Edit FASTER With This Effective Photoshop Trick: Same Document In Two Windows
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Jump to a step in the video (4)
Click a time to play the video from there.
Your choices stick across every tutorial on this device.
Opening the same document in two windows lets you retouch the fine details in one window while the whole image updates in the other.
The second window is not a copy. It is the exact same file shown twice, so every brush stroke appears in both windows the instant you make it.
It fixes a habit every retoucher knows: zoom in to fix a blemish, zoom out to check the whole face, zoom back in, repeat.
It is for retouchers, compositors, and anyone who cleans up small details in a photo.
By the end, you will know where the option lives, how to place the two windows side by side, and how to pan and zoom both at once.
The video was recorded in Photoshop 2021, and the same menu works in the latest version.
Key Takeaways
- Window > Arrange > New Window for opens a second window onto a file that is already open. It is not a duplicate, so there is nothing extra to save or merge.
- Edits show up in both windows at the same moment, because both windows are looking at the same pixels.
- Zoom one window in on the details and leave the other showing the full image. That replaces the zoom in, zoom out loop.
- Shift with the Spacebar pans both windows together, and Shift click with the Zoom Tool zooms both together.
Table of contents
What You Will Learn
- Where the New Window for option lives and what it actually opens
- How to arrange the two windows side by side, or across two monitors
- The Shift shortcuts that pan and zoom both windows together
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2021 or the latest version
- Any photo you want to retouch or inspect up close
Keyboard Shortcuts
The video uses three shortcuts. All three are explained in Step 4.
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Pan both windows at once | Shift Spacebar drag | Shift Spacebar drag |
| Zoom in on both windows (Zoom Tool active) | Shift click | Shift click |
| Zoom out on both windows (Zoom Tool active) | Shift Alt click | Shift Option click |
Step 1: Open the Same Document in Two Windows
Open your photo. In the video, the document tab reads portrait.psd, and that name matters in a moment.
Go to Window > Arrange > New Window for portrait.psd. The last item in that path is the name of your own file, so it changes from document to document.
The New Window for submenu lists every document you have open. With one file open, it is the only entry on the list.
Click it, and the same document opens in a new tab. Nothing was copied. Photoshop is showing you one file through a second window.
Note: Because both windows show one file, you save once and there is nothing to merge later. Closing one window only closes that view. Your file stays open in the other.
Step 2: Place the Two Windows Side by Side
A second tab on its own does not help much, because you can only look at one tab at a time. You need to see both windows at once.
Go to Window > Arrange again and choose either 2-up Horizontal or 2-up Vertical.
2-up Vertical puts the two windows next to each other, left and right. 2-up Horizontal stacks them, one above the other. The video picks 2-up Vertical.
Tip: If you have two monitors, skip the 2-up layouts. Drag one tab onto each screen and give each window a full monitor.
Step 3: Zoom One Window In, Keep the Other at Full View
Now give each window a job. Zoom the left window in on the area you want to work on. Leave the right window showing the whole image.
Select the Spot Healing Brush Tool and make a few adjustments in the zoomed-in window. The exact result does not matter here. Any tool behaves the same way, because both windows show the same pixels.
Watch the right window as you paint. Every stroke appears there instantly, at full view, so you can see how a small fix changes the overall image. If you want more out of that brush, see how to use the Spot Healing Brush Tool with Content-Aware.
This is why the technique is so valuable when you are retouching. Without the second window, you zoom in to work on the details, zoom out to judge the whole image, then zoom back in. With it, you never leave the detail view, and the full image is always in the corner of your eye.
Step 4: Pan and Zoom Both Windows at Once
Once both windows are open, three shortcuts keep them moving together.
Hold Shift Spacebar (Windows) or Shift Spacebar (macOS) and drag inside either window. Both views pan at the same time, so you never have to line the two windows up by hand.
To zoom both windows in, select the Zoom Tool, then hold Shift (Windows) or Shift (macOS) and click on the spot you want to see closer. Both windows zoom in on that spot together.
To zoom both windows out, keep the Zoom Tool active, hold Shift Alt (Windows) or Shift Option (macOS), and click.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. New Window for opens a second window onto the file that is already open. There is still one document, so an edit in either window shows in both, and you only save once.
Open the Window menu, go to Arrange, then New Window for, and click the name of your file. The submenu lists every document you currently have open.
Open the second window first, then go to the Window menu, Arrange, and choose 2-up Vertical for a left-and-right layout or 2-up Horizontal to stack them. The video uses 2-up Vertical.
Hold Shift and the Spacebar while you drag to pan both windows together. With the Zoom Tool selected, Shift click zooms both in, and Shift Alt click on Windows or Shift Option click on macOS zooms both out.
Work Faster With Two Windows
The same document in two windows turns retouching into a two-view job: one window for the details, one for the whole image, and both updating live.
If you like short tips like this one, the Blend If sky replacement trick is another 90-second tip worth knowing.
Watch the 90-second video above to see it in motion, and comment on the video if you plan on using it.
Selections and Masking Mastery
Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.
Keep going
Next, pick up three more time-saving tips to work faster in Photoshop.
