MAKE YOUR OWN SHORTCUTS
Although just about every conceivable combination of
keys has already been used as Photoshop shortcuts, it’s
very likely you’ll find a function that you use all the time
that doesn’t have a shortcut. Luckily, you can reallocate
an existing shortcut and apply it to the function you
want. It’s simple to do, and well worth it; and it’s easier
to remember a shortcut that you allocated, rather than
one assigned by someone at Adobe.
To reassign a shortcut to the function you want, go to
Edit>Keyboard Shortcuts. Let’s say that you want to add
a shortcut for adding a layer mask. Set the Shortcuts For
drop-down menu (near the top left) to Application Menus.
Then in the Application Menu Command list, click on
Layer to expand all of its options, and scroll down until
you see Layer Mask>Reveal All.
Click on the space to the right of that function
and enter the shortcut you want to use, for example,
Shift-Command-M (PC: Shift-Ctrl-M). A warning will tell
you that this shortcut is already in use (in this example,
it’s assigned to something called Record Measurements).
Assuming the currently assigned function isn’t something
you’ll ever use, click the Accept button and, from now on,you can press Shift-Command-M (PC: Shift-Ctrl-M) to
add a layer mask. (Custom shortcuts will remain active
unless you reset the keyboard shortcuts back to the
default settings.)
In some cases, the shortcut you want to use is already
in use by a function that you use on occasion. In those
circumstances, you’ll have to decide which function you
use more often, and allocate the shortcut to that function.“END UP WITH”
To some extent, this may be just semantics (or mind
games) but it’s always served me well to think about
what I want to end up with. For example, rather than
looking at a photo and thinking, “I need to select that
object,” I think, “I need to end up with a selection of
that object.” That simple change in thought means that
I go into the process expecting for it to take several
tools and steps for me to get the result I need. And
as mentioned earlier, it also means that I expect the
automated tool (if there is one) to give me a good start,
but that I’ll have to do some manual work to get the
result I want.
This approach can also be used for many functions,
including retouching, compositing, working with layers,
and more. By thinking about what you want to end up
with, while thinking like Photoshop, you may find that
you get better results in less time.When working with layers and tools that have
Opacity settings, you can change their Opacity
by tapping one key. If you have a tool that uses
brushes, the Opacity of the tool will be affected;
if you have any non-paining tool selected, the
Opacity of the current layer will change. Tap 1 for
10%, 2 for 20%, 3 for 30% etc; tap 0 for 100%.In some dialogs you’ll be asked to enter a setting
but it’s unclear what range of values you can
use. To get a quick answer to the question of
what’s the range of values, enter a very high
number, and a dialog will appear telling you the
range of values. For example, when converting
a selection into a path, you’ll be faced with
entering a value in the Make Work Path dialog.
The default value is 3.0, but how high or low
can you go? Type in 10,000 and you’ll get a
warning saying, “A number between 0.5 and
10.0 is required.” Now you know the range of
values you can use for that command.PHOTOSHOP USER
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U ARY 202 1 FEATURE