Note that if Airbrush mode is on, these two shortcuts swap (i.e. Holding Shift when inputting the numbers sets the flow of the tool. The opacity of the brush tool can be quickly tweaked using the number keys: 3 = 30% 3 + 5 = 35% 0 + 3 = 3% 0 = 100%. Right-clicking inside the canvas also displays a condensed menu of brushes. If you would like to completely change the brush shape to a different preset, press to cycle through them and Shift + to select the first or last brush. The on-canvas drag makes brush adjustments more intuitive. Control + Command + Option and dragging gives you control of the brush’s hardness. By holding Control + Option and dragging on the canvas, you can change the brush’s diameter with a visual aid.
However, CS4 introduced an even more intuitive way to do this. Many know about using to decrease and increase the brush’s diameter, as well as Shift + to decrease and increase the brush’s hardness. If you’d like to create a flattened copy of the entire document, use the shortcut Command + Option + Shift + E: a composite of all visible layers will be added as a new layer to the top of your layer stack.īeing able to quickly adjust the brush tool is crucial to getting a swift workflow. You can then paste it to a new layer ( Command + Option + Shift + N, Command + V). Using Command + Shift + C with an active selection copies the data contained within it to the clipboard. Holding Shift and Option nudges the new layer by 10 pixels.ĭuplicating data from multiple layers can also be done more quickly using some keyboard commands. Holding Option while pressing one of the arrow keys allows you to duplicate the current layer and nudge it by 1 pixel. Pressing Command + Shift + J with a selection creates a new layer while cutting the data from the original layer. If a selection is active, you can use the same shortcut ( Command + J) to create a new layer based on the selected area of the original layer. Duplicating an entire layer is as simple as pressing Command + J. There are a number of ways to duplicate data from one layer to another. Alternatively, right-clicking the arrow gives you a menu to perform the same actions but this will work on nested layer groups. There is also a way to expand and collapse layer groups: by Command + clicking the arrow next to the layer group, you can close or expand all other layer groups this does not work on nested layer groups. Option + clicking the eye icon of a layer is a commonly known way to hide or show all other layers. If the layer is already at the top or bottom of the layer group, it jumps to the top or bottom of the parent layer group. Pressing Command + Shift + brings the selected layer to the top or bottom of its current layer group. If multiple layers are selected, they’ll move relative to the uppermost or bottommost layer. Command + moves the selected layer up or down one position in the stack. A few shortcuts speeds up the organizing. Sorting layers with the mouse can be clumsy and slow. Option + Shift + selects all layers between the current and uppermost. Pressing Option + selects the layer below or above the current layer, respectively. The keyboard can also be used to select layers. Right-clicking to display all layers beneath the cursor. After selecting multiple layers, you can link the layers together by right-clicking and selecting Link Layers. By holding Shift while using either of the selection methods above, you can select multiple layers. If your layers are properly named, you should be able to quickly select the layer you need. By right-clicking with the Move tool, you’ll bring up a contextual menu containing a list of all layers located below the cursor. There will be times when you want to select a layer that is located below a number of other layers. You can change this behavior to select the actual layer by using the Auto-select drop-down in the Move tool’s property bar. If your layers are grouped within layer sets, this action may have selected the entire folder. Using the Move tool ( V), you can Command + click on the canvas to select the uppermost layer with pixel data located directly below the mouse. Luckily, there are a number of ways to select layers more intuitively. Sifting through nests of layer sets to find the layer you need quickly becomes tiresome.