Best Photoshop Shortcuts

Adobe Photoshop remains the most powerful graphic editor there is, even though it has a lot of competitors by now. And yet, many of its lifelong users spend too much time on trivial tasks because they never learned shortcuts. We get it, those can get quite hard to remember but take a little effort, and you’ll be rewarded with more time to do your job. Excited? Let’s see our favorite Photoshop shortcuts.

Read also: Photoshop Alternatives For Website Designers

Photoshop shortcuts to remember

Duplicate layer

When working with layers (and when aren’t you working with them?), you often have to duplicate them. You can always use the right mouse button for it, but it’s a lot faster to press Cmd + J (Mac) or Ctrl + J (Windows). We use this command all the time, and you will, too.

New layer

Okay, this one might be even more useful. How often do you create new layers in Photoshop? All the time. And to speed up this process, you can use a simple shortcut: Shift + Cmd + N (Mac) / Shirt + Ctrl + N (Windows).

Change background color

When working with masks, the color of your background is essential. Usually, the choice is between black and white, and to toggle both of them with one action, you can press X. Just X. What can be easier.

Deselect

The shortcut you’re probably familiar with, Cmd + D or Ctrl + D is an important shortcut that allows you to deselect an area.

Merge layers

And we’re back to layers again. To merge them, select the ones you need and press Cmd + E or Ctrl + E. And if you want to unmerge, just press Cmd + Z / Ctrl + Z.

Resize your image

Resizing an image is another action we do all the time. To speed up the process, press Cmd + Opt + Q, or Ctrl + Alt + Q. It will let you change the size and the resolution.

Use any tool temporarily

Every tool in Photoshop has a letter associated with it, so holding down L will toggle the Lasso tool. But what’s more, there’s a neat trick to using a tool for a little while: you can hold down the key that’s associated with it and hold it for as long as you need that tool. Let go of the key, and you’ll return to the previous tool.