Shortcuts

Shortcuts

Do you wish there were a keyboard shortcut for Shadow/Highlight or Drop Shadow? It's very simple to make a keyboard shortcut for any command that doesn't already have one. Okay, let me rephrase thatin theory, it's very simple to assign a keyboard shortcut to a Photoshop function. However, the challenge is to find a keyboard combination that is not already in use (Photoshop has a ton of shortcuts, so it's pretty difficult to find one that's unused). Chances are, you'll have to make the decision to give up an existing shortcut so that you can apply it to a different function. For example, I want to assign a keyboard shortcut to Shadow/Highlight. Here are the steps:

Step One.	From the Edit menu choose Keyboard Shortcuts, or press Command-Option-Shift-K (PC: Control-Alt-Shift-K).
Step Two.	In the resulting dialog, make sure Application Menus is chosen in the Shortcuts For pop-up menu, and then scroll down to find the menu command you want to edit. In this example, we need to find Image>Adjustments>Shadow/Highlight. Click to the right of the command (in the Shortcut column) and a field will appear.
Step Three.	Press the keyboard combination you'd like to use (menu commands must use Command [PC: Control] and/or Function keys in the keyboard combination). As you press a keyboard combination, you may see one of several messages: Why it appears : You tried to use a shortcut such as Command-3 (PC: Control-3). These shortcuts cannot be used. Why it appears : Although you can use a shortcut with a Function key, if you later record an action with the same F-key shortcut, the action will override the menu shortcut. Click the Accept button to replace the existing shortcut with your own, or Undo Changes to get back to the original shortcut. Why it appears : Use this to make the decision to remove the shortcut from the original command and assign it to your preferred command. Click the Accept button or Go To Conflict button if you'd like to change the original command, or simply click the Undo Changes button to try again. To save your own set of keyboard shortcuts, click on the Create a New Set icon (it looks like a floppy disc with an arrow), name the shortcut set in the resulting dialog, and save it in Photoshop CS2>Presets>Keyboard Shortcuts (it should be saved there by default). When you restart Photoshop CS2 and return to Edit>Keyboard Shortcuts, your set will appear in the Set pop-up menu. To add your shortcut set to the Window>Workspace menu, you'll have to make sure your shortcut set is active and then save a workspace (Window>Workspace>Save Workspace) that includes your keyboard shortcuts (see the next section called "Workspaces").

A Shortcut Warning

Use caution when changing existing shortcuts. If you're sure that you'll never use the shortcut again, then assign that keyboard combination to the desired menu command. Just remember that you have changed itand you should probably leave the "standard" shortcuts as they are. There's no question that it's a challenge to find available keyboard combinations, but in the long run it's best if you only " borrow " shortcuts that you never use.