100 Essential Photoshop Shortcuts for Mac Users

100 Essential Photoshop Shortcuts for Mac Users
Art Can’t be rushed, but Photoshop can.
— Esther Nariyoshi (aka the author of this post)

Hi I am Esther Nariyoshi, an illustrator based in the US. Welcome to your ultimate resource for mastering Adobe Photoshop shortcuts on Mac! Whether you're a graphic designer, photographer, or digital artist, familiarizing yourself with these shortcuts can greatly enhance your workflow and efficiency. Let's dive into 100 essential Photoshop shortcuts for Mac users, organized for easy reference.

This post was written with Mac users in mind, to read about the shortcut conversion for PC users, scroll to the end of this article.

Basic Shortcuts

  1. New Document: Command+N

  2. Open Document: Command+O

  3. Save: Command+S

  4. Save As: Command+Shift+S

  5. Print: Command+P

  6. Close: Command+W

  7. Undo/Redo: Command+Z

  8. Step Forward: Command+Shift+Z

  9. Step Backward: Command+Option+Z

  10. Deselect: Command+D

  11. Cut: Command+X

  12. Copy: Command+C

  13. Paste: Command+V

  14. Select All: Command+A

  15. Free Transform: Command+T

  16. Duplicate Layer/Object: Command+J

  17. Hide Photoshop: Command+H

  18. Quit Photoshop: Command+Q

View and Navigation

  1. Zoom In: Command++

  2. Zoom Out: Command+-

  3. Fit on Screen: Command+0

  4. Actual Pixels: Command+Option+0

  5. Hide Guides: Command+;

  6. Hide Grid: Command+' (Apostrophe)

  7. Hide Rulers: Command+R

  8. Toggle Full Screen: Control+Command+F

  9. Scroll Image: Spacebar (hold and drag)

  10. Rotate View: R

Tool Shortcuts

  1. Move Tool: V

  2. Brush Tool: B

  3. Clone Stamp Tool: S

  4. History Brush Tool: Y

  5. Eraser Tool: E

  6. Gradient Tool: G

  7. Dodge/Burn/Sponge Tool: O

  8. Pen Tool: P

  9. Type Tool: T

  10. Path Selection Tool: A

  11. Rectangle/Marquee Tool: M

  12. Lasso Tool: L

  13. Magic Wand/Quick Selection Tool: W

  14. Crop Tool: C

  15. Eyedropper Tool: I

  16. Hand Tool: H

  17. Zoom Tool: Z

  18. Default Foreground/Background Colors: D

  19. Switch Foreground/Background Colors: X

Layer Management

  1. New Layer: Command+Shift+N

  2. Group Layers: Command+G

  3. Ungroup Layers: Command+Shift+G

  4. Merge Layers: Command+E

  5. Merge Visible: Command+Shift+E

  6. Flatten Image: Command+Shift+F

  7. Bring Layer to Front: Command+Shift+]

  8. Send Layer to Back: Command+Shift+[

  9. Lock/Unlock Layer: Command+/

  10. Layer Opacity: Number Keys (10% increments)

  11. Fill Layer: Command+Delete (Backspace)

  12. New Adjustment Layer: Command+Option+L/M/U/E/G/B etc.

Text Editing

  1. Bold: Command+Shift+B

  2. Italic: Command+Shift+I

  3. Underline: Command+Shift+U

  4. Increase Font Size: Command+Shift+>

  5. Decrease Font Size: Command+Shift+<

  6. Align Left: Command+Shift+L

  7. Align Center: Command+Shift+C

  8. Align Right: Command+Shift+R

  9. Vertical Type Tool: Command+Shift+T

Image Adjustments

  1. Levels: Command+L

  2. Curves: Command+M

  3. Brightness/Contrast: Command+Shift+B

  4. Hue/Saturation: Command+U

  5. Color Balance: Command+B

  6. Black & White: Command+Shift+Alt+B

  7. Invert Colors: Command+I

  8. Desaturate: Command+Shift+U

  9. Image Size: Command+Option+I

  10. Canvas Size: Command+Option+C

Selections and Masking

  1. Feather Selection: Command+Option+D

  2. Inverse Selection: Command+Shift+I

  3. Refine Edge: Command+Option+R

  4. Select and Mask: Command+Option+M

Filter and Effects

  1. Last Filter: Command+F

  2. Gaussian Blur: Command+Option+F

  3. Liquify: Command+Shift+X

  4. Vanishing Point: Command+Option+V

  5. Lens Correction: Command+Shift+R

Window and Panel Shortcuts

  1. Show/Hide Layers Panel: F7

  2. Show/Hide Brush Panel: F5

  3. Show/Hide Color Panel: F6

  4. Show/Hide Channels Panel: Command+6

  5. Show/Hide Paths Panel: Command+7

  6. Show/Hide Actions Panel: Option+F9

  7. Show/Hide History Panel: Command+Option+Y

  8. Cycle Through Panels: Command+Tab

  9. Arrange Documents: Command+Option+~

Miscellaneous

  1. Switch Between Open Documents: Command+` (Grave Accent)

  2. Create Clipping Mask: Command+Option+G

  3. Toggle Layer Mask: Shift+Click on Layer Mask

  4. Toggle Brush Preview: Caps Lock

For PC users

Key Differences:

  1. Command (⌘) on Mac is usually equivalent to Ctrl on Windows.

  2. Option (⌥) on Mac generally corresponds to Alt on Windows.

  3. The Control (⌃) key on Mac does not have a direct equivalent in Windows but is used less frequently as a modifier key in Photoshop shortcuts. In some cases, it translates to the Right-click functionality in Windows.

  4. Function Keys (F1, F2, etc.) and other keys like Spacebar, Enter, and Arrow keys are typically the same on both platforms.

Examples:

  • Mac: Command+N (⌘N) to create a new document.

    • PC: Ctrl+N

  • Mac: Command+Option+Z (⌘⌥Z) to step backward.

    • PC: Ctrl+Alt+Z

  • Mac: Command+Shift+ (⌘⇧) to increase brush size.

    • PC: Ctrl+Shift+

  • Mac: Option+Click (⌥Click) to define a source point for the Clone Stamp Tool.

    • PC: Alt+Click

About Esther Nariyoshi

Hi, I am an illustrator and digital brush creator who loves exploring all mediums. I've had the joy of collaborating with some wonderful folks, like Cloud9 Fabrics, and MSU Broad Art Museum, and sharing some tidbits of my creative process through UPPERCASE Magazine.  My heart finds joy in food and nature illustrations, and I share my creative process on my YouTube Channel and teach well-designed illustration classes on Skillshare.

Portfolio | Instagram | Pinterest | Digital Brushes | 1:1 Coaching Calls

Skip hours of sifting through generalized tutorials, and enjoy a personalized learning session with a laser focus. In a 1-on-1 session, you will receive personalized instruction on how to elevate your digital illustration to the next level based on your own artistic style and preference using Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop, as well as your paper sketchbook.

Premium Digital Brushes for Artists: Created by an Illustrator, for Illustrators. These expertly crafted digital brushes are designed to enhance your artistic workflow in digital illustration.

Free Procreate Brushes Free Adobe Illustrator Brushes as well as other helpful resources to get you started in digital Illustration


 

Next Steps

Beginner friendly Procreate classes on digital illustration

Beginner friendly classes on Adobe Illustrator

Previous
Previous

How to Digitize the Black Ink Drawing with Organic Selections Using the Quick Mask

Next
Next

How to Create and Apply a Displacement Map in Adobe Photoshop