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10 best shortcuts for Adobe Photoshop

SoftwareOne blog editorial team
Blog Editorial Team
A white computer keyboard.

We recently provided a quick run through the various tricks with which you can optimize performance of Adobe Photoshop*. Another way to zip through your work with the image processing software is to use keyboard shortcuts. We’ve put together ten shortcuts for Adobe Photoshop (Windows and Mac OS users) that make image processing a touch easier. The nifty cheat sheet (coming soon) to print out and stick to your monitor contains our favorites from Adobe’s detailed overview.

*The shortcuts work with Adobe Photoshop CC and Photoshop CS6.

Top 10 shortcuts for Photoshop

#1 Cycle through open documents

Do you frequently process several images at once? Use the keyboard combination "Control" + Tab to switch between open documents literally at the push of a button.

#2 Group layers

Grouping layers helps you keep the layer panel tidier and your projects better organized. The keyboard shortcuts "Control" + "G" for Windows and "Command" + "G" for Mac OS lets users group layers that bit quicker.

#3 Nudge the measurements in increments of 10

Whether it’s the image size or the font, you sometimes need to tweak things a little to find the right measurement for the perfect image. The keyboard shortcut "Shift" + "Down" or "Up" Arrow lets you increase or decrease the values shown in the control panel in increments of ten.

#4 Place objects

Wouldn’t a photo look nice on the flyer? The Place command adds a photo, art, or any Photoshop-supported file to your document. Windows users press the combination "Alt" + "T" + "P" to place objects that bit quicker. Mac OS users press "Option" + "T" + "P".

#5 The Magic Wand tool

The Magic Wand is used if you want to select an area with the same or very similar colors, for instance a blue sky. It recognizes pixels with comparable tones and colors. "W" is the magic key you press to access the tool without bothersome clicking (does not work in type mode).

#6 The Crop tool

Are you looking to take your colleague’s head from one image and insert it into a funny birthday card? No problem: Press "C" to open the cropping tool a bit faster (does not work in type mode).

#7 The Mirror tool

Mirroring can create interesting effects. Press "M" (does not work in type mode) to open the mirror tool without taking your fingers off the keyboard.

#8 The Red-Eye tool

While all your colleagues may be smiling cheerily on the staff photo, your boss has red eyes. Group photos can be really challenging. But at least it’s easy to remove the red eyes: Just press "E" (does not work in type mode).

#9 Open the Black-and-White dialogue box

Maybe the motif for the new campaign would look better in black-and-white? Just give it a go by pressing the combination "Shift" + "Control" + "Alt" + "B" for Windows users or "Shift" + "Command" + "Option" + "B" for Mac OS users.

#10 Revert to the last version

Has something gone wrong? The "F12" key will take you straight back to the last version you saved.

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Ready for more?

SoftwareOne Digital Workplace Essentials delivers optimal licensing for Microsoft 365, and comprehensive support for both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Our 900+ certified staff support 5,000 customers and over 6 million Microsoft 365 users worldwide, providing deep expertise and scale.

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SoftwareOne blog editorial team

Blog Editorial Team

We analyse the latest IT trends and industry-relevant innovations to keep you up-to-date with the latest technology.