
11 Helpful Photoshop Hotkeys
Photoshop is a massive program with so many little nuances and tiny other things that you need to learn. Once you really start working on a design it can be terribly frustrating that you need to switch to a different tool all the time. Luckily, Photoshop has a bunch of keyboard shortcuts or "hotkeys" that are built right in!
It might take you a little while to get used to navigating with your keyboard instead of your mouse, but once you've got it down you won't remember how to design without them. Once you're a Hotkey Master, the mouse will feel like a weight that keeps slowing you down.
Here are 11 hotkeys that will make your designing so much quicker:
H - Hand
Being able to quickly grab your work and move around by pressing H is helpful.
B - Brush
P - Pen
The Brush and Pen tools are pivotal in most Photoshop work. Accessing them with the first letter of each of their words should be easy to remember. You might find yourself using these two hotkeys the most.
[ - Decrease brush size
] - Increase brush size
While you can also adjust the Brush size by right clicking to bring up the little menu right where your mouse is, using the keyboard shortcut for big jumps in size can be helpful. For a more precise change, using the hotkey might not be the best idea.
I - Eyedropper
The Eyedropper tool is helpful to set your foreground color. Hitting I when you're already hovering over the color you want to sample is much simpler than having to mouse over to choose the tool and then go back to your composition.
M - Marquee tool
The Marquee tool is extremely helpful, either in making selections or using it as a ruler to measure specific parts of your project. Press M to access your measuring buddy.
V - Move
If you want to move an object all you have to do is press V.
A - Path Selection
Using the Path Selection tool when working with the Pen tool is essential. Now your life will be a tad easier.
T - Text
Quickly hitting T will bring up the Text tool.
X- Swap foreground and background colors
Being able to switch between the background and foreground with one little keystroke comes in super handy when working with masks. You can stay working in the same place with your mouse without having to leave your workspace to change from black to white, or vice versa.
You might be thinking, yeah this is great and all, but what about when I want to switch to a different tool in a group? Easy. All you have to do is press Shift with the key for the tool you're working with. Something to note, however, is that when you press a hotkey, Photoshop will bring up the last used version of that key first. So if you were using the Pencil tool, which is under the Brush tool, then when you press B you'll have activated the Pencil tool.
For more shortcuts, check out Adobe's Photoshop Help.
Are you already using Photoshop hotkeys? If so, let us know your favorite shortcuts!