Seven Photoshop Shortcuts

Here are a few short cuts that will make you a faster digital painter (to get started, you may want to go to Window > Workspace > Essentials):

1. Turn on to use Pressure for Brush Size.
6. Screen Modes (just hit "F" key).
Click to enlarge.

7. HUD Color Picker (Mac: ctrl-opt-cmd, click and hold,
PC: shift-alt-right-click, hold)

1. At the top of the Menu (toward the middle) you'll see an icon that looks like a pencil hitting a target. Officially that's the "Always use Pressure for Size" button. When you select it, more stylus pressure will give you a heavier line. If this is not selected, then it will default to whatever is selected on the Brush Panel. I use this shortcut all the time, because I generally like to paint with no pressure sensitivity but draw lines with the sensitivity on. Of course, you need to be using a device, like a Wacom Tablet, that detects pressure input.
2. The Tab key will make all of the Panels disappear. This can be useful if you want to hide all the panels so that they don't distract you while you're painting. It can also freak you out if you accidentally hit it…
3. …You can then hit F5 to pop up the Brush Panel …
4. …And F6 for the Color Panel.
5. The Caps Lock key will turn your Brush into crosshairs, which you sometimes want. Usually, however, you accidentally hit it and wonder why your Brush suddenly looks weird.
6. At the bottom of the Tool Panel is the Screen Mode icon. You can cycle through the different Screen Modes by just hitting the "F" key.
7. With the Brush as the active tool, hold down (Mac) control-option-command (Windows: shift-alt-right-click), then, click and hold your mouse or stylus, and the HUD (heads up display) color picker will pop up (starting with version CS5). Yes, it's awkward at first, but, like most things, it gets much smoother with practice. There are different versions of the display, which you can change: Photoshop > Preferences > General.