten to a single layer

Batch Export Panels

Process multiple PSD/PSB/TIFF files in a folder and export their panels automatically.

Controls

Control	Function
Format	Export format for all files. Right-click for format selection menu
Delete Panel Letters	Remove single-letter layer names before exporting
Include Non-Group Layers	Also export layers that are not in groups
Source File Types	Toggle which file types to include: PSD (includes PSB) and/or TIFF. Right-click to select file types

Process

Right-click the button to configure export options and file types
Click the button to select a folder containing the source files
Matching files in the folder are found automatically
Each file is opened, processed, and closed automatically
Panel folders are created next to each source file

Border / Midlines / Directional Guides

Add border guides, center lines, and directional guides to canvas, selection, or layer boundaries. These functions are accessed via buttons in Quick Actions Row 3 and Row 4.

Buttons

Button	Function
H-Center	Add a horizontal guide at the vertical midpoint. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
V-Center	Add a vertical guide at the horizontal midpoint. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Midlines	Add horizontal and vertical center guides. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Border	Add guides on all four sides. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Top	Add a horizontal guide at the top edge. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Bottom	Add a horizontal guide at the bottom edge. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Top + Bottom	Add horizontal guides at both top and bottom edges. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Left	Add a vertical guide at the left edge. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Right	Add a vertical guide at the right edge. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Left + Right	Add vertical guides at both left and right edges. Right-click to toggle Individual/Combined mode
Clear Guides	Clear all guides in the document

Mode Settings

All guide buttons support a multi-layer mode, configurable independently via each button's right-click menu:

Individual: Add guides for each selected layer separately
Combined: Add guides based on the combined bounds of all selected layers

Rename & Sort

Rename layer groups with sequential prefixes and sort them.

Controls

Control	Function
A-Z Button	Rename with A-Z prefixes, sorted with A on top. Right-click for prefix format, naming order, and “Remove old prefix first” toggle
Z-A Button	Rename with A-Z prefixes, sorted with Z on top. Right-click for prefix format, naming order, and “Remove old prefix first” toggle
Remove Prefix Button	Remove letter prefixes from layer group names. Works on selected groups or all groups if none selected. Right-click for prefix format options

Prefix Formats

Available formats (via right-click menu):

A - Simple letter
a - Lowercase letter
(A) - Letter in parentheses
(a) - Lowercase in parentheses
A) - Letter with closing parenthesis
a) - Lowercase with closing parenthesis
Custom... - Define your own format using {A} or {a} as placeholder

Remove Old Prefix

When enabled via the toggle in the right-click menu, existing letter prefixes (matching the current prefix format) will be automatically removed before adding new prefixes. This prevents prefix stacking when re-running rename & sort. The A-Z and Z-A buttons have independent toggle states.

Naming Order

Controls the order in which groups are assigned letters (via right-click menu):

Row-first (Z) - Left to right, top to bottom (default)
Column-first (N) - Top to bottom, left to right
Layer ↓ - Follow layer panel order (top to bottom)
Layer ↑ - Reverse layer panel order (bottom to top)

Layer Management

Tools for managing layers and groups.

Buttons

Button	Function
Delete Hidden Layers	Delete all hidden layers. Right-click for options: Include Locked, Include Groups, Include Off-Canvas, Unlock Groups First
Delete Empty Groups	Delete all empty layer groups
Select Similar	Select layers similar to the current selection
Invert Selection	Invert the current layer selection

Better Resize

Better Resize provides tools to resize layers by snapping edges to guides, matching size to a target layer, or by specifying exact pixel dimensions. It supports normal layers, smart objects, solid color/gradient/pattern fill layers, and layer groups, with optional linked layer grouping.

Resize Edge to Nearest Guide

Resize one or two edges of the selected layer(s) to snap to the nearest guide line. Each button corresponds to an edge or corner, and uses a double-headed arrow icon to indicate that the edge can stretch or shrink in either direction.

Consider Linked Layers

A toggle switch appears to the right of the “Resize Edge to Nearest Guide” label. This toggle controls all three subsections of Better Resize (Resize to Guide, Match Size, and Resize to Exact Size).

Enabled (default): Linked layers are treated as a single resize unit. In Individual mode, each linked group independently finds its nearest guide (or target size) and resizes as a unit; unlinked layers are resized individually as usual. In Combined mode, all selected layers (whether linked or not) are transformed together as a single group using free transform
Disabled: Linked layer relationships are ignored; each layer is treated independently, following the Individual/Combined layer mode setting

Note: Consider Linked Layers and the Individual/Combined layer mode work together. Consider Linked Layers controls how layers are grouped (by link relationship), while the layer mode controls the resize strategy (each unit independently, or all as one group).

Direction Buttons

Button	Edge(s) Moved	Anchor (Fixed)
Top-Left ↖↘	Top edge + Left edge	Bottom-Right corner
Top ↕	Top edge	Bottom edge
Top-Right ↗↙	Top edge + Right edge	Bottom-Left corner
Left ↔	Left edge	Right edge
Right ↔	Right edge	Left edge
Bottom-Left ↙↗	Bottom edge + Left edge	Top-Right corner
Bottom ↕	Bottom edge	Top edge
Bottom-Right ↘↖	Bottom edge + Right edge	Top-Left corner

Layer Mode

The center button toggles between two multi-layer modes:

Individual (default): Each selected layer independently finds the nearest guide to its own edge and resizes individually
Combined: Uses the overall bounding box of all selected layers to find the nearest guide, then transforms all layers as a group using free transform (equivalent to Ctrl+T), preserving their relative positions and spacing

Note: The document must have at least one guide. Horizontal guides are needed for top/bottom resize; vertical guides are needed for left/right resize. Only guides that do not cross past the opposite edge are considered valid — for example, when resizing the left edge, only guides to the left of the right edge are used. If no valid guide is found, an error message indicates which edge has no valid guide.

Match Size

Resize selected layers to match the dimensions of a target layer. Select 2 or more layers, click Go, then click the target layer in the popup to execute.

Controls

Control	Function
Go	Opens a popup listing all selected layers with their dimensions. The popup title shows the current match mode. The largest layer is highlighted in red and the smallest in green, based on the current match dimension (area for Width & Height, or the corresponding single dimension). Click any layer to use it as the target — all other selected layers are immediately resized to match
Match Dimension	Click to cycle between three modes: Width & Height, Width Only, Height Only. Right-click for a menu to select directly. Long press to reset all Match Size settings to defaults. Default: Width & Height
Lock Aspect Ratio	Toggle proportional scaling (padlock icon, green background when locked). In Width/Height Only mode, scales the other dimension proportionally. In Width & Height mode, scales proportionally to fit within the target dimensions (uses the smaller scale factor so the result does not exceed the target width or height). Default: unlocked
Anchor Point	3×3 grid to select which point stays fixed during resize. Default: Center

Tip: This is especially useful for making multiple sub-panels the same size in scientific figures. Select all panels, click Go, then click the one with the desired size.

Resize to Exact Size

Resize the selected layer(s) to a specific width or height in pixels.

Row 1: Dimension and Input

Control	Function
Width/Height Toggle	Click to switch between resizing width and height. Default: height. Icon shows a grid with a red arrow indicating the active dimension. Switching updates the input value to that dimension's default (width: 300, height: 5)
Size Input	Target size in pixels. Enter the desired width or height value. Default: 5 (height)

Row 2: Execute and Options

Control	Function
Go	Execute the resize operation
Lock Aspect Ratio	Toggle proportional scaling (padlock icon). When locked (green background), changing width also scales height proportionally, and vice versa. Default: unlocked
Read Current Size	Reads the current width or height of the selected layer (depending on the active dimension) and fills it into the input box. Useful as a starting point for adjustments
Layer Mode	Toggle between Individual and Combined mode for multi-layer resize. Individual: each layer is resized to the target size independently. Combined: all layers are transformed as a group using free transform (equivalent to Ctrl+T), preserving their relative positions and spacing
Reset	Reset all Better Resize controls to defaults, including Consider Linked Layers (on), Resize to Guide layer mode, Match Size settings, and Resize to Exact Size settings
Anchor Point	3×3 grid to select which point stays fixed during resize. Default: Center

Supported layer types: Normal layers, smart objects, solid color/gradient/pattern fill layers, and layer groups. Background layers and text layers are not supported.

Better Alignment

Better Alignment provides more powerful alignment features than Photoshop’s native tools, with special support for linked layer group alignment.

Align (Consider Linked Layers)

Align linked layers as a single unit. Red bars represent linked layer groups (with a short connector between them), white bars represent independent layers.

Button	Function
Align Left	Align left
Align H-Center	Align horizontal center
Align Right	Align right
Align Top	Align top
Align V-Center	Align vertical center
Align Bottom	Align bottom

Align to Anchor Layer

Align other layers to a specified anchor layer. The anchor layer remains stationary.

Controls

Control	Function
Consider Linked Layers	Toggle: Whether to treat linked layers as a unit
V-Align Mode	Vertical align mode: Left / Center / Right (click to toggle)
H-Align Mode	Horizontal align mode: Top / Center / Bottom (click to toggle)

Anchor Position

First: First selected layer as anchor (shown in red)
Middle: Middle layer as anchor
Last: Last selected layer as anchor

Align to Canvas

Align layers directly to canvas boundaries.

Control	Function
Consider Linked Layers	Toggle: Whether to treat linked layers as a unit. When turned off, a second toggle appears
Keep Relative Position	Toggle (visible only when Consider Linked Layers is off): Move all selected layers as a group, preserving their relative positions
Align to Canvas edges	Align to canvas top, middle, bottom, left, center, right

Better Distribution

Better Distribution provides four distribution modes: edge distribution, center distribution, top/left distribution, and bottom/right distribution.

Spacing

A shared spacing input area at the top of the section, used by Edge Distribution when fixed spacing is enabled.

Control	Function
Get Spacing from Layers	Automatically measure the gap between two selected layers and fill the spacing input with the result
Spacing	Spacing input (pixels) - used by Edge Distribution when Even Distribution is off

Edge Distribution

Distribute based on layer edges, maintaining uniform spacing between layers.

Control	Function
Even Distribution	Toggle: Use even distribution (ignore spacing value) or fixed spacing
Consider Linked Layers	Toggle: Whether to treat linked layers as a unit

Button	Function
V + Left	Vertical distribution + left align
V + Center	Vertical distribution + horizontal center
V + Right	Vertical distribution + right align
V (No Align)	Vertical distribution only, no horizontal change
H + Top	Horizontal distribution + top align
H + Center	Horizontal distribution + vertical center
H + Bottom	Horizontal distribution + bottom align
H (No Align)	Horizontal distribution only, no vertical change

Center Distribution

Distribute based on layer center points, arranging layer centers uniformly.

Control	Function
Consider Linked Layers	Toggle: Whether to treat linked layers as a unit

Button	Function
V Centers + Left	Vertical center distribution + left align
V Centers + Center	Vertical center distribution + horizontal center
V Centers + Right	Vertical center distribution + right align
V Centers (No Align)	Vertical center distribution only
H Centers + Top	Horizontal center distribution + top align
H Centers + Center	Horizontal center distribution + vertical center
H Centers + Bottom	Horizontal center distribution + bottom align
H Centers (No Align)	Horizontal center distribution only

Top/Left Distribution

Distribute based on layer top edges (vertical) or left edges (horizontal), arranging these edges uniformly.

Control	Function
Consider Linked Layers	Toggle: Whether to treat linked layers as a unit

Button	Function
V Tops + Left	Vertical top distribution + left align
V Tops + Center	Vertical top distribution + horizontal center
V Tops + Right	Vertical top distribution + right align
V Tops (No Align)	Vertical top distribution only
H Lefts + Top	Horizontal left distribution + top align
H Lefts + Center	Horizontal left distribution + vertical center
H Lefts + Bottom	Horizontal left distribution + bottom align
H Lefts (No Align)	Horizontal left distribution only

Bottom/Right Distribution

Distribute based on layer bottom edges (vertical) or right edges (horizontal), arranging these edges uniformly.

Control	Function
Consider Linked Layers	Toggle: Whether to treat linked layers as a unit

Button	Function
V Bottoms + Left	Vertical bottom distribution + left align
V Bottoms + Center	Vertical bottom distribution + horizontal center
V Bottoms + Right	Vertical bottom distribution + right align
V Bottoms (No Align)	Vertical bottom distribution only
H Rights + Top	Horizontal right distribution + top align
H Rights + Center	Horizontal right distribution + vertical center
H Rights + Bottom	Horizontal right distribution + bottom align
H Rights (No Align)	Horizontal right distribution only

Better Move

Better Move provides quick layer movement with support for four modes: Guide, Gap, Distance, and Selection.

Mode Selection

Click the mode button to cycle through modes (right-click to select directly, scroll wheel to switch):

Guide Mode (default): Move layers to the nearest guide line (or canvas edge if no guide exists)
Gap Mode: Move layers by gap (spacing) amount with copy support
Distance Mode: Move layers by a fixed pixel distance
Selection Mode: Move layers to selection boundaries

Guide Mode (Default)

Move layers to snap to the nearest guide line in the pressed direction. If no guide exists in that direction, the layer moves to the canvas edge instead. Diagonal directions move independently on both axes. Distance input and presets are disabled in this mode.

Align Edge (Guide Mode center button)

The center button in Guide Mode controls which part of the layer aligns to the guide. Click to cycle through three modes (right-click to cycle in reverse):

Leading (default): The leading edge snaps to the guide — e.g., pressing → aligns the right edge to the guide, pressing ↑ aligns the top edge
Center: The layer center snaps to the guide — e.g., pressing → aligns the horizontal center to the guide
Trailing: The trailing edge snaps to the guide — e.g., pressing → aligns the left edge to the guide, pressing ↑ aligns the bottom edge

This setting applies to both normal Guide Mode and Anchor Layer Mode.

Anchor Layer Mode (Guide Mode sub-option)

When multiple layers are selected and moved in Guide Mode, the default behavior uses the combined bounding box of all selected layers to calculate which guide to snap to. With Anchor Layer Mode enabled, you can designate one specific layer as the reference for distance calculation — only that layer's edge is used to find the nearest guide, while all selected layers move together by the same amount.

How to use:

Switch to Guide Mode, then enable the Anchor Layer toggle that appears next to the "Move Layers" label
Select the layers you want to move, then click a direction button
A dialog appears listing all currently selected layers — click one to designate it as the anchor
The move executes immediately, snapping the anchor layer's edge to the nearest guide while all other selected layers follow
Next time you click a direction button, the dialog appears again (since your selection may have changed). The previously chosen anchor layer is pre-highlighted for quick re-selection
If only one layer is selected, the dialog is skipped and normal Guide Mode behavior is used

Gap Mode Controls

Control	Function
Gap	Gap amount (pixels), drag icon to adjust
Diagonal Mode	Diagonal copy behavior (right-click to select, scroll wheel to switch): Diagonal Only, L-Shape, or Full (8 directions)
Layer Mode	Combined or Individual
Center (Burst Copy)	Copy to multiple directions at once (requires Copy Mode on)

Distance Mode Controls

Control	Function
Distance	Movement distance (pixels), drag icon to quickly adjust
-	Decrease distance (right-click to set step)
+	Increase distance (right-click to set step)
Copy Mode	Toggle move/copy-move mode
Center Button	Align selected layers to canvas center (all layers move as a group)
Reset	Reset to default values

Selection Mode

Move layers to align with the current selection boundaries. The 8 directional buttons move to the corresponding edge or corner of the selection. The center button moves the layer to the center of the selection.

Direction Buttons

8 directional movement buttons:

Quick Presets

5 quick preset buttons (default values: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50) are displayed below the direction buttons. Click any preset button to instantly set the distance/gap value. Preset values update automatically when the mode changes between Distance and Gap.

Spread / Shrink Rows/Columns

Quickly expand or shrink spacing between layers, useful for adjusting row or column spacing.

Control	Function
Shrink Mode	Toggle: Switch between Spread (expand spacing) and Shrink (reduce spacing) mode
Consider Linked Layers	Toggle: Whether to treat linked layers as a unit
Spread Distance	Distance in pixels for each spread/shrink step (default: 10). Supports drag-to-adjust on the label icon and scroll wheel
Row Count	Number of rows in the layout. Click icon to increment, Alt+click to decrement, long-press to reset
Column Count	Number of columns in the layout. Click icon to increment, Alt+click to decrement, long-press to reset

Spread Mode (default):

Button	Function
Spread Rows Up	Spread row spacing upward (bottom row fixed)
Spread Rows Down	Spread row spacing downward (top row fixed)
Spread Columns Left	Spread column spacing leftward (right column fixed)
Spread Columns Right	Spread column spacing rightward (left column fixed)

Shrink Mode (toggle on):

Button	Function
Shrink Rows Up	Shrink row spacing upward (top row fixed)
Shrink Rows Down	Shrink row spacing downward (bottom row fixed)
Shrink Columns Left	Shrink column spacing leftward (left column fixed)
Shrink Columns Right	Shrink column spacing rightward (right column fixed)

Better Rotate & Flip

Better Rotate provides flexible layer rotation and flip functions.

Controls

Control	Function
Anchor Point	3×3 anchor selector, choose rotation center point
Direction	Rotation direction: Clockwise / Counter-clockwise
Angle	Rotation angle input

Quick Angle Buttons

Button	Function
	Apply angle from input field
15	Rotate 15°
30	Rotate 30°
45	Rotate 45°
90	Rotate 90°
180	Rotate 180°

Other Options

Button	Function
Mode	Rotation mode: Individual (each layer rotates independently) / Combined (rotate as one) / Group (rotate groups)
Copy	Copy mode: Whether to copy layer before rotation

Flip Functions

Control	Function
Flip Axis	Flip axis: Center / Left Edge / Right Edge / Top Edge / Bottom Edge
Flip Horizontal	Flip horizontal
Flip Vertical	Flip vertical
Reset	Reset all settings

Better Renamer

Better Renamer is a powerful batch layer renaming tool. It supports five modes—Rewrite, Prefix, Suffix, Delete, and Find & Replace—with template variables for dynamic naming, numbering controls, and optional save-and-close automation for batch workflows.

Tip: If specific layers are selected, only those layers are renamed. If no layers are selected, all non-background layers in the document are renamed. Enable Group Mode to rename only layer groups: if no layers are selected, all top-level groups are renamed; if layer groups are selected, only those groups are renamed; if only non-group layers are selected, an error is shown.

Text Settings

Control	Function
Case Sensitive toggle	Toggle case sensitivity for Delete and Find & Replace modes (shown only in those modes)
Replace First Only toggle	In Find & Replace mode: replace only the first match vs. all matches
Delete First Only toggle	In Delete mode: delete only the first match vs. all matches
Reverse Numbering toggle	Reverse the numbering order of sequence variables (last layer gets the starting number)

Input Fields

Control	Function
Name Template (Rewrite/Prefix/Suffix/Delete modes)	Enter the naming template or text to delete. Supports template variables (see below)
Find / Replace (Find & Replace mode)	Enter the text to find and the replacement text. Both fields support template variables
Start Value	Starting value for sequence variables. Accepts numbers (`1`), letters (`a`, `A`), or Roman numerals (`i`, `I`). Click the button to increment (+1), Alt+click to decrement (−1), long-press to reset to `1`
Variable Shortcut Buttons	Four quick-insert buttons next to Start Value for commonly used variables: `{file}` (file name), `{n}` (number sequence), `{total}` (total layers), `{type}` (layer type). Click to insert the variable at the cursor position in the active input field. Right-click the `{n}` button to choose the zero-padding format (`{n}`, `{nn}`, `{nnn}`, or `{nnnn}`); the selected format is remembered across sessions

Template Variables

Variable	Description
`{n}` `{nn}` `{nnn}`	Number (1, 2, 3...). The count of `n` determines zero-padding width
`{a}` `{A}`	Letter sequence (a, b... z, aa... / A, B... Z, AA...)
`{i}` `{I}`	Roman numeral (i, ii, iii... / I, II, III...)
`{name}`	Original layer name
`{file}`	Document file name without extension
`{width}` `{height}`	Layer width / height in pixels
`{type}`	Layer type (normal, text, group, smartobject...)
`{blendMode}`	Layer blend mode (normal, multiply...)
`{text}`	Text layer content (empty for non-text layers)
`{total}`	Total number of layers being renamed
`{date}` `{dateYMD}` `{dateDMY}`	Date: MM-DD-YYYY (US), YYYY-MM-DD (ISO), DD-MM-YYYY (European)
`{time}` `{timeHMS}`	Time: HH-MM, HH-MM-SS
`{unit}`	Document ruler units (Pixels, MM, CM, Inches...)
`{color}`	Document color mode (RGB, CMYK, Grayscale...)
`{depth}`	Document bit depth (8, 16, 32)
`{resolution}`	Document resolution in PPI
`\{n\}`	Literal `{n}` (escaped, no replacement)

Modes

Mode	Description
Rewrite	Replace the entire layer name with the template
Prefix	Add the template text before the original name
Suffix	Add the template text after the original name
Delete	Remove matching text from the layer name. Extra toggles: Delete All Before (remove everything before the match), Delete All After (remove everything after the match)
Find & Replace	Find text and replace it. Extra toggles: Insert Before (insert replacement before the match without removing it), Insert After (insert replacement after the match without removing it)

Actions

Control	Function
Delete All Before / After toggles	Shown in Delete mode. Delete All Before: remove everything before the match. Delete All After: remove everything after the match. Mutually exclusive
Insert Before / After toggles	Shown in Find & Replace mode. Insert Before: insert replacement before the match without removing it. Insert After: insert after. Mutually exclusive
Group Mode toggle	When enabled, only layer groups are renamed. If no layers are selected, all top-level groups are processed. If groups are selected, only those groups are processed. If only non-group layers are selected, an error is shown. Always visible regardless of mode
Go (Rename)	Execute the rename operation. Right-click to open the Go menu with Save & Close, Delete Original, Batch Process, and save format options
Mode button	Click to cycle modes, long-press to reset to Rewrite, right-click for mode menu
Order button	Toggle layer processing order: Top to Bottom or Bottom to Top. Long-press to reset, right-click for menu
Variable Reference	Show the template variable reference dialog
Save Preset	Save current settings as a named preset, with optional export to file
Import Preset	Import a preset from a JSON file
Load Preset	Open the preset menu. Click to load, double-click to rename, × to delete. Click ★ to set as default preset (loads on startup and when Reset is clicked; click again to unset)
Reset	Reset all settings to defaults, or to the default preset if one is set

Go Menu (Right-Click on Go Button)

Option	Description
Save & Close	After renaming, automatically save and close the document
Delete Original	When saving in a different format, delete the original file
Batch Process	Select a folder and process all image files in it
Save Format	Choose save format: Original (fallback PSD), TIF, TIF (LZW), or PSD

ABC Label

ABC Label allows you to batch-add labels (A, B, C, etc.) to multiple layer groups at once. It automatically detects the spatial layout of groups, supports multiple labeling directions, and can align labels after placement. This is the recommended tool for quickly annotating multi-panel scientific figures.

Tip: If specific layer groups are selected, labels are added only to those groups. If no groups are selected, all top-level groups in the document are labeled.

Text Settings

Control	Function
Bold toggle	Toggle bold on/off
Italic toggle	Toggle italic on/off
Sequence	Label sequence, semicolon-separated (e.g. `A;B;C;D;...`). Supports any text as labels
Prefix	Text prepended before each label (e.g. `(` to produce `(A)`)
Suffix	Text appended after each label (e.g. `)` to produce `(A)`)
Start Label	Which label to start from. Click to cycle forward, Alt+click to cycle backward, long-press to reset to first
Corner	Which corner of each group the label is placed near: Top-Left / Top-Right / Bottom-Right / Bottom-Left. Click to cycle, long-press to reset, right-click for menu
Sub-Position	Quadrant relative to the corner point: Q1 (Upper-Right) / Q2 (Upper-Left) / Q3 (Lower-Left) / Q4 (Lower-Right). Click to cycle, long-press to reset, right-click for menu
Colorize Groups	Toggle button to assign sequential color labels to layer groups when adding ABC labels. Groups are colored in label order (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, ...), cycling through available colors. Default: off. Right-click for menu: Colorize Selected Groups, Colorize All Groups, Clear Selected Group Colors, Clear All Group Colors. Supports 11 colors on PS 2024+ and 7 colors on earlier versions
Direction	Order in which groups are labeled: Z (row-first) / N (column-first) / Layer ↓ (top to bottom in layer panel) / Layer ↑ (bottom to top). Click to cycle, long-press to reset, right-click for menu
Color	Label text color in R;G;B format
Font Size	Font size in points (drag icon to adjust)
Font	Font family: Arial / Calibri / Helvetica LT Pro / Myriad Pro / Source Sans 3
Offset H	Horizontal offset from the corner position (pixels, drag icon to adjust)
Offset V	Vertical offset from the corner position (pixels, drag icon to adjust)

Actions

Control	Function
Add	Add ABC labels to groups. Right-click for options: Align after adding (toggle), Align within threshold (px, 0 = unlimited)
Replace	Delete existing “ABC Label” group and re-add with current settings (single undo step)
Delete	Delete all ABC Label groups. Right-click for options: Prefix Format (All Formats, A, a, (A), (a), A), a), or Custom), Entire Document toggle (on = all, off = selected layers only)
Toggle Visibility	Toggle visibility of all “ABC Label” groups. If any group is visible, all are hidden; if all are hidden, all are shown
Save Preset	Save all current ABC Label settings as a named preset, with optional export to file
Import Preset	Import a preset from a `.json` file
Load Preset	Open the preset menu. Built-in presets: A-Z (Uppercase), a-z (Lowercase). User presets: single-click to load, double-click to rename, × to delete. Click ★ to set as default preset (loads on startup and when Reset is clicked; click again to unset)
Reset	Reset all settings to defaults, or to the default preset if one is set

Layout Detection

ABC Label automatically detects the spatial arrangement of layer groups:

Row clustering: Groups at similar vertical positions are identified as being in the same row using affinity-based clustering
Spanning groups: Groups significantly taller than the median (e.g. a tall panel spanning two rows) are detected and handled correctly with placeholder column slots
Z vs N direction: Z reads row-by-row (left to right, top to bottom); N reads column-by-column (top to bottom, left to right)

Label Alignment

When “Align after adding” is enabled (default), labels are automatically aligned after placement:

Labels in the same visual row are aligned to a common top position
Labels in the same visual column are aligned to a common left position
The “Align within” threshold limits how far a label can be moved (0 = unlimited)

Figure Label

Figure Label adds a single figure title label (e.g. “Figure 1”, “Fig. S2”, “Extended Data Fig. 3”) to the document canvas. Unlike ABC Label which places labels on individual layer groups, Figure Label places one label per document at a configurable position on the canvas — ideal for annotating the overall figure number in scientific publications.

Tip: After adding a Figure Label, the start label automatically advances to the next item in the sequence, making it easy to label multiple documents in order.

Text Settings

Control	Function
Bold Toggle	Toggle bold style
Italic Toggle	Toggle italic style
Sequence	Label sequence, semicolon-separated (e.g. `1;2;3;4;...`). Supports any text as labels
Prefix	Text prepended before the label (e.g. `Figure` produces “Figure 1”)
Suffix	Text appended after the label
Start Label	Which label to use next. Click to cycle forward, Alt+click to cycle backward, long-press to reset to first
Color	Label text color in R;G;B format
Font Size	Font size in points (drag icon to adjust)
Font	Font family selection: Arial / Calibri / Helvetica LT Pro / Myriad Pro / Source Sans 3
Offset H	Horizontal offset from the position anchor in pixels (drag icon to adjust)
Offset V	Vertical offset from the position anchor in pixels (drag icon to adjust)

Actions

Control	Function
Add	Add a Figure Label to the document. Fails if a Figure Label already exists — use Replace or Delete first. Long-press to pick format from the selected text layer (reads position, font, size, color, bold/italic and applies to settings). If the picked font is not in the font list, Arial is used and a warning is shown
Replace	Delete the existing Figure Label group and re-add with current settings (single undo step)
Delete	Delete all “Figure Label” groups from the document
Position	Label placement on the canvas: Top-Left, Top-Center, Top-Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Center, or Bottom-Right. Click to cycle, long-press to reset to Top-Left, right-click for menu
Toggle Visibility	Toggle visibility of all “Figure Label” groups. If any are visible they are all hidden; if all hidden they are all shown
Save Preset	Save all current Figure Label settings as a named preset, with option to export to file
Import Preset	Import a preset from a `.json` file
Load Preset	Open the preset menu. Built-in presets: Figure 1-99, Fig. 1-99, Figure S1-99, Extended Data Fig. 1-99, Supplementary Fig. 1-99. User presets: click to load, double-click to rename, × to delete. Click ★ to set as default preset (loads on startup and when Reset is clicked; click again to unset)
Reset	Reset all settings to defaults, or to the default preset if one is set

Built-in Presets

Preset Name	Prefix	Sequence
Figure 1-99	`Figure`	1;2;3;...;99
Fig. 1-99	`Fig.`	1;2;3;...;99
Figure S1-99	`Figure S`	1;2;3;...;99
Extended Data Fig. 1-99	`Extended Data Fig.`	1;2;3;...;99
Supplementary Fig. 1-99	`Supplementary Fig.`	1;2;3;...;99

Presets

Click Save Preset to save current settings
Check “Export to file after saving” to also export as a JSON file
Click preset names in the Load Preset menu to apply
Click the × button to delete presets
Double-click preset name to rename
Click ★ to set as default preset (loads on startup and when Reset is clicked; click again to unset)

Dimension Marker

Add professional dimension lines and measurements to your images. This is essential for scientific figures that require scale indicators.

Line Settings

Control	Function
Line Width	Thickness of the dimension line in pixels (drag icon to adjust)
Offset	Distance from measurement points to the line (drag icon to adjust)
End Size	Size of endpoint markers - arrows, perpendicular lines, or dots (drag icon to adjust)
Line Color	Color of the dimension line in R;G;B format. Click to cycle colors, long-press to reset, right-click for color menu

Text Settings

Control	Function
Bold Toggle	Toggle bold style for dimension text (in the section header)
Italic Toggle	Toggle italic style for dimension text (in the section header)
Font Size	Font size in points (drag icon to adjust)
Font	Font family selection
Text Color	Color of the dimension text in R;G;B format. Click to cycle colors, long-press to reset, right-click for color menu
Text Offset	Distance of text from the line

Text Background Settings

Control	Function
BG Color	Background color for text rectangle. Click to cycle colors, long-press to reset, right-click for color menu
Corner Radius	Corner radius for background rectangle
Glow Color	Glow color when using glow background. Click to cycle colors, long-press to reset, right-click for color menu
Glow Blur	Blur radius for glow effect

Toggle Buttons (First Row)

Button	Function
Mode	Individual (measure each layer) or Combined (measure combined bounds). Click to toggle
End Style	Arrow, Perpendicular, Dot, or None. Click to cycle, right-click for menu
Unit	Measurement unit (px, mm, cm, in, pt, pc). Click to toggle display, right-click for unit selection
Rotate Text	Rotate text for vertical dimensions. Click to toggle
Text BG	Text background style: Rectangle, Glow, or None. Click to cycle, right-click for menu
Text Position	Text position: Outside or Center. Click to toggle, right-click for menu
Draw Line on Guide	Draw a dimension line along an existing guide. Auto-cancels after 30 seconds if no guide is created
Draw Crosshair	Draw crosshair lines at a clicked position. Auto-cancels after 30 seconds if no point is placed. Right-click for placement method and direction options

Action Buttons (Second Row)

Button	Function
Add Dimension Marker	Add dimension lines to selected layer(s) - horizontal and vertical
Add Gap Marker	Measure and mark the gap between two selected layers
Custom Measure	Use the Ruler Tool to draw a custom measurement line. Auto-cancels after 30 seconds if no measurement is drawn
Link	Link line width and end size proportionally. Click to toggle
Save Preset	Save current settings as a preset
Import Preset	Import a preset from file
Load Preset	Load a saved preset from the dropdown menu. Click ★ to set as default preset (loads on startup and when Reset is clicked; click again to unset)
Reset	Reset all settings to defaults, or to the default preset if one is set

Presets

Click Save Preset to save current settings
Check “Export to file after saving” to also export as a JSON file
Click preset names in the Load Preset menu to apply
Click the × button to delete presets
Double-click preset name to rename
Click ★ to set as default preset (loads on startup and when Reset is clicked; click again to unset)

License Activation

SciPanel is a shareware plugin. The unregistered version is fully functional with a 30-day trial period. After the trial, you will need to purchase and activate a license to continue using the plugin.

Nag Screen

When the plugin starts without an active license, a registration reminder dialog (nag screen) appears. To proceed into the plugin in trial mode:

Read and accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy by checking the checkbox
Click the correct answer button as indicated in the prompt (e.g. click P > 0.05 when prompted)

This dialog will not appear once you have activated a license.

Purchasing a License

Click one of the Registration buttons on the nag screen to open the purchase page in your default browser. Three plans are available: Ph.D., Future Ph.D., and Enterprise. After completing the purchase, you will receive a license key via email.

Activating a License

Click the Activate button on the nag screen
Enter the email address used for purchase and the license key you received
Click Activate to verify and bind the license to your device

Once activated, the license is bound to your device using a hardware identifier (MAC address).

Deactivating a License

To transfer your license to another computer, go to Flyout Menu → Deactivate License. This unbinds the license from the current device, allowing you to activate it on a different machine.

Click the hamburger menu icon () in the top-right corner of the plugin panel to access the Flyout Menu.

Menu Items

Item	Function
Help	Opens the user manual in the system default browser (automatically selects Chinese or English version based on the current interface language)
About SciPanel	Shows version information, author credits, and copyright notice
Cite This Plugin	Copies a ready-to-use citation sentence to the clipboard for your legends and Materials & Methods sections
Check for Updates	Connects to the SciSuite server to check whether a newer version is available. If a new version is found, the release notes are displayed and the download page opens automatically in your browser
Join Us	Learn how to contribute to this project; the contact email is automatically copied to clipboard
Deactivate License	Unbinds the license from the current device so it can be activated on another computer (see License Activation)
Language	Select interface language from 17 available options

Available Languages

简体中文
繁體中文（中國台灣）
繁體中文（中國香港）
日本語
한국어
العربية
Deutsch
English
Español
Español (Latinoamérica)
Français
Indonesia
Italiano
Português (Brasil)
Português (Portugal)
Русский
Türkçe

Language selection is saved and persists between sessions.

General Usage

Button Interaction Modes

Icon buttons in SciPanel support multiple interaction modes:

Single Click: Execute main function or switch to next option
Alt+Click: Switch to previous option or decrement value (e.g., Row/Column count icons in Spread Rows/Columns, Start Label buttons in ABC Label and Figure Label)
Long Press (500ms): Reset to default value
Right Click: Show all options menu or custom panel
Scroll Wheel: Cycle through options

Drag to Adjust Values

Some numeric input fields have icon buttons that support drag adjustment:

Hold left mouse button on the icon and drag left/right to quickly adjust values
Drag right to increase, drag left to decrease
Hold Shift key to accelerate adjustment

Scroll Wheel Adjustment

Some toggle buttons support scroll wheel operation:

Scroll down: Switch to next option
Scroll up: Switch to previous option

Context Menu (Right-Click)

Many buttons support right-click to open settings menu:

Swap Groups: Anchor mode selection
Rename & Sort: Prefix format selection
Better Renamer Go button: Save & Close, Batch Process, save format options
Better Renamer Mode button: Mode selection
Better Renamer {n} button: Number zero-padding format selection
Remove Panel Prefix: Prefix format selection
Quick Move to Selection: Direction and copy mode
Export Format: Format selection
Groups to Selection: Spacing setting
Dimension Marker units: Unit selection
Delete Hidden Layers: Delete options
Move Distance +/-: Step settings
And more...

Progress Indicator

When performing time-consuming operations, a green gradient animated progress bar will appear at the bottom of the corresponding section header, indicating the operation is in progress. The progress bar automatically disappears when the operation completes.

Panel Collapse State

All collapsible panels automatically save their expanded/collapsed state, which will be restored when the plugin is opened next time.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Function
Ctrl+Shift+M	Swap Groups — swaps the positions of two selected layer groups (requires panel focus)
Enter	Confirm/execute default action in dialogs
Escape	Cancel current operation/close dialog
Tab	Cycle focus through buttons and input fields

FAQs

Q: Why doesn’t clicking a button do anything?

A: Please ensure:

A document is open in Photoshop
For operations requiring a selection, first create a selection using the marquee tool
For operations requiring layer selection, first select the target layer(s) in the Layers panel
For layer group operations, ensure you have selected a layer group (folder), not a regular layer

Q: How do I align linked layers as a unit?

A: In Better Resize, Better Alignment, and Better Distribution, enable the “Consider Linked Layers” toggle, and linked layers will be treated as a single unit for resizing, alignment, or distribution.

Q: How do I quickly add A, B, C labels to multiple layer groups?

Recommended: Use the ABC Label section — configure your sequence, font, position, and click Add. Labels are automatically placed on all (or selected) layer groups with intelligent layout detection
Use the “Rename & Sort A-Z” button in Quick Actions to automatically add prefixes to group names

Q: How do I adjust the spacing for Groups to Selection (Arrange)?

A: Right-click the button, and in the popup menu you can set a custom spacing value (default is 150px). The setting is automatically saved.

Q: How do I use the Even Distribution feature?

A: In Edge Distribution, click the “Even Distribution” toggle button to enable it. When enabled, layers will be distributed with equal spacing regardless of the Spacing input value.

Q: How do I add dimension markers?

Select one or more layers
Configure line and text settings in the Dimension Marker section
Click “Add Dimension Marker” to add both horizontal and vertical dimension lines
Or click “Add Gap Marker” to measure the gap between two layers

Q: How do I add a figure label like “Figure 1”?

In the Figure Label section, set the prefix (e.g. Figure ), sequence, and font settings
Click the Position button to choose where the label appears on the canvas
Click Add to place the label — the start label auto-advances to the next number
Use built-in presets (e.g. “Fig. 1-99”, “Figure S1-99”) for common journal formats

Q: How do I export panels?

Save your document first
Configure export format and options in Export Panels section
Click “Export Panels”
Files will be saved in a [DocumentName]_Panels folder

Version Information

Plugin Name: SciPanel
Version: 1.0.0
Compatible Software: Adobe Photoshop CC 2022+
Architecture: CEP (Common Extensibility Platform)
Authors: Bo Lv, Xi Cheng