So you’ve been doing well working with Photoshop, but learning and mastering hotkeys is the best way to turn the page and really become more proficient and fast while working with Photoshop. In this Photoshop CC tutorial, we’ll cover 36 of my favorite hotkeys that are absolutely essential for you to know. These hotkeys will help you work so much faster in Photoshop and generally feel more comfortable when you need to perform everyday tasks in your favorite app, Photoshop. P.S. I talk a little about each hotkey too.

The Hotkeys:

1.) Create a New Document – Cmd/Ctrl + N

2.) Create a New Layer Shortcut – Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + N (add Alt/Opt to avoid dialog box)

3.) Duplicate a Layer – Cmd/Ctrl + J

4.) Select Multiple Layers – Cmd/Shift + Click

5.) Merge Layers Together – Cmd/Ctrl + E

6.) Merge All Layers to New Layer – Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Alt/Opt + E

7.) Group Layers Together – Cmd/Ctrl + G

8.) Drag to Duplicate Layer – Alt/Opt + Drag

9.) Load Layer as Selection – Cmd/Ctrl + Click Layer Thumbnail

10.)Deselect – Cmd/Ctrl + D

11.) Select All – Cmd/Ctrl + A

12.) Reselect Last Selection – Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + D

13.) Inverse Selection – Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + I

14.) Add and Subtract From Selections – Shift or Alt/Opt while Dragging

15.) Move Selection or Object While Drawing It – Hold Spacebar while Dragging Out Selection

16.) Default Foreground/Background Colors + Flip Colors – D = Default Colors, X = Flip Foreground/Background Colors

17.) Fill a Layer or Selection – Alt/Opt + Backspace/Delete

18.) Sample Colors While Using the Brush Tool – Hold Alt/Opt + Click to Sample

19.) Increase/Decrease Brush Size – [ = Smaller Brush or ] = Larger Brush

20.) Free Transform (Scale, Skew, Distort, etc…) – Cmd/Ctrl + T

21.) Free Transform Constrain Proportions or Drag Out From Center – Shift = Constrain Proportions or Alt/Opt = Scale From Center

22.) Change Image Size – Cmd/Ctrl + I

23.) Reset Dialog Boxes – Hold Alt/Opt

24.) Open Smart Object From Camera RAW – Hold Shift Key

25.) Navigate Next/Prev Image via Tabs – Ctrl + Tab

26.) Draw Perfect Square/Circle – Hold Shift while Dragging Out Selection/Shape

27.) Draw Out From Center – Hold Alt/Opt while Dragging Out Selection/Shape

28.) Undo & Step Backward – Cmd/Ctrl + Z, Cmd/Ctrl + Alt/Opt + Z

29.) Commit Type Change – Cmd/Ctrl + Enter/Return

30.) Desaturate Image – Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + U

31.) Zoom In/Out – Cmd/Ctrl + “+” or Cmd/Ctrl + “-“

32.) Fit Image Into View – Cmd/Ctrl + 0

33.) Zoom to 100% – Cmd/Ctrl + 1

34.) Save For the Web or Export As – Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Alt/Opt + S or Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Alt/Opt + W

35.) Save As – Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + S

36.) Close Current Document – Cmd/Ctrl + W