This is a list of my top 7 (or so) favorite and most used Photoshop keyboard shortcuts.

Some
might be obvious to you, some you might already know, and some might be new to you.

There’s nothing more damaging to your productivity than having to wrestle with the
program you are using to get it to do what you want. Searching for tools or buttons is a task
that can easily be bypassed with some quick memorization of shortcuts.

Undo, Multiple Times

[Ctrl + Alt + Z]

Most programs allow you to press [Ctrl + Z] multiple times to perform multiple Undo’s, but
Photoshop requires [Alt], otherwise you’ll just keep undoing then re-doing then undoing
then re-doing then undoing then re-doing.

Hand/Move Tool

[Spacebar]

Holding the spacebar will turn your cursor into the hand in almost any situation… when
using different tools, with dialog boxes open, etc… allowing you to quickly navigate your
document no matter what you’re doing.

Switch Document Windows

[Ctrl + Tab]

Your Photoshop workspace can become a mess when working on multiple files, especially
when you hate minimizing, like I do, so being able to switch windows quickly is a must.

New Layer

[Ctrl + Shift + N] – with dialog

[Ctrl + Shift + Alt + N] – without dialog
Layers are the greatest thing(s) ever invented in any (design) program and being able to
manage your layers properly is important. I’m Errorphobic, which makes me a layer junky,
which also makes this a favorite shortcut of mine.

Duplicate Layer
[Ctrl + J] – without dialog
[Ctrl + Alt + J] – with dialog
You can duplicate an entire layer, or, if you have a selection, the selection will be duplicated
to it’s own layer. This is great when trying different techniques or effects without having to
worry about errors (Errorphobic, remember?).

Zoom In/ Zoom Out / Fit to Window

[Ctrl + =] – zoom in
[Ctrl + -] – zoom out
[Ctrl + 0] – fit to window
When you’re slightly obsessive and need to get that 1-perfect pixel zooming in and out
quickly is a necessity to achieving that perfection.

Re-run Filter/ Fade Filter

[Ctrl + F] – run filter again

[Ctrl + Alt + F] – run filter again, with dialog
[Ctrl + Shift + F] – fade filter
Even though Photoshop provides preview windows in the dialog box for most filters, there’s
still no true way of telling whether you’ve achieved your desired effect until you see the full
image. If something goes wrong, you can quickly undo, then go back to your filter and try
again without having to go through the hassle of moving your cursor. Or, if your filter effect
is too intense, you can quickly fade it down without having to re-adjust the filter settings.

Making Your Own Shortcuts

These shortcuts may not be on the top of everybody’s list, but that all depends on your
project and workflow. Luckily, Photoshop allows you to custom tailor your own Keyboard
shortcuts to suit your needs. Just press [Ctrl + Alt + Shift + K] or go to [Edit > Keyboard
Shortcuts].