Efficiency in Photoshop goes hand in hand with the adept use of shortcut keys, which expedite tasks and streamline workflows. Professional users often favor these shortcuts over navigating the menu due to the time-saving convenience they offer. While menu exploration might consume time, a swift keystroke activates the tool instantly, preserving both time and effort throughout your workflow.
Learning and utilizing these Photoshop shortcut keys is a practical and effective approach. With easy-to-remember combinations, you can seamlessly integrate them into your work. This knowledge can significantly simplify otherwise complex tasks within Photoshop, making tool activation effortless.
Shortcut keys are comprehensive, covering an array of tasks and features, including layers, editing, document handling, color adjustments, effects, and various operations. They not only boost productivity but also contribute to a user-friendly interface within Photoshop.
Each shortcut key is specifically mapped to a command, instantly activating the assigned function when triggered. For instance, to open a document in your workspace, instead of navigating through the File -> Open menu, simply press Ctrl+O, which provides the same functionality as the open option in the File menu.
Here, we’ll delve into a compilation of essential Photoshop shortcut keys compatible with both Windows and Mac OS. While the functionality remains consistent, there might be minor differences in keystrokes between the two operating systems.
The shortcut keys for Windows also apply to Mac OS, with slight keystroke adaptations. For Mac users, the following substitutions apply:
Mac OS
Windows
Command
Ctrl
Option
Alt
Delete
Backspace
Control
Right-Click
We will discuss the shortcut keys for Windows, but they will work in Mac OS as well. We just have to make the following substitution to use them in Mac:
Most Frequently Used Photoshop Shortcut Keys
The following are some most frequently used shortcut keys in Photoshop:
Shortcut Key
Task
Ctrl + T
To perform free transform
Hold down ` (grave accent)
To toggle between painting and erasing with the same brush.
[
To decrease the brush size.
]
To increase the brush size.
{
To decrease the brush hardness.
}
To increase the brush hardness.
Left Arrow (anti-clockwise),
Right Arrow (clockwise)
To rotate the brush tip by 1 degree
Shift + Left Arrow
(anti-clockwise),
Shift + Right Arrow (clockwise)
To rotate the brush tip by 15 degrees
D
To activate the default foreground/background colors.
X
To switch the Foreground/Background colors.
Alt-click layer
To fit layer(s) to screen
Ctrl + J
To create a new layer via copy
Shift + Ctrl + J
To create a new layer via cut
Any selection tool + Shift-drag
Add to a selection
Alt-click brush or swatch
To delete brush or swatch
Control-click
To toggle auto-select with the move tool
Ctrl + Alt + P
To close all open documents (other than the current document)
Esc
To cancel any modal dialog window.
Enter
To select the first edit field of the toolbar
Tab
To navigate between fields
Tab + Shift
To navigate between fields in the opposite direction
Alt
To change the cancel to reset option
Search Key
Ctrl+F: This key combination is used to search across a Photoshop document. Further, it is also used to search help and learn content and adobe stock assets.
Function Keys
Shortcut Key
Task
F1
To start help
F2
To cut a selection
F3
To copy a selection
F4
To paste a cut/copied content
F5
To show/hide brush panel
F6
To show/hide the color panel
F7
To show/hide layers panel
F8
To show/hide Info panel
F9
To show/hide actions panel
F12
To apply Revert operation
Shift + F5
Fill
Shift + F6
To activate feather selection
Shift + F7
To activate an inverse selection
Selection Tools
Shortcut Key
Task
V
To activate the Move tool
M
To activate the Marquee tool
L
To activate the Lasso tool
W
To activate the Magic Wand tool
C
To activate the Crop tool
/Slice tool
I
To activate the Eyedropper tool
J
To activate Healing Brush tool/ Patch tool/ Red Eye tool.
B
To activate the Brush tool
S
To activate the Clone Stamp tool
Y
To activate the History Brush tool
E
To activate the Eraser tool
G
To activate the Gradient tool
O
To activate Dodge tool/Burn tool
P
To activate the Pen tool
T
To activate the Type tool
A
To activate the Path Selection tool
U
To activate Rectangle tools
H
To activate the Hand tool
R
To activate Rotate View tool
Z
To activate the Zoom tool
D
To apply default Foreground/Background colors
X
To switch Foreground/Background colors
Q
To toggle between Standard/Quick Mask modes
J
To activate the content-aware Move tool
C
To activate the Perspective Crop tool
V
To activate the Artboard tool
R
To activate Rotate View tool
/
To Toggle Preserve Transparency
{
To decrease the hardness of the brush.
}
To increase the hardness of the brush.
,
To select the previous brush.
.
To select the next brush.
<
To select the first brush.
>
To select the last brush.
View Images Keys
In this list, we are discussing the shortcuts that do not appear in menu commands:
Shortcut Key
Task
Shift + Ctrl + Tab
Switch to the previous document
Q
To Toggle between Standard and Quick Mask mode
Spacebar + F
To Toggle forward (canvas color)
Spacebar + Shift + F
To Toggle backward (canvas color)
Double-click Hand tool
To fit an image into the window
Ctrl + 1 or double-click zoom tool
To magnify 100%
Control + spacebar
Switch to zoom in tool.
Alt + spacebar
Switch to zoom out tool
Spacebar-drag
To scroll Image Canvas while dragging
Esc
To cancel completely
Ctrl + Z
To undo the last adjustment
Ctrl + A
To Select All
Ctrl + D
To Deselect All
Shift-Click
To Select Multiple
Shift-drag
To Move Multiples
H
To Temporary Hide
Selection and Mask
Ctrl+Alt+R: This key combination is used to open the select and mask workspace.
X: It is used to toggle between the original image and selection preview.
P: It is used to toggle between original selection and refined version.
Filter Gallery Keys
These keys will be very helpful while working with Photoshop:
Shortcut Key
Task
Alt-click ( a filter)
To apply a filter
Ctrl + Alt + F
To reapply previously used filter
Ctrl + Z
To undo/redo (single step)
Ctrl + Shift + Z
To step forward (redo multiple steps)
Ctrl + Alt + Z
To step backward (undo multiple steps)
Liquify Filter Keys
Shortcut Key
Task
W
To forward Warp tool
C
To twirl Clockwise tool
S
To activate the Pucker tool
R
Reconstruct tool
B
Bloat Tool
M
Mirror Tool
Alt
To change the cancel to reset
Vanishing Point Keys
Shortcut Key
Task
Ctrl + '+'
To zoom in
Ctrl + '-'
To zoom out
Ctrl + 0
To fit in the window
Ctrl + D
To deselect all
Arrow keys
To move a selection 1 px ( accordingly)
Shift + Arrow
To move a selection 10 px
Ctrl + Drag
To fill a selection
Camera Raw Dialog Box Keys
Shortcut Key
Task
Z
To activate the Zoom tool
H
To activate the Hand tool
I
To activate the White Balance tool
S
To activate the color sampler tool
C
To activate crop tool
A
To activate the straighten tool
B
To activate spot removal tool
E
To activate the red-eye removal tool
Ctrl + Alt + 1
To open basic panel
Ctrl + Alt + 2
To open tone curve panel
Ctrl + Alt + 3
To open the detail panel
Ctrl + Alt + 4
To open the Greyscale panel
Ctrl + Alt + 5
To open split toning panel
Ctrl + Alt + 6
To open lens correction panel
Ctrl + Alt + 7
To open the camera calibration panel
Ctrl + Alt + 9
To open Presets Panel
P
For toggle preview
F
For full-screen mode
O
To highlight clipping warning
Curves Keys
Shortcut Key
Task
Ctrl + M
To open the curves dialog box
+
To select the next point on the curve.
-
To select the previous point on the curve
Ctrl + D
To deselect a point
Shift + click a point
To select multiple points on the curve
Select a point + del
To delete a point on the curve
Arrow keys
To move a curve by 1 unit
Shift + Arrow
To move a curve by 10 unit
Ctrl + click on the image
To set a point to composite a curve
Alt + click a field
To toggle grid
Select and Move Objects Keys
Shortcut Key
Task
Marquee Tool + spacebar-drag (Except single column and single row)
