Must-Know Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts

Learning keyboard shortcuts cuts editing time significantly. These are the ones that matter most.

Brush Controls

Bracket keys [ and ] resize brush. Hold Shift with brackets for hardness. Number keys 1-0 set opacity (1=10%, 5=50%, 0=100%). Hold Shift and press numbers for flow.

Tool Shortcuts

V=Move, B=Brush, E=Eraser, S=Stamp, J=Healing Brush, G=Gradient, W=Quick Selection, L=Lasso, M=Marquee, P=Pen. Press the same key multiple times to cycle related tools.

Layer Management

Ctrl+J duplicates layer. Ctrl+Shift+N new blank layer. Ctrl+E merge down. Ctrl+G group layers. Ctrl+[ and ] move layers up/down in stack.

Selection Shortcuts

Ctrl+A select all. Ctrl+D deselect. Ctrl+Shift+I invert selection. Ctrl+click layer thumbnail loads it as selection. Hold Shift to add; Alt to subtract from selections.

Transform

Ctrl+T activates Free Transform. Hold Shift to constrain proportions. Enter to confirm, Escape to cancel.

View Controls

Ctrl+0 fits to screen. Ctrl+1 views at 100 percent. Hold Space and drag to pan. Tab hides all panels.

Building Muscle Memory

Focus on five to ten shortcuts at a time. Use them exclusively for a week. Within a month, you will navigate Photoshop without thinking about the keyboard.