Cheatsheet - Adobe Photoshop
1. Global Navigation & File Management
| Action | Shortcut Key(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New File | Ctrl+N / Cmd+N |
|
| Open File | Ctrl+O / Cmd+O |
|
| Save | Ctrl+S / Cmd+S |
|
| Save As | Ctrl+Shift+S / Cmd+Shift+S |
|
| Save a Copy | Ctrl+Alt+S / Cmd+Option+S |
The new standard for saving as a different file type. |
| Undo / Step Back | Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z |
Toggles between the last two states (multiple Undos). |
| Step Forward | Ctrl+Shift+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z |
Moves forward in the History. |
| Fit on Screen | Ctrl+0 / Cmd+0 |
Zooms to display the entire image within the window. |
| Actual Pixels (100% Zoom) | Ctrl+1 / Cmd+1 |
Zooms to 100% resolution. |
| Toggle Full Screen Mode | F |
Cycles through standard screen, full screen with menu, and full screen without menu. |
| Hide/Show Panels | Tab |
Hides all panels and the toolbar for a clean workspace. |
2. Essential Tools (The Toolbar)
These single-key shortcuts activate the most commonly used tools. Often, holding Shift while pressing the key cycles through sub-tools (e.g., all selection tools).
| Tool | Shortcut Key(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Move Tool | V |
For moving selections or layers. |
| Marquee Tool (Rectangular) | M |
For creating rectangular/elliptical selections. |
| Lasso Tool | L |
For freehand selections. |
| Quick Selection / Magic Wand | W |
|
| Crop Tool | C |
|
| Eyedropper Tool | I |
Samples a color to set the foreground color. |
| Spot Healing Brush Tool | J |
Cycles through Healing, Patch, Content-Aware Move, etc. |
| Brush Tool | B |
The standard drawing/painting tool. |
| Clone Stamp Tool | S |
|
| Eraser Tool | E |
|
| Gradient Tool | G |
Cycles through Gradient and Paint Bucket tools. |
| Type Tool | T |
For adding text layers. |
| Hand Tool (Pan View) | Hold Spacebar |
Allows you to click and drag to pan the view. |
| Zoom Tool | Z |
Click to zoom in; hold Alt / Option and click to zoom out. |
3. Painting & Brush Control
| Action | Shortcut Key(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Increase Brush Size | ] (Right Bracket) |
|
| Decrease Brush Size | [ (Left Bracket) |
|
| Increase Brush Hardness | Shift+] |
|
| Decrease Brush Hardness | Shift+[ |
|
| Switch Foreground/Background Color | X |
Quickly swaps the two color swatches. |
| Default Foreground/Background Color | D |
Resets colors to Black (Foreground) and White (Background). |
| Fill with Foreground Color | Alt+Backspace / Option+Delete |
Fills the current layer/selection. |
| Fill with Background Color | Ctrl+Backspace / Cmd+Delete |
Fills the current layer/selection. |
| Change Brush Opacity | 1 to 0 |
Press 5 for 50%, 0 for 100%. Press two numbers quickly (e.g., 2 then 5) for 25%. |
4. Layers & Masks
Layer management is crucial for non-destructive editing.
| Action | Shortcut Key(s) | Notes |
| :----------------------- | :--------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | --- |
| New Layer | Ctrl+Shift+N / Cmd+Shift+N | |
| Duplicate Layer | Ctrl+J / Cmd+J | Duplicates the selected layer or selection to a new layer. |
| Group Layers | Ctrl+G / Cmd+G | Groups selected layers into a folder. |
| Merge Layers | Ctrl+E / Cmd+E | Merges selected layers into a single layer. |
| Merge Visible | Ctrl+Shift+E / Cmd+Shift+E | Flattens all visible layers. |
| Stamp Visible | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E / Cmd+Option+Shift+E | Creates a new layer containing a flattened copy of all visible layers. Crucial for non-destructive sharpening. |
| New Layer Mask | Click Mask Icon while holding Alt / Option | Adds a black (hidden) layer mask to the selected layer. |
| Disable Layer Mask | Shift+Click on Mask | Temporarily turns off the mask. |
| Toggle Clipping Mask | Ctrl+Alt+G / Cmd+Option+G | Clips the active layer to the one below it. |
| Bring Layer To Front | Ctrl+Shift+] / Cmd+Shift+] | |
| Send Layer To Back | Ctrl+Shift+[ / Cmd+Shift+[ | | +Shift+]`` | |
| Send Layer To Back | Ctrl+Shift+[ / Cmd+Shift+[ | |