Every time you turn around, writers and trainers are attempting to convey the power of adjustment layers. I'll admit it, I do the same. This isn't a bad thing, though. Adjustment layers are great and really help you create flexible Photoshop documents. However, sometimes it is a pain to remember to add them. Many of us know the keyboard shortcuts for the permanent adjustments, so we often just use them. Well, I've got a trick for you that'll make it easier than ever to add an adjustment layer. Step OneLet's use Curves as an example for this tutorial. The default keyboard shortcut for a Curves adjustment is Command-M (PC: Control-M). In order to change this, we'll need to edit the keyboard shortcuts. Choose Edit>Keyboard Shortcuts, or press Command-Option-Shift-K (PC: Control-Alt-Shift-K) and you'll see the Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus dialog appear. Step TwoFirst things first. Under Shortcuts For, select Application Menus. Then, click on the right-facing triangle next to the Layer heading to expand it and view the menus underneath. Scroll down until you see New Adjustment Layer.
Step ThreeClick on Curves under New Adjustment Layer. You'll see that the entire row gets highlighted. You'll also notice that the option under Shortcut is blank. Just click inside that box and press Command-M (PC: Control-M). When you do this, you'll see a yellow triangle with an exclamation point inside warning you that Photoshop has already assigned this keyboard shortcut somewhere else. It also tells you exactly where. If you choose to keep this change, then you'll be removing the keyboard shortcut from the original location. That's fine here, so go ahead and click Accept. Press OK to close this dialog. Step FourNow, when you're working on a photo that needs a Curves adjustment, just press Command-M (PC: Control-M) and instead of just calling up the Curves adjustment, Photoshop will add a Curves adjustment layer every time. Now that's fast!
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