This article was updated on November 20, 2023. Brian Auer, Darren Rowse James Brandon Helen Bradley Lori Peterson and Kevin Landwer Johan contributed to the update.
You can speed up the post-processing of your images with Photoshop keyboard shortcuts.
Photoshop is a time-consuming program, regardless of whether you are a novice or an experienced editor. In this article we will share with you our 35 top shortcut keys so that you can easily adjust your tools, layer and more.
These commands are easy to use and commonly used. We then move on to intermediate and advanced shortcuts. These require a little more dexterity, but are still well worth learning.
You might find the keyboard shortcuts a little fiddly if you are not used to them. The more you practice it, the easier and less conscious you will be of where your fingers are placed. It takes some time to learn Photoshop shortcuts, but it is possible to break them down into smaller chunks.
Are you ready to double or quadruple your Photoshop workflow speed? Let’s get started!
1. Choose the Hand Tool
- The H key
You can pan an image that is zoomed in using the Hand tool. Use it to look for blemishes and evaluate sharpness. You can also move from one side of the picture to the other.
2. Zoom in or out using the Zoom Tool
- The shortcut is the Z key
Zoom in using the Zoom tool. Use it to inspect the file for any quality issues, and to verify composited areas to ensure realistic placement.
3. Zoom in and out
- The shortcuts are Ctrl/Cmd++ and Ctrl/Cmd+
While viewing a Photoshop file, repeatedly tap the + or – keys to zoom in and out (without changing the current tool).
4. Fit to screen
- The shortcut is Ctrl/Md+ 0
This command is quick and dirty. It will fit your image to the screen, so that you can see the entire picture. You can also check the overall progress of your editing.
5. The screen modes can be cycled through
- The shortcut is the F key
This Photoshop shortcut allows you to toggle between the normal screen and the full-screen with a taskbar, but no title bar. It also lets you switch from the black background full-screen to the full-screen with a taskbar. This works well when combined with tab, which hides the toolbars. You get more working space without distractions.
6. Undo an edit
- The shortcut is Ctrl/Md+ Z
All of us make mistakes. You can use the Undo command in Photoshop to fix mistakes, like a wrongly placed brush stroke or a bad cloning job.
7. Hide and Show Palettes
- The shortcut is the Tab key
Photoshop can sometimes become too cluttered. You can hide all palettes by pressing the Tab key. This will allow you to focus on the image that you are editing. It will also give you more room to work.
8. Choose the Brush tool
- The shortcut is the B key
Brush Tool allows you to dodge and burn your photo, add artificial colors, and hide edits. You can use it to adjust your photos selectively.
9. Brush Tool Crosshairs
- The shortcut is Caps lock
Want a little more precision with your brushing? If you select the Brush Tool, and then tap the Caps Lockkey on your keyboard, the cursor turns into crosshairs. You can now position your Brush much more accurately.
It’s also good to know how undo! You may be wondering what happened if you accidentally turned on the crosshairs while using the Brush Tool. Just hit Capitals Lock and the normal cursor should appear.
10. Reduce the brush size
- The key
You’ll need to work in tighter spaces when using the Brush tool. You can tap the [ key to shrink the Brush as much as you like.
11. Brush Size Increase
- The key
The opposite shortcut to Photoshop is shown above. Tap the ] key to increase the Brush size. Use the Brush to paint large areas of your image.
12. Reduce the brush softness
- The shortcut is Shift+
You need a brush that is harder to mask along fine edges. This command will harden the Brush edge by 25 percent.
13. Brushes can be made softer by increasing the softness.
- The shortcut is Shift+ [
Use a soft brush to mask along edges that are rougher. This command increases softness instantly by 25%.
14. Swap the foreground color and background color
- The key is the shortcut for and
Left-hand toolbar shows your foreground/background colors. This is the default setting, which is black for background and white for foreground. If you wish to change this, use the shortcut. I do it all of time when doing dodging and burn, and when using masks.
15. Reset the foreground and backgrounds colors
- The shortcut is the D Key
This shortcut will force your colors back to the original. This will reset your foreground to black, and your background color to white.
16. Change the tool’s opacity
- The shortcut is 0 to 1 (the numerical keys).
You may want to adjust the opacity when using the Clone Stamp Tool or the Brush tool for subtle (or less-than-subtle effects). Press the number keys and you can set the opacity between 1 and 100. Pressing one number gives you a multiple by 10 (so press 4 for an opacity value of 40%), while hitting two numbers quickly will give you an exact value (so press 4then 3for an opacity level of 43%).
17. Adjust tool flow
- The shortcut is: Shift+ (the numerical keys) to 1
The shortcut works the same as the one above for opacity, except that the Shift key is held down. You can use it to paint a light-mask, dodge and burn subtly, or even create a subtle effect.
18. Choose the next point in a Curves graph
- The shortcut is Ctrl/Md+ tab
You can use the Up and Down Arrow keys to adjust multiple points on a curves chart. If you want to adjust an existing point, it can be difficult to click on the point without moving its position. You can use this shortcut to jump to the next position, adjust with the arrows, etc.
19. Create a layer (with the dialogue box)
- The shortcut is: Ctrl/Md+ SHIFT+ n
Do you want to create a layer quickly? This shortcut will bring up the New Layer Dialog Box, where you can customize your layer according to your preferences. It will also place a layer on top your current layer.
20. Create a new Layer (without the Dialog Box)
- The shortcut: Ctrl/Cmd+Alt/Opt+Shift+N
Use this command to add a layer directly to the top of an active layer if you prefer to avoid the dialog box for layer creation.
21. Copy the merged layers
- The shortcut is Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+C
Press these keys if you need to copy an entire project into your clipboard while working with multiple layers. This will send a combined copy of the project to your clipboard. You can then paste it into a new file or layer.
The command will only work if you have already selected the image. (Use Ctrl/Cmd+A to select all). Otherwise, you’ll end up with a copy that is nothing.
22. Duplicate the layer
- The shortcut is Ctrl/Md+J
Do you need to duplicate an existing background layer, or increase the intensity level of an adjustment? This shortcut allows you to duplicate any active layer. If you have already selected an area, this command only copies the selected area onto the new layer.
23. Stamp all visible layers
- The shortcut: Ctrl/Cmd+Alt/Opt+Shift+E
This command will merge all layers visible, copy them and add them to your layer stack as a new one. This command is similar to the copy-merge (see above) except that it adds the copy directly into the layer stack.
24. Group layers
- The shortcut is Ctrl/Md+G
This command will group selected layers into a single folder, which you can name. It’s a great tool when you have a lot different layers that you want to organize. This can be an effective way to mask several layers simultaneously.
This shortcut can be ungrouped by adding Shift to it.
25. Fill the layer with the color of the foreground
- The shortcut is Alt/Opt+Backspace
You want to quickly fill out a layer. This shortcut will fill the layer in the current foreground colour. Use Alt + Delete on Mac or Option + Backspace to fill an empty layer.
26. Fill the layer with background color
- The shortcut is Ctrl/Md+Backspace
This is the same as the previous one, but you’ll need to make a small adjustment in order to fill the layer with the colorbackground.
27. Layer mask – Enable/disable
- The shortcut is Shift+Click
You may want to view the results of your masking work. This shortcut allows you to disable the mask and check the results of dodging and burning adjustments, color grading, and more.
28. Toggle mask visibility
- The shortcut is Alt/Opt+Click
The grayscale version of the mask will be displayed in Photoshop. This allows you to see exactly what you are working with. This is useful when you don’t know where certain areas are that you need to fill in or smooth out.
29. Select All
- The shortcut is Ctrl/Md+A
This is a standard tool – it’s used to select the entire canvas.
30. A mask can be loaded as a selection
- The shortcut is Ctrl/Cmd+Click
This shortcut will select the white portion of the mask if you create one first (grays will only be partially selected). This is very helpful if you need to duplicate or reverse a mask.
Note: This Photoshop shortcut will select all non-transparent pixels on a layer that does not havea Mask.
31. Hide selection lines
- The shortcut is Ctrl/Md+H
Use this command when working with selections to hide the marching insects from the screen and keep the selection intact.
32. Invert the selection
- The shortcut is: Shift+Ctrl/Md+I
Use this command if you have already made a choice to select the opposite. It’s also a great Photoshop shortcut when you are working with masks.
33. Select the current selection
- The shortcut is Ctrl/Md+D
Use this combination to throw away your selection after working with it! This is a combo I use all the time!
34. Select the previous selection again
- The shortcut is: Shift+Ctrl/Md+D
This will restore your last selection. This is very useful if you have deselected an element, and then realize that you need to change something else.
35. All Photoshop keyboard shortcuts
- The shortcut: Ctrl/Cmd+Alt/Opt+Shift+K
Are you worried that you may forget to use one of these shortcuts? Don’t be! This simple command will bring up the keyboard short-cut Help dialog which contains literally all shortcuts Photoshop offers.
Other resources with useful Photoshop shortcuts
Since the beginning of this decade, I have used Photoshop almost daily. I’ve learned a lot of shortcuts over the years and wanted to share my favorites with you. They were the shortcuts that blew my mind when I first learned them. I am confident they will have the same impact on you if you’re a newbie!
Correction: The PC instructions that I gave for the brush resizing tip didn’t work for many users. This is only for PC users. The correct translation is to hold the Alt key and then click and drag with the right mouse button. Use the button that you have assigned to right-click on your pen tablet.
Well? Are you blown away? When I discovered the brush resize shortcuts and zoom shortcuts, they changed my life. How many years did I spend right-clicking the brush to change its hardness, and using bracket keys to resize it?
