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Photoshop’s shortcuts can help you save time and increase your overall productivity. Learn a wide variety of little-known shortcuts that have the potential to completely transform your workflow. These keyboard shortcuts cover a variety of ground in Photoshop, from facilitating the management of layers and facilitating the seamless change of brushes to facilitating the editing of text and facilitating rapid edits.
In addition, there are keyboard shortcuts included for effective file management, accurate selections, and even work in 3D. It would be a shame to pass up the opportunity to save some time using these helpful strategies. Have a look at the arranged list that has been provided for you below so that you can quickly get to the shortcuts that are of greatest importance to you. You’ll have more free time on your hands if you learn how to use Photoshop to its fullest potential.
Benefits of Using Photoshop Shortcuts
Using the best Photoshop tools can make your work with the software much faster and more effective. Here are some of the most important reasons why you should use Photoshop shortcuts:
- Efficient Navigation: Shortcuts make it easy to move between Photoshop’s tools, panels, and choices without stopping your creative flow.
- Editing with precision: Many shortcuts give you exact control over certain editing functions, so you can make changes quickly and correctly.
- Multitasking: Shortcuts on the keyboard make it easy to switch between tools, layers, and choices, among other things.
- Reduced Reliance on the Mouse: Using the mouse less can make your hands and wrists less tired and less likely to get repetitive strain injuries.
Best Photoshop Shortcuts
You can complete tasks in Photoshop much more quickly by using shortcuts rather than scrolling through the program’s menus and choices. When working on complicated tasks under strict time constraints, the ability to save time is absolutely essential.
Basic Shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + N | New document |
| Ctrl + O | Open document |
| Ctrl + S | Save document |
| Ctrl + Shift + S | Save As |
| Ctrl + C | Copy selected |
| Ctrl + X | Cut selected |
| Ctrl + V | Paste |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| Ctrl + Shift + Z | Redo |
| Ctrl + A | Select All |
File Management:
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Alt + N | New layer |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | New layer (no dialog) |
| Ctrl + J | Duplicate layer |
| Ctrl + E | Merge selected layers |
| Ctrl + Shift + E | Merge visible layers |
| Ctrl + G | Group layers |
| Ctrl + Shift + G | Ungroup layers |
| Ctrl + ] | Bring layer forward |
| Ctrl + [ | Send layer backward |
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + D | Deselect |
| Ctrl + Shift + I | Invert selection |
| Ctrl + T | Free Transform |
| Spacebar + Drag | Pan view |
| Ctrl + + or – | Zoom in/out |
| Ctrl + 0 | Fit to screen |
| F | Toggle full screen mode |
Brush and Tools:
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| B | Brush tool |
| E | Eraser tool |
| G | Gradient tool |
| M | Marquee selection |
| L | Lasso selection |
| U | Custom shape tool |
| J | Healing brush |
| V | Move tool |
| S | Clone stamp |
Text and Type:
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| T | Type tool |
| Ctrl + T | Edit text |
| Ctrl + Shift + > | Increase font size |
| Ctrl + Shift + < | Decrease font size |
| Ctrl + B | Bold |
| Ctrl + I | Italic |
| Ctrl + U | Underline |
| Ctrl + Shift + L | Align left |
| Ctrl + Shift + R | Align right |
Best Photoshop Shortcuts for Different Platforms
Learn the most important Photoshop keyboard shortcuts for improved productivity on all platforms. By implementing these time-saving strategies into your creative process, you may increase your output and simplify your workflow.
Windows Shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + N | New document |
| Ctrl + O | Open document |
| Ctrl + S | Save document |
| Ctrl + C | Copy selected |
| Ctrl + X | Cut selected |
| Ctrl + V | Paste |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| Ctrl + Shift + Z | Redo |
| Ctrl + A | Select All |
| Ctrl + Alt + Z | Step Backward |
| Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Z | Step Forward |
| Ctrl + J | Duplicate layer |
| Ctrl + E | Merge selected layers |
| Ctrl + Shift + E | Merge visible layers |
| Ctrl + G | Group layers |
| Ctrl + Shift + G | Ungroup layers |
| Ctrl + T | Free Transform |
| Spacebar + Drag | Pan view |
| Ctrl + + or – | Zoom in/out |
| Ctrl + 0 | Fit to screen |
macOS Shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Cmd + N | New document |
| Cmd + O | Open document |
| Cmd + S | Save document |
| Cmd + C | Copy selected |
| Cmd + X | Cut selected |
| Cmd + V | Paste |
| Cmd + Z | Undo |
| Cmd + Shift + Z | Redo |
| Cmd + A | Select All |
| Cmd + Option + Z | Step Backward |
| Cmd + Shift + Option + Z | Step Forward |
| Cmd + J | Duplicate layer |
| Cmd + E | Merge selected layers |
| Cmd + Shift + E | Merge visible layers |
| Cmd + G | Group layers |
| Cmd + Shift + G | Ungroup layers |
| Cmd + T | Free Transform |
| Spacebar + Drag | Pan view |
| Cmd + + or – | Zoom in/out |
| Cmd + 0 | Fit to screen |
Questions and Answers
A: Yes, you can change the keyboard keys in Photoshop to suit your needs. To do this, go to Edit (Windows) or Photoshop (Mac) in the top menu bar and then click Keyboard Shortcuts. In the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box, you can add new shortcuts or change the ones you already have by choosing the function you want to use and pressing the keys you want to use.
A: You can see all of Photoshop’s keyboard shortcuts by going to the Help menu in the top menu bar and selecting “Keyboard Shortcuts.” This will open a web page or PDF file, based on your version of Photoshop, that has a full list of keyboard shortcuts for different tools and functions.
A: Most of the tools for Photoshop are the same on both Windows and Mac. But because keyboard layouts are different, there may be a few keys that are different. For example, on Windows, you use the Ctrl key and on Mac, you use the Command (Cmd) key. When you use Photoshop tools, make sure to use the right modifier key for your operating system.