19 Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts You (Probably) DON’T Know
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- 0:00 Clone Source
- 0:31 Introduction
- 0:42 Repeat Transformation
- 1:11 Load Luminosity
- 1:57 Reconstruct
- 2:15 Fill Shortcuts
- 2:56 Pin on Puppet Warp
- 3:21 Brush Presets Close/Open
- 3:51 Cycle to Next Brush
- 4:05 Rotate Brush
- 4:30 Erase with Active Brush
- 5:30 Adjust Kerning
- 5:47 MSI Desktop & Monitor
- 6:34 Display Distance Between Layer and Canvas Edge
- 6:46 Guide Shortcuts
- 7:44 Intersect Selection
- 8:31 Lasso Tool
- 9:06 Revert
- 9:22 Close Others
- 9:30 Layer Control Activation and Opacity
- 11:19 Layer Blending Mode Cycle
Your choices stick across every tutorial on this device.
Useful Photoshop shortcuts replace slow menu digging with a single keypress, for tools like the Clone Stamp, Puppet Warp, and the Layers panel.
In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn 19 useful Photoshop keyboard shortcuts you probably don’t know.
You may have wasted time in Photoshop on a simple goal, like filling a layer with color, selecting a brush, or switching between tools. Before you knew it, all those options left you feeling overwhelmed.
Photoshop has many features and functions, but this updated list of useful keyboard shortcuts makes it faster and easier to get work done.
Key Takeaways
- Most of these useful Photoshop shortcuts use Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) as the modifier, so learning that one key unlocks over half the list.
- The tilde key (~) temporarily turns your current brush into an eraser that matches its exact size and shape, so you never have to switch tools.
- Tapping a single number key sets layer opacity in 10% steps, and tapping two numbers quickly sets an exact percentage.
- Puppet Warp pins can rotate in place, not just move, once you hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS).
- The same Shift-plus and Shift-minus shortcut cycles blending modes on either the active tool or the active layer, depending on what is selected.
- Holding Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) while dragging with the Lasso Tool switches it to the Polygonal Lasso Tool for as long as you hold the key.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Useful Photoshop Shortcuts Reference Table
- 1. Clone Tool Shortcuts
- 2. Repeat the Last Transformation in a New Layer
- 3. Load Luminosity as a Selection
- 4. Invert Layer Mask
- 5. Selectively Reconstruct Pixels in Liquify
- 6. Fill with Foreground Color
- 7. Layer Fill Shortcuts
- 8. Rotate Pins in Puppet Warp
- 9. Brush Keyboard Shortcuts
- 10. Kerning
- 11. Smart Guides
- 12. Pan Selection
- 13. Intersect Selection
- 14. Temporarily Switch from Lasso Tool to Polygonal Lasso Tool
- 15. Revert Document
- 16. Close All Other Open Documents
- 17. Layer Shortcuts
- 18. Layer Fill and Opacity
- 19. Cycle Blend Modes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to scale, rotate, and reset a Clone Stamp sample source without opening a panel.
- How to fill a layer, repeat a transform, or load luminosity as a selection with one keypress.
- How to cycle brushes, rotate them, and erase with your current brush using the keyboard.
- How to manage guides and intersect a selection without leaving the tool you are using.
- How to move, activate, and set the opacity of layers without touching the Layers panel.
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2022 (version 23.5 or later) or the current version
Useful Photoshop Shortcuts Reference Table
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Scale the Clone Source sample | Alt Shift [ or ] | Option Shift [ or ] |
| Rotate the Clone Source sample | Alt Shift > or < | Option Shift > or < |
| Repeat the last transformation in a new layer | Ctrl Alt Shift T | Command Option Shift T |
| Load luminosity as a selection | Ctrl Alt 2 | Command Option 2 |
| Invert a layer mask | Ctrl I | Command I |
| Reconstruct pixels in Liquify | Alt | Option |
| Fill with foreground color (Shift = opaque only) | Alt Backspace | Option Delete |
| Fill with background color (Shift = opaque only) | Ctrl Backspace | Command Delete |
| Rotate a Puppet Warp pin | Alt | Option |
| Open or close brush preset groups | Ctrl-click the arrow | Command-click the arrow |
| Cycle to next / previous brush | > / < | > / < |
| Rotate brush clockwise / counterclockwise | Right Arrow / Left Arrow | Right Arrow / Left Arrow |
| Rotate brush in 15-degree increments | Shift Right or Left Arrow | Shift Right or Left Arrow |
| Erase with current brush | ~ (hold) | ~ (hold) |
| Set brush blending mode to Clear | Alt Shift R | Option Shift R |
| Cycle blending modes | Shift Plus or Shift Minus | Shift Plus or Shift Minus |
| Decrease / increase kerning | Alt Left / Right Arrow | Option Left / Right Arrow |
| See distance from layer to canvas edge | Ctrl, hover with Move Tool | Command, hover with Move Tool |
| Select multiple guides | Alt Shift-click | Option Shift-click |
| Open Edit Selected Guides dialog | Alt Shift double-click | Option Shift double-click |
| Pan a selection while making it | Space Bar | Space Bar |
| Intersect a selection | Alt Shift, then click-drag | Option Shift, then click-drag |
| Switch Lasso to Polygonal Lasso | Alt, hold | Option, hold |
| Revert the document | F12 | F12 |
| Close all other open documents | Ctrl Alt P | Command Option P |
| Activate layer below / above | Alt [ / Alt ] | Option [ / Option ] |
| Add layer below to active layers | Alt Shift [ | Option Shift [ |
| Move layer up / down | Ctrl ] / Ctrl [ | Command ] / Command [ |
| Move layer to top / bottom of stack | Ctrl Shift ] / Ctrl Shift [ | Command Shift ] / Command Shift [ |
| Set layer opacity by number | Tap a number key | Tap a number key |
| Set layer fill by number | Shift, then a number key | Shift, then a number key |
1. Clone Tool Shortcuts
Scaled Sample Source
AltShift[ (Windows) or OptionShift[ (macOS)
Rotate the Sampled Pixels
AltShift> (Windows) or OptionShift> (macOS)
Reset Scale & Rotation from Clone Source
Window > Clone Source > Reset Button
2. Repeat the Last Transformation in a New Layer
CtrlAltShiftT (Windows) or CommandOptionShiftT (macOS)
A transformation of 10 degrees has been applied to the small white circle.
To repeat this transformation, and place it in a new layer, press CtrlAltShiftT (Windows) or CommandOptionShiftT (macOS).
In other words, it will rotate the circle 10 degrees from the previous location and place it in a new layer.
If Photoshop’s default proportional scaling feels backward, see how to bring back the old Shift key behavior.
3. Load Luminosity as a Selection
CtrlAlt2 (Windows) or CommandOption2 (macOS)
4. Invert Layer Mask
The previous shortcut selects bright pixels. To select dark pixels, invert the selection
by pressing CtrlI (Windows) or CommandI (macOS).
5. Selectively Reconstruct Pixels in Liquify
As you paint with the Forward Warp Tool hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) to reconstruct pixels.
6. Fill with Foreground Color
Fill with Foreground Color
AltBackspace (Windows) or OptionDelete (macOS)
Note: If a text or vector layer is active, this fills those elements instead of leaving the transparent pixels alone.
7. Layer Fill Shortcuts
Fill Opaque Pixels with Foreground Color
AltShiftBackspace (Windows) or OptionShiftDelete (macOS)
Fill with Background Color
CtrlBackspace (Windows) or CommandDelete (macOS)
Note: The same rule applies to background fills. A text or vector layer fills instead of leaving transparent pixels alone.
Fill Opaque Pixels with Background Color
CtrlShiftBackspace (Windows) or CommandShiftDelete (macOS)
8. Rotate Pins in Puppet Warp
Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) to reveal the circle overlay and rotate the selected pin.
For the full workflow, see the guide to Puppet Warp in Photoshop.
9. Brush Keyboard Shortcuts
Expand/Collapse Preset Groups
With any preset, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) and click the arrow to open or close every group in the list.
Cycle to the Next Brush
Press > (Windows) or > (macOS)
Cycle to the Previous Brush
Press < (Windows) or < (macOS)
Rotate the Brush Clockwise
Tap Right Arrow (Windows) or Right Arrow (macOS)
Rotate the Brush Counterclockwise
Tap Left Arrow (Windows) or Left Arrow (macOS)
Rotate the Brush in 15-Degree Increments
ShiftRight Arrow (Windows) or ShiftRight Arrow (macOS) or ShiftLeft Arrow (Windows) or ShiftLeft Arrow (macOS)
Use the Current Brush to Erase
Stay on the brush, hold ~ (Windows) or ~ (macOS), and paint to erase.
Set the Brush Blending Mode to Clear
AltShiftR (Windows) or OptionShiftR (macOS)
Cycle Blend Modes
ShiftPlus (Windows) or ShiftPlus (macOS) or ShiftMinus (Windows) or ShiftMinus (macOS)
10. Kerning
Decrease Kerning
AltLeft Arrow (Windows) or OptionLeft Arrow (macOS)
Increase Kerning
AltRight Arrow (Windows) or OptionRight Arrow (macOS)
11. Smart Guides
Reveal Smart Guides
With the Move Tool active, hover over a layer and hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) to see the bounding box.
Once you hover outside the layer, you will see the labels for the distance between the edge of the layer and the edge of the canvas.
Select Multiple Guides
Hold AltShift (Windows) or OptionShift (macOS) and click multiple guides to select them, then click and drag to move them all at once.
Open the Edit Selected Guides Dialog Box
Hold AltShift (Windows) or OptionShift (macOS) and double-click a guide. You can set a different color for the guide and set its position in pixels or as a percentage.
12. Pan Selection
Pan Selection
Space Bar
13. Intersect Selection
With a selection active, hold AltShift (Windows) or OptionShift (macOS) and click and drag to keep only the pixels inside both selections.
14. Temporarily Switch from Lasso Tool to Polygonal Lasso Tool
Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) to temporarily switch to the Polygonal Lasso Tool.
To return to the Lasso Tool, click, hold down the mouse button, and release Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS).
15. Revert Document
F12 either reverts the image to the last time you saved it, or to how it looked when you first opened it.
16. Close All Other Open Documents
Press CtrlAltP (Windows) or CommandOptionP (macOS).
This keyboard shortcut will close all your other open documents except the currently open document in Photoshop you are on.
17. Layer Shortcuts
Activate Layer Below
Alt[ (Windows) or Option[ (macOS)
Activate Layer Above
Alt] (Windows) or Option] (macOS)
Add Layer Below to Active Layers
AltShift[ (Windows) or OptionShift[ (macOS)
Move Layer Up
Ctrl] (Windows) or Command] (macOS)
Move Layer Down
Ctrl[ (Windows) or Command[ (macOS)
Move Layer to Top
CtrlShift] (Windows) or CommandShift] (macOS)
Move Layer to Bottom
CtrlShift[ (Windows) or CommandShift[ (macOS)
18. Layer Fill and Opacity
Change Layer Opacity
Tap any of the numbered keys to switch the opacity of the layer.
Example: 5 to 50 opacity, 8 to 80 opacity, and 0 for 100 opacity
When you quickly tap two number keys simultaneously, Photoshop will apply that number value.
Example: 3 and 6 will give you 36, 9 and 4 will give you 94, and 0 and 0 will give you zero percent. Pressing 0 again will bring it up to 100 percent.
Layer Fill
Shift (Number)
This keyboard shortcut will change the fill to the corresponding number you press.
The same rule applies when you tap two number keys simultaneously, it will give you that number as a percentage.
19. Cycle Blend Modes
ShiftPlus (Windows) or ShiftPlus (macOS) or ShiftMinus (Windows) or ShiftMinus (macOS) cycles the blending mode.
For a full breakdown of every mode, see Blending Modes Explained.
Keep in mind that if you have a painting tool active, these shortcuts change the blending mode, opacity, and fill of the tool, not the layer.
Now you’ve learned 19 more useful Photoshop shortcuts you probably didn’t know. If you want to discover more, check out the full list of Photoshop keyboard shortcuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hold Alt Shift (Windows) or Option Shift (macOS) and press the left or right bracket key while the Clone Stamp Tool is active. This scales the sampled pixels up or down before you paint. Go to Window > Clone Source and click Reset to return the source to its original size.
Press Alt Backspace (Windows) or Option Delete (macOS) to fill with the foreground color. Add Shift to fill only the opaque pixels and leave transparent areas untouched. Use Ctrl Backspace (Windows) or Command Delete (macOS) for the background color instead.
Hold the tilde key (~) while the Brush Tool is active and paint. Photoshop temporarily switches to the eraser using the exact same brush and size, so you do not have to reselect a brush afterward.
Select a pin in Puppet Warp, then hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS). A circle overlay appears around the pin, and dragging it rotates that part of the image.
Ctrl Alt 2 (Windows) or Command Option 2 (macOS) loads the image’s luminosity as a selection, targeting the brightest pixels. Press Ctrl I (Windows) or Command I (macOS) afterward to invert the selection and target the shadows instead.
Make a selection, then hold Alt Shift (Windows) or Option Shift (macOS) and drag a new selection over it. Only the pixels inside both selections stay selected, which is useful for trimming a selection to a precise edge.
With a layer active and no painting tool selected, tap a number key for a 10% step, like 5 for 50%. Tap two number keys quickly for an exact value, like 3 then 6 for 36%. Hold Shift and do the same to set the layer’s Fill instead of its opacity.
Yes. Every shortcut in this list still works the same way in the current version of Photoshop. Only a few older shortcuts, like the pre-2019 proportional scaling behavior, changed and need a separate fix.
Conclusion
These 19 useful Photoshop shortcuts work the same way in the current version of Photoshop, so they are worth building into muscle memory today.
Watch the full video above to see every shortcut demonstrated in context, and comment on the video if you have a question.
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