How to Create Your Own Keyboard Shortcut to Photoshop

It is more efficient, professional and much faster using keyboard shortcuts to getting work done in Photoshop. Otherwise, you would have to look in all the options, finding the menus, clicking through the submenus, then the drop-down options... to get the effect you want it applied to your work. With just a keystroke or two, your time for the item you need is probably 10 times faster than finding it through the menus.

For starters, customize shortcut keys for the commands you use most often in Photoshop. It may take a few times to memorize the shortcuts you created, but soon you will have them not forgotten.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Adobe Photoshop, v7.0 ~ CS4
• Macintosh or PC
• Keyboard

1. Open the shortcut edit window: Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts on the main menu.
   
   Keyboard access, Mac: Shift+Alt+Cmd+K / PC: Shift+Alt+Ctrl+K.

2. 
   Shortcut keys edit

   Before you start editing keys, make a copy of the current default set, in case you mess up. Click the "Create a New Set Based on the Current Set of Shortcuts" icon; the one left to the "Trash" icon. That will allow you to save a copy of the default or current shortcuts.

3. 
   Save mulitple shortcut sets for different work purpose

   The new set of keyboard shortcuts will be saved as a KYS file. You can transfer this file between computers or external hard drives. The transferred shortcuts will work just fine on other computers for you, if those have Photoshop installed.

4. Saving different sets of shortcuts is a good idea, if you use Photoshop for multiple purposes. For example, you could save one for image work, another for film editing, and yet another for audio producing. So within each set, you can assign (e.g. the F12 key, or the "P" key) to do a different task.
   
   Depending on the project in Photoshop, you can toggle from set to set from the pop-up menu at the top of the window.

5. 
   Want a tool shortcut, not a command in the options menu

   Not only you can assign keys for menu options, but also the tools in Photoshop. To edit a shortcut for a tool, just click the "Tools" icon from the shortcuts window for pop-up menu.

6. 
   Find the command name

   If you want to add a new shortcut (other than that came with Adobe), find and click on the name of the command, and type the shortcut key(s) you would like to use for this command in the empty space.

7. 
   Assign new shortcut

   You will be warned by Photoshop if you have typed an illegal shortcut, e.g. one that the program can't recognize, or one that is already active. However, you are allowed to reassign/create multiple shortcuts for a same command, just make sure you have enough reserve keys for the new ones.

8. 
   Shortcut key example

   For those commands you use most often, add shortcuts to them. Here is one example, I'm giving the "Gaussian Blur" filter an assigned key, as I frequently use it.

9. 
   Finish the work

   Upon finishing your shortcut changes, press the "Save" button. If you forget which keys you assigned for what, just select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts or Mac: Shift+Alt+Cmd+K / PC: Shift+Alt+Ctrl+K via keyboard, to bring up the shortcut keys list.

Tips & Warnings

• You can add a shortcut key to any command and tools in Photoshop.

[Ballzy]

on 6/24/2009 Great Article! I use photo shop all the time so they will be in need for me!