Post Processing #6 - Quick Keys

I believe that one of the ways to work quickest in Photoshop is to use the "quick keys" to select tools, commands, etc. There's a lot of them, but just try learning the 12 or 15 keys most used in digital photography. Learn them and use them and you'll fly through image editing.

Well, OK, maybe they're not a LOT faster - maybe they just seem it to me. But at the very least you get to look like a guru when someone's looking over your shoulder.


Tools
C - Crop
J - Healing
L - Lasso
M - Marquee
S - Stamp (Clone)
W - Wand

Image Adjustments
Ctrl-L - Levels
Ctrl-M - Curves

Selections
Ctrl-D - Deselect All
Ctrl-Shift-I - Invert Selection

Zooming - Don't use the zoom tool - these are far better
Ctrl-0 - Fit on Screen (that's a zero)
Ctrl-Alt-0 - View 100%
Ctrl-+ - Zoom In (control-plus)
Ctrl-- - Zoom Out (control-minus)

Moving while Zoomed - My all time favorite
Hold Down Spacebar - Changes to Hand, click and drag to move image around

Getting Screen Space - My second favorite
Tab - Hide palettes and toolbar

Saving
Ctrl-Alt-Shift-S - Save for web
---What are they nuts? Am I an octopus?
Alt-F, W - Save for Web (Alt-F then W)
Alt-F, V - Save As
Alt-F, S - Save
Ctrl-S - Save (even better)


Well those are the ones that I use. Well, I actually don't use the Saving ones, but they seem handy, and the Ctrl-Alt-Shift-S is hysterical. My fingers hurt just thinking about it.

One that I find useful would fit nicely in your selections section is "Ctrl-H". This simply hides the selection. I find this useful when fixing Red Eye for example (it's easier to see what you are doing).

Also to continue the theme of a thousand ways to do the same thing you can double click on the "zoom Tool" in the tool bar to give you 100% view or you can double click on the "hand tool" in the tool bar to fit the image to screen.

Thanks for your work on these tutorials.

David...

A couple more that may be useful -

[,] - change brush size
Shift + [, Shift +] - change brush hardness

Spacebar - hand (don't know how you got this as Ctrl + Spacebar unless it's changed between an older version and CS2)
Ctrl + Spacebar - Zoom in (either click to zoom centred on the point where you clicked, or marquee)
Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar - Zoom out (click to choose the centre)

All these are defaults in Photoshop CS2.


Even though I have a graphics tablet (which is pressure sensitive), it's still useful to be able to control the size of a brush quickly.

David

Holy cow, I don't know how that one slipped by. It's always just been Spacebar. Fixed, and thanks.

And thanks for the additions!

Before cropping, I usually hit Tab, then F, F again to get the image on a black background. Then Tab, F to return to the default setup.

Cycle through Blend Modes: Shift + Alt + "+", or "-", or "N" to return to Normal.

Did you know that you can save a screen layout? In PS7, Window> Workspace / Save workspace.
It's also in the same general area in PSCS.