71 Photoshop Shortcuts to Help You Edit Photos Like a Pro [+ PDF Cheatsheet]

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Amanda Zantal-Wiener
Amanda Zantal-Wiener

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Have you ever wasted an entire day in Photoshop?So have I. It's not like you start out aimlessly. You have a simple goal in mind, like cropping a photo, improving the resolution, or changing the size of the canvas. But then, you see all the options. And before you know it, you're attempting to solve The Riddle of the Sphinx.

photoshop shortcuts

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just press a button, and magically, Photoshop would do what you wanted it to do? It turns out there are a wealth of Photoshop shortcuts that do exactly this.

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By pressing a few keys on your computer keyboard at the same time, you can select tools, manipulate images and layers, and even make adjustments to your project's canvas. We'll show you how to do all of that (and more) in this guide.

Save all of these shortcuts to your desktop bydownloading the PDF version here.

Note: All of these shortcuts can be accessed on PC and Mac, but sometimes, they're different on each operating system. We've included both types below, and in the cases where they might be different, Mac instructions appear in italicized parentheses. Also, in these formulas, the plus sign (+) is present only to represent the combination of key commands. On occasion, it might be part of the command itself, like when you press the plus sign to zoom into a part of an image. Otherwise, don't press the plus sign between commands.

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    Getting Set Up

    You'd think setting up your content in Photoshop would be second nature. But sometimes, the shortcuts to change the background size, or zoom into your project aren't what you think. Here are some of the most crucial fundamental shortcuts to know:

    Photoshop Shortcuts: Getting Set Up

    1. Change image size

    Control + Alt + i (Command + Option + i )

    2. Change canvas size

    Control + Alt + c (Command + Option + c )

    3. Zoom in

    Control + + (Command + + )

    4. Zoom out

    Control + - (Command + - )

    5. Scale Proportionately

    Hold the shift key while selecting the object

    6. Scale in place (from center of the object)

    Hold shift + option while selecting the object

    7. Show Rulers

    Control + r (Command + r)

    8. Show or hide the grid (the automatically-generated horizontal and vertical lines that help align objects to the canvas.)

    Control + ' (Command + ' )

    Choosing the Right Tools

    These shortcuts will activate different groups of tools, like "Lasso," "Brush," or "Spot Healing Brush." Within these tools, though, there are different functions. Under the "Magic Wand" tool group, for example, you have the option to execute a new selection or add and subtract from a current one.

    Each one of these tools has a keyboard shortcut, and we've outlined some of them below.

     Photoshop Shortcuts: Choosing the Right Tools

    9. Pointer, a.k.a. Move Toolpointer-tool.png

    v

    10. Magic Wandmagic-wand-tool.png

    w

    11. Rectangular Marquee, a.k.a. the Select Toolmarquee-tool-1.png

    m

    12. Lassolasso-tool.png

    l

    13. Eyedroppereyedropper-tool.png

    i

    14. CropScreen Shot 2017-05-26 at 12.09.20 PM.png

    c

    15. EraserScreen Shot 2017-05-26 at 12.21.32 PM.png

    e

    16. Rectanglerectangle-tool.png

    u

    17. Horizontal Typetext-tool.png

    t

    18. BrushScreen Shot 2017-05-26 at 12.15.15 PM.png

    b

    19. History Brush

    history-brush-tool.png

    y

    20. Spot Healing Brushspot-healing-tool.png

    j

    21. GradientScreen Shot 2017-05-26 at 12.14.32 PM.png

    g

    22. Path Selectionpath-selection-tool.png

    a

    23. Handhand-tool.png

    h

    24. Rotate Viewrotate-view-tool.png

    r

    25. Penpen-tool.png

    p

    26. Clone Stampclone-stamp-tool.png

    s

    27. DodgeScreen Shot 2017-05-26 at 12.16.48 PM.png

    o

    28. Zoom Toolzoom-tool.png

    z

    29. Default Foreground and Background ColorsScreen Shot 2017-05-26 at 12.23.24 PM.png

    d

    30. Switch Foreground and Background ColorsScreen Shot 2017-05-26 at 12.25.24 PM.png

    x

    31. Edit in Quick Mask ModeScreen Shot 2017-05-26 at 12.26.26 PM.png

    q

    32. Change Screen ModeScreen Shot 2017-05-26 at 12.27.48 PM.png

    x

    33. Full Screen

    f

    Using the Brush Tool

    With the brush settings, you can change the size, shape, and transparency of your brush strokes to achieve a number of different visual effects. To use these keyboard shortcuts, first select the Brush tool by pressing b.brush-tool.png

    Photoshop Shortcuts: Using the Brush Tool

    34. Select previous or next brush style

    , or .

    35. Select the first or last brush style used

    Shift + , or .

    36. Display precise crosshair for brushes

    Caps Lock or Shift + Caps Lock (Caps Lock)

    37. Toggle airbrush option

    Shift + Alt + p (Shift + Option + p)

    Using the Marquee Tool (for Slicing/Selecting)

    When used correctly, the marquee tool will let you select individual elements, entire graphics, and determine what is copied, cut, and pasted into your graphics. To use these keyboard shortcuts, first select the Marquee tool by pressing m.marquee-tool-2.png

    Photoshop Shortcuts: Using the Marquee Tool

    38. Toggle between Slice tool and Slice Selection tool

    Control (Command)

    39. Draw square slice

    Shift + drag

    40. Draw from center outward

    Alt + drag (Option + drag)

    41. Draw square slice from center outward

    Shift + alt + drag (Shift + option + drag)

    42. Reposition the slice while creating the slice

    Spacebar + drag

    Using Different Blending Options

    Blending options include a number of features to enhance the look of your graphic. You can always choose a blending option by going to the top menu bar, under Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options. Or, you can double-click any layer to bring up the options for that particular layer.

    Once you open blending options, you can use keyboard shortcuts to select them without moving your mouse. To use the shortcuts, select the Move tool ("v"), and then select the layer you'd like to use the blending options on. Below are some of the most popular modes.

    Photoshop Shortcuts: Using Different Blending Options

    43. Cycle through blending modes

    Shift + + or –

    44. Normal mode

    Shift + Alt + n (Shift + Option + n)

    45. Dissolve

    Shift + Alt + i (Shift + Option + i)

    46. Darken

    Shift + Alt + k (Shift + Option + k)

    47. Lighten

    Shift + Alt + g (Shift + Option + g)

    48. Multiply

    Shift + Alt + m (Shift + Option + m)

    49. Overlay

    Shift + Alt + o (Shift + Option + o)

    50. Hue

    Shift + Alt + u (Shift + Option + u)

    51. Saturation

    Shift + Alt + t (Shift + Option + t)

    52. Luminosity

    Shift + Alt + y (Shift + Option + y)

    For more niche blending shortcuts, check out these tips from Adobe.

    Manipulating Layers & Objects

    If you want to modify an object or get complex with multiple layers, here are some shortcuts you might like to know:

    Photoshop Shortcuts: Manipulating Layers and Objects

     

    Click to Enlarge

    53. Select all objects

    Control + a (Command + a )

    54. Deselect all objects

    Control + d (Command + d )

    55. Select the inverse of the selected objects

    Shift + Control + i (Shift + Command + i )

    56. Select all layers

    Control + Alt + a (Command + Option + a)

    57. Merge all layers

    Control + Shift + E (Command + Shift + e)

    58. Select top layer

    Alt + . (Option + .)

    59. Select bottom layer

    Alt + , (Option + ,)

    Note: In shortcuts 55-57, the brackets ([ ]) are the keystrokes in the command, and "OR" refers to the actual word — as in, press one bracket OR the other, not the letters "o" and "r."

    60. Select next layer down or up

    Alt + [ OR ] (Option + [ OR ])

    61. Move target layer down or up

    Control + [ OR ] (Command + [ OR ])

    62. Move layer to the bottom or top

    Control + Shift + [ OR ] (Command + Shift + [ OR ])

    63. Create a new layer

    Shift + Control + n (Shift + Command + n)

    64. Group selected layers

    Control + g (Command + g)

    65. Ungroup selected layers

    Control + Shift + g (Command + Shift + g)

    66. Merge and flatten selected layers

    Control + e (Command + e)

    67. Combine all layers into a new layer on top of the other layers

    Control + Shift + Alt + e (Command + Shift + Option + e)

    Note: This step gets you one, combined layer, with all elements of that layer in separate layers below — which is different from a traditional merge-and-flatten layers command.

    68. Transform your object (includes resizing and rotating)

    Control + t (Command + t)

    69. Multiple Undos

    Control + Alt + z (Command + Option + z)

    The Marketer's Guide to Photoshop

    An introductory resource to Photoshop

    • Explainer Videos
    • Photoshop Filters
    • Tools Panel Overview
    • Interface Overviews
    Learn more

      Download Free

      All fields are required.

      You're all set!

      Click this link to access this resource at any time.

      And Finally — Save Your Work for Later

      Congratulations — you've finished working on your project, and now, you're ready to share it with the world. Save time-saving your project by using these simple shortcuts:

      Photoshop Shortcuts: Save For Later

      70. Save as

      Control + Shift + s (Command + Shift + s)

      71. Save for web and devices

      Control + Shift + Alt + s (Command + Shift + Option + s)

      Marketer's Guide to Photoshop

      Topics: Photoshop Tips

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