Working with Palettes

Photoshop enables you to perform many actions in palettes with keyboard shortcuts or by using one or more modifier keys in combination with a click or another mouse action. This section starts by discussing the keyboard shortcuts that work in most (or all) palettes. It then covers the keyboard shortcuts that work only in specific palettes.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Working with Palettes

Windows [Tab], Mac [Tab]

Toggle the display of all palettes

Windows [Shift]-[Tab], Mac [Shift]-[Tab]

Toggle the display of all palettes excerpt the Toolbox and the Options bar

Windows [Shift]-[], Mac [Shift]-[]

Increase units by ten in a shortcut menu

Windows [Shift]-[], Mac [Shift]-[]

Decrease units by ten in a shortcut menu

Windows [Alt]-click the New button, Mac [Option]-click the New button

Set options

This shortcut doesn t work for the Actions palette, the Styles palette, the Brushes palette, the Tool Presets palette, and the Layer Comps palette.

Windows [Alt]-click the Trash button, Mac [Option]-click the Trash button

Delete the item without confirmation

This shortcut doesn t work in the Brushes palette.

Windows [Ctrl]-click, Mac [ z ]-click

Load the item as a selection

[Ctrl]-click or [ z ]-click a channel, layer, or path thumbnail to load it as a selection.

Windows [Ctrl]-[Shift]-click, Mac [ z ]-[Shift]-click

Add the item to the current selection

[Ctrl]-[Shift]-click or [ z ]-[Shift]-click a channel, layer, or path thumbnail to add it to the current selection.

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-click, Mac [ z ]-[Option]-click

Remove the item from the current selection

[Ctrl]-[Alt]-click or [ z ]-[Option]-click a channel, layer, or path thumbnail to remove it from the current selection.

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Shift]-click, Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[Shift]-click

Make the item intersect with the current selection

[Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Shift]-click or [ z ]-[Option]-[Shift]-click a channel, layer, or path thumbnail to make it intersect with the current selection.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Working in the Brushes Palette

Windows [Alt]-click the brush, Mac [Option]-click the brush

Delete the brush

Windows []], Mac []]

Increase the brush size

Windows [[], Mac [[]

Decrease the brush size

Windows [Shift]-[]], Mac [Shift]-[]]

Increase the brush hardness by 25 percent

Windows [Shift]-[[], Mac [Shift]-[[]

Decrease the brush hardness by 25 percent

Windows [,], Mac [,]

Select the previous brush size

Windows [.], Mac [.]

Select the next brush size

Windows [Shift]-[,], Mac [Shift]-[,]

Select the first brush

Windows [Shift]-[.], Mac [Shift]-[.]

Select the last brush

Windows [CapsLock], Mac [CapsLock]

Display the precise crosshair for the brush

Windows [Alt]-[Shift]-[P], Mac [Option]-[Shift]-[P]

Toggle the Airbrush option

Keyboard Shortcuts for Working in the Color Palette

Windows [Alt]-click the Color bar, Mac [Option]-click the Color bar

Select the background color

Windows [Shift]-click the Color bar, Mac [Shift]-click the Color bar

Cycle through the color models

Keyboard Shortcuts for Working in the Layer Comps Palette

Windows [Alt]-click the Create New Layer Comp button, Mac [Option]-click the Create New Layer Comp button

Create a new layer comp without displaying the New Layer Comp dialog box

Keyboard Shortcuts for Working with the Layers Palette

Windows [Alt]-click the New Layer button, Mac [Option]-click the New Layer button

Create a new layer using the New Layer dialog box

Windows [Ctrl]-click the New Layer button, Mac [ z ]-click the New Layer button

Create a new layer below the target layer

Windows [Ctrl]-click a layer thumbnail, Mac [ z ]-click a layer thumbnail

Load the layer transparency as a selection

Windows [Ctrl]-[E], Mac [ z ]-[E]

Merge down

Windows [Ctrl]-[Shift]-[E], Mac [ z ]-[Shift]-[E]

Merge the visible layers

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Shift]-[E], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[Shift]-[E]

Merge a copy of all the visible layers into the target layer

Windows [Alt]-[[], Mac [Option]-[[]

Activate the next layer down

Windows [Alt]-[]], Mac [Option]-[]]

Activate the next layer up

Windows [Alt]-[Shift]-[]], Mac [Option]-[Shift]-[]]

Activate the top layer

Windows [Alt]-[Shift]-[[], Mac [Option]-[Shift]-[[]

Activate the bottom layer

Windows [Ctrl]-[Shift]-[]], Mac [ z ]-[Shift]-[]]

Bring the target layer to the front of the set

Windows [Ctrl]-[Shift]-[[], Mac [ z ]-[Shift]-[[]

Send the target layer to the back of the set

Windows [Alt]-[Shift]-[P], Mac [Option]-[Shift]-[P]

Pass through blending mode for the layer set

Windows [Alt]-click the eye icon, Mac [Option]-click the eye icon

Toggle the display of all currently visible layers other than the active layer

Windows [/], Mac [/]

Toggle lock transparency for the target layer