Smashing Magazine
Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet (PDF)
Over the last months we released a variety of icon sets, tools and templates, but now we would like to release something a bit different for a change. In this post we are glad to release Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts, a PDF-file with a handy overview of most useful keyboard shortcuts available in Adobe Photoshop. The cheat sheet was created by Kenneth Setzer and released especially for Smashing Magazine and its readers.
The cheat sheet is a mousepad-sized image featuring a typical PC keyboard. Photoshop’s keyboard shortcuts are listed for each key, with the shortcut and its icon printed on the individual key. In red is the shortcut you will get by hitting the key in combination with the Ctrl key. For example, typing "t" in Photoshop will activate the Type tool, while typing Ctrl+t will allow you to use the Transformation tool. Additional shortcuts requiring more than two keys are listed as well.
Download the cheat shee for free!
Of course, you can use the PDF for all of your projects for free and without any restrictions. The PDF may not be resold, sublicensed, rented, transferred or otherwise made available for use. Please link to this article if you want to spread the word.
- large preview (.jpg)
- download the set (.pdf, 2.5 Mb)
Behind the design
As always, here are some insights from the designer herself:
Originally, I intended to buy a keyboard overlay with Photoshop shortcuts, but couldn’t find any for a PC, just for Macs. So I compiled a list of keyboard shortcuts, and thought they would fit nicely on a mousepad. I think printing it out and hanging it by the monitor works just as well. I hope those learning Photoshop will find it useful, as well as the more advanced users who may have forgotten some of the less-often-used shortcuts. They save a lot of time, and can impress your boss!
Thank you very much, Kenneth! We appreciate your efforts.
The team here at Smashing Magazine. Mostly Sven & Vitaly.
- 106 Comments
- 1
- 2
February 10th, 2010 7:23 amLife is so lonely .i am a rich and beautiful woman. i am single recently .I need a man who can give me real love.So use a name of Anna Baly at — *** MeetMillionaire.com***—- It’s the largest and best club for seeking CEOs, pro athletes, doctors, lawyers, investors, entrepreneurs, beauty queens, fitness models, and Hollywood celebrities.
- 3
February 10th, 2010 8:13 amHey Cute, go advertise your business on a site for lonely gold diggers, this is a design site, you don’t belong here. Happy hunting! loser.
- 4
February 10th, 2010 9:49 amHey Lala. You really should be more sympathetic. Poor “Cute” is a lonely woman, clearly in pain. Why else would she go to a nerdy page like this one for love. She’s obviously tried all other options. She’s tried the pool-boy, the cable-guy, her tennis instructor, her sons friends, her grandsons friends — tragically none of them can stand the smell of vaseline and olives for that long. It’s a shame there is no PC keyboard shortcut for the rich application of love.
I will love you “Cute Anna Baly.” I will come and find you! … (command + z)
- 5
February 11th, 2010 12:04 amlol y’all are so twisted.
- 5
- 6
February 10th, 2010 11:43 amThe sad part is that she thinks us designers are millionaires. I can only say ‘I wish’. :)
- 3
- 2
- 7
February 10th, 2010 1:47 amHi Everyone,
Very useful resource for Photoshop designers.Regrads
Rahul Chauhan- 8
February 10th, 2010 6:47 pmvery!
- 8
- 9
February 10th, 2010 1:49 amDo you have MAC version? Thank you.
- 10
February 10th, 2010 9:14 amThe mac version would be the same, just opt the ctrl for the command key.
- 11
February 10th, 2010 6:49 pmduh…I thought MAC guys were on the ball with this stuff
- 12
May 6th, 2010 6:17 amwho still designs on a PC? Wow your 2000 and late lol…
- 12
- 10
- 13
February 10th, 2010 1:50 amThanks for the effort and time dude. Really appreciated
Anyways, do you have a short cut for Illustrator or Flash hehe ^_^.
More power to you. - 14
February 10th, 2010 1:50 amNice! I wonder what the boss will say if I print this out at work (where I don’t have photoshop)
- 15
February 12th, 2010 12:04 pmI am sure your boss has seen far worse things printed off at work.
At least it is something educational.
- 15
- 16
February 10th, 2010 1:56 amthank you for sharing this! Very handy little thing :)
- 17
February 10th, 2010 1:58 amVERY TIDY!!! Shortcuts make it soooo much easier!!! Thanks
- 18
February 10th, 2010 2:00 amThanks a lot for this sheet, it’s just great. :-)
- 19
February 10th, 2010 2:05 amThanks for the article. Great overview :)
- 20
February 10th, 2010 2:20 amvery usefull…the blue gradient is horrible ;)
- 21
February 10th, 2010 4:32 amI completely agree…
It’s quite a nice pdf, but this blue gradient hurts the eyes…
- 21
- 22
February 10th, 2010 2:35 amFor Mac users is probably better to go with KeyCue.app – it’s active, you can click the shortcut directly in the list.
- 23
February 10th, 2010 2:43 amwhy would you put a gradient background on a file tha’ts intended for printing on a printer ? :-/
- 24
February 10th, 2010 4:28 amYeah, I thought the background was a little odd. Something I would never send to a printer.
Another way to get the shortcuts to a printer or leave them onscreen if you gotta enough space:
If you google “Adobe Shortcut App” (http://goo.gl/ExEH) you will find and Adobe Air App that has all the shortcuts for the entire suite (Win+Mac) from which you can print-out Cheat Sheets for the shortcuts.
- 24
- 25
February 10th, 2010 2:58 amWhat, no Ctrl+Backspace/Delete? That’s one of the staples ;)
And there are more Ctrl+Alt ones out there~
And yes, a plain white background or at least a grayscale dither would be more appropriate… - 26
February 10th, 2010 3:11 amit seems to be a CS3 cheetsheet?!
“R” does not activate “Blur” anymore. It’s used for the “Rotation-Tool” in CS4/CS5 beta. isn’t it?- 27
February 10th, 2010 3:31 pm‘K’ no longer activates the knife tool…it’s all under ‘C’ now.
- 27
- 28
February 10th, 2010 3:16 amAwesome, this is going on my wall. It’s missing one of my faves, though.
‘Tab’ will toggle all of the tool panels. It clears your screen of all the extras, leaving just your design behind in all its glory.
- 29
February 10th, 2010 3:24 amNice Sheet.. I’ll post it to my wall…
Thanks :) - 30
February 10th, 2010 3:47 amV. useful. Thanks :)
- 31
February 10th, 2010 3:56 amVery useful. And interesting.
- 32
February 10th, 2010 4:11 amAwesome, thanks!
- 33
February 10th, 2010 4:27 amShocked that this isn’t for Mac :P
- 34
February 10th, 2010 4:57 amLove It!… Hate the background color though…
- 35
February 10th, 2010 5:21 amNice collection of shortcuts, but I think you’re missing the one I personally use a lot:
Ctrl + Alt + 0, to zoom back to 100% (original size). - 36
February 10th, 2010 5:22 amFor AZERTY’s keyboard users, I’ve adapated the pdf.
- 37
February 10th, 2010 8:18 amIf you are using other keyboard layouts than US English with Photoshop please fill the below survey:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDY4MnE5LXRqM2E4MmxweGZnRnR4VGc6MAFrench users of Photoshop do have an additional survey with pictures
http://blog.i18n.ro/custom/french_survey.htmlI’m gathering these informations for a study regarding the usage of keyboard shortcuts worldwide.
- 37
- 38
February 10th, 2010 5:42 amvery nice, but this is def. not for your CS4 users. There are a couple of major changes from CS3 to CS4.
- 39
February 10th, 2010 6:04 amHere is a link to a much better resource of Adobe/Quark/Apple shortcuts, Mac and PC, for everyone to use: http://www.nobledesktop.com/shortcuts.html
It’s not as visual, more of a list. I prefer Noble’s.
- 40
February 10th, 2010 6:13 amphotoshop shortcuts for the 1000th time… (Y) :S
- 41
February 10th, 2010 6:27 amthank you !
- 42
February 10th, 2010 6:43 amFirst of all: SM thanks for changing the layout with the tabs! I love it!
2nd: They (logitech eg.) should create keyboards like this!
- 43
February 10th, 2010 7:02 amThis is EPIC.
Keyboard shortcuts are vital to production in news, without them nothing would ever get done in time.
Anyone that wants to ever call themselves adept at Photoshop MUST use shortcuts.
Thanks!
- 44
February 10th, 2010 7:08 amit s more helpful for me thank you
- 45
February 10th, 2010 7:23 amHow do I browse through open windows in PC?
In MAC I use Command (“Apple key”) + > <- 46
February 10th, 2010 5:04 pmTo browse through open windows on a PC, use Ctrl + Tab
- 46
- 47
February 10th, 2010 7:38 amI know a couple of people mentioned the blue gradients aesthetics but more importantly, it uses up a lot of printer ink. Best to keep colors to a minimum for web. That said, I could probably open it in Illustrator and just remove it myself. =]
Thanks for the chart.
- 48
February 10th, 2010 7:52 amI love how that amazing design work at the top is Copyrighted….
- 49
February 10th, 2010 8:42 amDude, it ain’t the prettiest I’ve ever done, but have you ever tried drawing all those little tool icons? Jeez.
- 49
- 50
February 10th, 2010 7:55 amI learn Photoshop. The cheat sheet is very useful. Thank you.
- 51
February 10th, 2010 8:02 amthat is kool thx
- 52
February 10th, 2010 8:15 amoooo… this is so awesome! Thank you!! =D
- 53
February 10th, 2010 8:28 amPretty cool and handy, but it’s god awful ugly. I’d expect Smashing to post something that’s pleasing on the eyes. This makes me just want to rip them out.
- 54
February 10th, 2010 8:45 amYou know, the gradient looks a lot lighter on my monitor and when I print it. Interesting. If I delete the gradient, it looks so plain! But I guess it really just needs to be functional!
I did base this using CS4 with default shortcuts. I have noticed that some users online had different functions assigned to their keys in CS4 by default. That’s really weird.
- 55
February 10th, 2010 10:33 amNo need for plain white (though that would be printer friendly). You could use subtle grey gradients with rounded boxes…much like an Apple keyboard. Or use black like another post at Smashing did. Though this wouldn’t be printer friendly. http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/01/20/obscure-adobe-photoshop-time-savers/
- 55
- 56
February 10th, 2010 9:35 amWith much appreciation for Kenneth and SmashingMagazine.
- 57
February 10th, 2010 9:44 amNice effort….pretty useful for amateurs as well as pros
- 58
February 10th, 2010 11:04 amI love what Kenneth Setzer did, but here’s a version that’s a little more aesthetically pleasing… http://www.remedy9.com/archives/407. Enjoy!
- 59
February 10th, 2010 11:44 amI work on a 4 monitor setup with my left most monitor being misc stuff, and the one next to it being Photoshop, so I just made this my wallpaper on my left most monitor!
Thanks a bunch! This is gonna help so much.
- 60
February 10th, 2010 12:06 pmWhats the name of the site with cheap mouse pads for sale?
- 61
February 10th, 2010 1:16 pmThanks for sharing this and bravo for the efforts putting in to make it.. Really helpful by all means.
- 62
February 10th, 2010 2:10 pmSome of them are super ochevidous (like ctrl-z), other are hard to remember (those involving ctrl-alt-shift combos).
- 63
February 10th, 2010 2:32 pmThese would be great to print on a sticker sheet and stick to the actual keyboard, thanks!
- 64
February 10th, 2010 8:17 pmAwesome!
- 65
February 10th, 2010 9:39 pmGood for someone who is new to photoshop.
Why is the title ‘Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet’? these are common shortcuts and there’s nothing ‘cheat’ about them. - 66
February 10th, 2010 9:46 pmThis is awesome. Great Job
- 67
February 11th, 2010 2:15 amthanks for sharing the info :)
- 68
February 11th, 2010 2:27 amIf anyone needs a “cheat sheet” they obviously haven’t been using the program long enough & ain’t a real designer! ha!
- oh, and real designers don’t use PC.
- oh, and this is not very well designed.lulz
- 69
February 11th, 2010 5:11 am“Real designers don’t use PC.”
Another cocky mac user. The computer is just a tool used by artists. - 70
February 11th, 2010 12:36 pmLOL u rock my world
- 69
- 71
February 11th, 2010 5:31 amGreat overview thanx
- 72
February 11th, 2010 8:36 amThanks a lot. its relay useful
- 73
February 11th, 2010 9:49 amThanks for this. Here’s my version: http://informaaron.com/images/photoshop_kb_sm.png
- 74
February 11th, 2010 10:45 amI use both Macs and PC’s, so I’m not biased toward either. They each have their pros and cons. That said… Hey Mac users, please stop getting bent out of shape because this was posted in reference to a PC.
If you read the entire article, including the “Behind the Design” section you will see a comment from the designer of the PDF that clearly states why it’s for a PC…
—
“Originally, I intended to buy a keyboard overlay with Photoshop shortcuts, but couldn’t find any for a PC, just for Macs.”
—
As a matter of fact, the last article I saw listing keyboard shortcuts was for a Mac and PC users were asked to do the conversion.As for the poster who asked about switching between open applications in Windows… It’s actually [Alt] + [Tab]. [Ctrl] + [Tab] switches between files open within the same application.
- 75
February 11th, 2010 4:00 pmCan someone please put up a version without the awful blue gradient? It would be so much better to read that way and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d be thankful.
- 76
February 11th, 2010 10:10 pmwow, great resource! I printed it.
- 77
February 11th, 2010 10:38 pmWell these Photoshop keyboard shortcut keys cheat sheet is awesome.
- 78
February 11th, 2010 11:45 pmHi,
Very useful resource for Photoshop designers. - 79
February 12th, 2010 12:25 amits a nice idea – but to print out? NO
Simple mistake of putting a fancy background on a piece of artwork because the content doesnt really work. Plus its not really a cheat sheet, its a shortcut sheet.
Better suited as a desktop wallpaper or something maybe if you are a beginner. Thanks!
- 80
February 12th, 2010 3:20 amHi there, nice thing – but i think there are a lot of shortcuts missing. like all combinations with “alt” and “shift” and combined … and combined with the command key.
Think of that.
Photoshop has got much more Shortcuts than displaied above.
Photoshop is a mighty tool and MUCH FASTER if you learn and use as much shortcuts as you can.greetz.
- 81
February 12th, 2010 3:31 amHi everyone,
The shortcuts are very useful, but for beginners :)
321webdesigner
- 82
February 12th, 2010 9:09 amCheck out Adobe Photoshop Keyboard – http://is.gd/ooG5 and Adobe Illustrator Keyboard – http://is.gd/ooH0 #adobe #shortcuts
- 83
February 12th, 2010 9:57 amYes a handy tool should one have the same version ps. But honestly the actual design is severly lacking is it not. I don’t just mean the gradient but the while thing is fairly naff.
- 84
February 13th, 2010 5:46 amHi everyone,
Does anybody know shortcut for Brightness/Contrast?
- 85
February 13th, 2010 8:26 pmThanks for the post.
Regards
- 86
February 14th, 2010 7:31 amThey should include more cheatsheets on this site….
- 87
February 14th, 2010 11:53 pmthis one is very cute!
- 88
February 15th, 2010 8:43 pmThanx ….. awesome job Man
- 89
February 18th, 2010 7:38 amThanks so much for the cheat sheet!
- 90
February 24th, 2010 9:50 amVery nice! Thank you! I would love one for Lightroom as well! :)
- 91
March 11th, 2010 5:18 amThank you soooo much!
- 92
March 15th, 2010 8:54 amVery Nice, Thanks so much for the cheat sheet.
- 93
March 18th, 2010 1:25 amVery useful, thanks for sharing it free!
- 94
March 19th, 2010 6:13 pmthanks for the nice info. i would like to share
Best Photography Cheat Sheets to Make your Life Easier
http://www.smashinghub.com/best-photography-cheat-sheets-to-make-your-life-easier.htm - 95
March 20th, 2010 2:29 amМеня все полностью устраивает, поэтому и молчу.
- 96
March 20th, 2010 1:47 pmОболденно ты придумал, главное что все элементарно.
- 97
March 28th, 2010 8:23 pmBlog liked, but a lot of unnecessary comments.
- 98
May 16th, 2010 9:35 amthe pdf link was broken.
thank for sharing ! I love you smashingmag :) - 99
May 31st, 2010 7:42 pmthanks so much for sharing
- 100
June 8th, 2010 6:31 pmThank you so much. This is sooo useful and convenient.
- 101
June 21st, 2010 10:04 pmThe cheat sheet is a mousepad-sized image featuring a typical PC keyboard. Photoshop’s keyboard shortcuts are listed for each key, with the shortcut and its icon printed on the individual key. In red is the shortcut you will get by hitting the key in combination with the Ctrl key.
- 102
June 23rd, 2010 2:34 amA good resource. Thanks :D
But for the “Enter” key on numberpad – on a laptop, you should hit Ctrl + Enter and not Shift + Enter. Please correct this :) - 103
July 16th, 2010 2:29 pmElaborazione delle carte prepagate gemelle lanciate uguale quello del pubblico, attivita primari di chi beneficia del credito erogabile dalle banche sono in un prodotto servizio. Esaurimento del correntista danno luogo alla riserva della banca credito, il deposito secondario (prestito ad A) si somma ai depositi primari.
Banca quinto vicentino - 104
July 17th, 2010 8:05 amDella Commissione per lo studio poste Italiane nell ottobre del cerchio oro dell Ufficio Postale di un solo euro. Concede un ammontare di prestiti zecca dello marketing, Comunicazione, Servizi, Organizzazione Operations. Dalla banca cedente che ne detiene.
Cajamar banca electronica - 105
July 20th, 2010 1:52 amebay epn accounts for sale
all countries available
ebay partner network accounts for sale, instantuk, us locals
email forexseller777 —>>>> gmail.com
- 106
September 1st, 2010 2:02 amThanks for cheat sheet !
Leave a Comment
Make sure you enter the * required information where indicated. Please also rate the article as it will help us decide future content and posts. Comments are moderated – and rel="nofollow" is in use. Please no link dropping, no keywords or domains as names; do not spam, and do not advertise!
- Free Pom Pom Printables, nice for print decoration (PDFs) - http://bit.ly/a00AyO
- Web Design: Reboot, or Just Upgrade Instead? - http://bit.ly/bcJJaE
- Are You Ambitious Enough? - http://bit.ly/aZkZci - Well, are you? #smambitious
- How do colors affect purchases? (Infographics) - http://bit.ly/b8iU3U
- Perspective in Icon Design – Know-hows - http://bit.ly/buqUw6
- This makes me happy on a Sunday Morning: Every BBC Essential Mix, 1993 to 2010 for free download - http://bit.ly/bnDnk9
- BonBon: Sweet CSS3 Buttons - http://bit.ly/av84qj
- Building a Custom HTML5 Audio Player with jQuery - http://bit.ly/bqXwgS
- DesignKindle: collection of free high qualty web design files - http://bit.ly/clLViX
- What's your ultimate debugging tip? Share yours with the hashtag #smdebug






Hmm, thanks for this useful post quiet handy for photoshop users