:: Photoshop Tips :: Regular Usage

1. To draw a straight line, click then move to the end point and hold Shift + Click.

2. "Caps lock" will switch you cursor for accuracy.

3. Hold "Space bar" will make any tool into "Hand Tool" until you release Space bar.

4. Hold Ctrl and press "+" or "-" will change the (Zoom size in terms of percentage) % for image in navigator window.

5. Ctrl+Alt+Z & Ctrl+Shift+Z will go back & forth in the history.

6. Alt+BACKSPACE and Ctrl+BACKSPACE will fill in whole screen with foreground color or background color. Shift+BACKSPACE will bring up option windown, Alt+Shift+BACKSPACE and Ctrl+Shift+BACKSPACE will fill the image with foreground or background color.

7. Ctrl+J will duplicated the current layer.

8. Ctrl+E will merge the highlighted layer down to the next.

9. When you selected a brush, use "[" or "]" to scroll up or down that brush list.

10. To center a image or picture, Ctrl + A, Ctrl + X, Ctrl + V, it copies and pastes the selected image. *

11. Hold ALT + Click on any of the history step, that step will be copied and become the most recent one.

12. To create a New Layer, Press Ctrl + Shift + N with dialog box & Ctrl + Shift + Alt + N, without dialog box.

13. To create a Duplicate Layer, Press Ctrl + J with-out dialog box & Ctrl + Alt + J - with dialog box.

14. Ctrl + F to run Filter again, Ctrl + Shift + F to Fade Filter & Ctrl + Alt + F to run Filter again with Dialog Box.

15. After drawing a path on an image with Pen Tool, Press Ctrl+Shift+H to Hide it or Show it.

16. Press Alt+Click the button "Create a new layer" on the Layers Pallette to create a New Adjustment Layer.

17. Press Ctrl + D to de-select and Ctrl+Shift+D to re-select.

18. Ctrl+Shift+E will merge all visible layers on to one layer & Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E will make copy of the original and merge all visible layers.

19. Press Ctrl + Alt + T to make a copy of the layer, which you want to trasform.

20. When using the Polygonal Lasso Tool, pressing Backspace will undo a lasso step each time you press.

21. Pressing X will switch the selected foreground and background colors.

22. Pressing D will reset the foreground and backgrounds colors to black and white.

23. Ctrl+Alt+Z will do multiple undos.

24. Ctrl+Click a layer thumbnail to select the layer transparency.


:: Photoshop Editing Tools ::

Photoshop provides several editing tools such as ERASER, STAMP, SMUDGE, BURN, SHARPEN, BLUR, DODGE, SATURATE and UNSATURATE. These tools are used mainly to edit the selection or anywhere on an image. Some of the tools are explained below.

ERASER TOOL (E): The ERASER Tool is one of the editing tool. It is used to erase certain portions on an image. It has several OPTIONS such as Opacity, Mode, Erase Image and Erase or Saved. Mode specifies the type of Mode to erase and Default is Paintbrush.

SMUDGE TOOl (U): It is used to create an effect that is similar to dragging your finger through wet paint. It picks-up color from where you start to drag and smears it into adjacent colors.

RUBBER STAMP TOOL (S): It is used to re-touch your image by Cloning or Duplicating areas of your image.

DODGE / BURN / SPONGE TOOL:
These three tools are collectively known as "Toning Tools".
a) Dodge Tool (O): It is used to lighten pixels in your image.
b) Burn Tool: It is used to darken pixels in your image.
c) Sponge Tool: It is used to increase/decrease the color saturation in the areas of an image.

BLUR (R) & SHARPEN TOOLS: These tools are known as "Focus Tools". Blur Tool is used to reduce the contrast betwen pixels and also used for disguising un-wanted, jagged edges.

That's all my dear friends. Hope You Enjoyed It!!! Send mail to me (from your mail-id, in the Compose, write "About Tutorial" in the "Subject" Column).

"Fundamentals are the Route to the Destination" - BHMK

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