Photoshop Shortcuts and Other Neat Aspects of the Software

The Photoshop application uses a lot of shortcut keys, because although the software is great for editing photos, it does require quite a bit of time. Shortcut keys allow users to perform tasks in shorter periods of time. For example, to open a new document in Photoshop requires the user to click the File menu, then select New; using the shortcut keys, users only have to press “Ctrl+N(Win&Mac)”. The use of shortcuts keys reduces the use of the mouse and increases the speed of operations. Photoshop gives users hundreds of possible shortcut keys, and allows users to define their own shortcut keys.

Creating a shortcut key begins with clicking the Edit menu, then clicking Keyboard Shortcuts. Next, click the arrow to expand the menu that contains the command you want to create a shortcut for. Then, select an item from the command list, and use the keyboard to create the new shortcut. For example, to set the shortcut for creating a new file requires the user to choose that command from the commands list, and press Ctrl+N, then click Accept or OK. Users can add and delete shortcut keys, add additional shortcuts, and even print a summary of Photoshop shortcuts. Deleting shortcuts is the same process as adding them; users simply click the Edit menu, click Keyboard Shortcuts, and then choose Delete to delete a shortcut. The same process is used to print a summary of shortcut keys, by simply choosing Summarize.

Once in the Edit menu, modifying keyboard shortcuts requires the user to create a new keyboard shortcut set. To create a new keyboard set, you must first click on the New Keyboard Set icon, then name and save the shortcut set. Users will then have the opportunity to select a heading from a drop down menu labeled “Shortcuts For.” This allows users to view all of the Photoshop commands either in the Application menus, Palette menus, or in the tools. Once the heading is selected, you can search the list to locate the command you’d like to change. Commands that have shortcuts will be indicated in the menu. The shortcuts can be changed by clicking the shortcut, and typing in a new shortcut, and clicking Accept.

There are hundreds of Photoshop shortcuts, but there are a few that are more relevant than others to the usage of the program. Some of the more important shortcuts include, Ctrl-Alt, selects the brightest half of the image, which is best for toning down highlights. Ctrl-Shift-I will make a selection go the other way, by inverting the selection. Pressing Ctrl-D can turn off a selection. Some of the easier shortcuts to remember include, h-hand tool, z-zoom tool, and m-marquee. The hand tool is used to move the image when it is in zoom mode. The zoom shortcut can be used for zooming and zooming out of an image. The marquee shortcut starts a new selection. Another easy shortcut to remember is f-full screen mode. The f key can be hit multiple times to switch between different views.

Some other common shortcuts are, Tab, Ctrl-T and Space Bar. The Tab button is used to turn off palettes, and is perfect for working with large layouts or background images. Ctrl-T is the shortcut for the Transform function, and is most useful for layouts than for photographs. Space Bar is used to move a selection or box while drawing. To move a selection or box you must hold down the Spacebar, if the Spacebar is not held down, the image will only be resized and will not move. Customizing your own shortcuts can make using the functions easier, and provide more efficient photo editing.

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