Digital Darkroom Assignment for the Week:6/15 - 6/22

cletus

Your Assignment: Shortcuts

Most photo editing software provides an array of shortcuts for quickly completing certain tasks. Obviously a professional photographer with a large amount of photo editing work to do can save time and money by using shortcuts. What may not be obvious is the value of shortcuts to users who are trying to learn their photo software.

The best way to get good at using photo editing software is to spend time working with it. Since most people only have a limited amount of time they can spend using their photo editing software, it would be best to use that limited time in an efficient manner. Shortcuts help the user become more efficient!

Assignment Details

Do some research (on the internet, in your photo software's on-line help, books, etc..) and find a shortcut for a task that you regularly perform. Tryout the shortcut and if you like it, post it here. Be sure to post:

1. What the shortcut does
2. The program that the shortcut is for
3. How to use the shortcut (what keys to press, right click, etc...)

As an option you might post the non-shortcut method of performing the same function.

For now, feel free to post as many shortcuts as you like.

Please note that this assignment has been extended until 6/28

cletus

Levels Command
Run a levels adjustment by pressing two keys!

Photoshop, Photoshop Elements

PC Keystroke: Ctrl + L
Mac Keystroke: Command + L

bham

So right. Once you start doing things over and over, doing them quick becomes important, to save time. Here are the ones I use regularly.

All photoshop 7, all on a PC

Auto Color Shift Ctrl B performs auto color command found under Image > adjustments > Auto Color

Color Balance Ctrl B brings up color balance selection otherwise found under Image > adjustments > Color Balance


Cut Ctrl X cuts the current selection from its location so you can paste it somewhere else.

Copy Ctrl C copies the current selection so you can paste it somewhere else.

Paste Ctrl V pastes the last thing cut or copied.

Save Ctrl S saves the current file with the same name in the same location. Be careful this will not ask you if you want to replace the file, it just will.

Save As Shift Ctrl S will save the current file but will give you a chance to rename it and/or place it in a different location.

Open Ctrl O use this to open a file.

Zoom In Ctrl + zooms in, saves time of not always have to click on zoom tool.

Zoom Out Ctrl - zooms out, again saves time not having to click on zoom tool.

Select All Ctrl A selects the entire layer.

Deselect Ctrl D deselects the current selection.

Undo Ctrl Z undoes the last command except for zoom. Hitting ctrl z multiple times you can toggle the last command on and off again. Sometimes helpful in seeing change caused by command.

wxwax

Wow, I can't believe I missed this. Sorry, cletus. And imagine, just today I was wondering if work had buried you forever!

wxwax

I use Control-J a lot, to make a new layer. I wish I knew of a keystroke for Layer mask/Reveal All, but I guess I'd have to create that one myself, and i'm not at that point yet. I could also use a Flatten Layers keystroke.

Another one I use fairly often is Control-Z, to undo what I just screwed up.

And as with bham, I do Control-C (copy), Control-V (paste) and Control-X (cut) a lot when moving stuff from one photo to another.

For example, I'll open a photo, hit Control-A to select everything in the photo, hit Control-C to copy it, click on another photo that I already have open, and Control-V to paste my new one over the old one. Now I have two layers, and am looking for my Layer Mask/Reveal All shortcut!

wxwax

Oh, I forgot a couple of others I use. Again, like bham I use Control-D to deselect a selection.

I also use Shift-Control-I to reverse a selection. For example, I have a white car against a highly varied background of trees. I want to change the trees, but they're a complicated selection. The car's much easier to select, so I select only the car. Then I use Shift-Control-I and eveything but the car is selected. It's very handy.

Now, what's the keystroke that Andy uses to select highlights?

ginger_55

I have a Question, please
I did see this assignment, I don't know any shortcuts, found some in a book.

But I am trying to remember the first assignment I did here. I need to print it out, and I can't find it, don't know what it did exactly.

I know there was an overlay of solid color. I know that I clicked on alt and backspace and that put the color on the photo. I know that it dark, but I could see through it a little bit, and I remember that if the white or the black color was on top, I could paint the color away????

If that rings any bells to anyone, could they please let me know what I am talking about. I do remember that it was very useful............ but for what I don't know. I do want to be able to use it.

Please.

ginger

wxwax

Ginger, all of the assignments by Cletus should be in this forum, the Photoshop Shenanigans forum. Perhaps you could click on each Digital Darkroom Assignment thread until you find the one you need?

Or you could try a search. Along the top part of this page, one option is Search. Click on that, and then on Advanced. You can tell it waht forum to search, the name of a poster (Ginger, Cletus?) and a keyowrd, a word you know for sure is in teh thread. See what you come up with.

wxwax

Ginger, is this the thread that you're looking for?

gubbs

I've just realized that tab hides/unhides all the pallets and toolbox (pscs win)

damonff

Unsharp Mask Shortcut
I set this up as an action in PS 7. I use it a lot. I read on Luminous Landscape that it's a Thomas Knoll sharpening technique...

"local contrast enhancement"

Use these settings in unsharp mask:

amount 20%
radius 50 pixels
threshold 0

Helps a lot...

cletus

wxwax wrote:

Now, what's the keystroke that Andy uses to select highlights?

My guess is: Ctrl + Alt + ~ or if you use a Mac: Command + Option + ~

Andy

selecting luminosity

cletus wrote:

My guess is: Ctrl + Alt + ~ or if you use a Mac: Command + Option + ~

yep - ctrl+alt+tilde

wxwax

Thanks gents. I wonder why it doesn't appear on the lists of PS shortcuts I've seen on the 'net?

wxwax

gubbs wrote:

I've just realized that tab hides/unhides all the pallets and toolbox (pscs win)

Good one.

Thanks to this thread, I'm now typing C when I want the Crop tool and B for the Paintbrush.

cletus

Free Transform
Photoshop, PS Elements

PC: Ctrl + T
Mac: Command + T

bham

Yeah thanks to this thread I have actually started looking for more shortcuts. Here are a few new to me I found.

M Marquee tool

L Lasso tool

C Crop tool

W Magic Wand tool

V Move tool

T Text tool

O Dodge/Burn/Sponge tool

R Blur tool

The tool that comes up is the last one selected. (ie if you hit O and last used Dodge, dodge will come up, but if you want sponge you need to go click on dodge then select sponge tool)

This are just a few of the ones for the tool bar. Every tool has one, just put your cursor over each tool on the bar and the letter that comes up is the shortcut.

digismile

Hand tool shortcut
With all the shortcuts posted, I can't believe that spacebar hasn't been mentioned! It's a toggle for the hand tool. Although "H" selects the hand tool, the spacebar is a much better solution


I use it almost everytime I'm making a selection. For example, "P" selects the pen tool. I usually do my selections zoomed in quite close. Hold the spacebar (or any other selection tool or brush) and the pen changes to the hand. Use the hand to scroll the photo, let go, and you're back to the pen.

Brad

digismile

One more toggle
"X" toggles your foreground/background colours. This is very useful when you are editing a layer mask using black and white and somekind of brush. Black and white are the colours used to either add to or take away from the mask. X lets you quickly go back and forth between the two colours you are using.


Brad

cletus

Assignment extended!!!
Since I'm going out of town for the week, and this assignment finally seems to be up and running, I think we're going to go ahead and extend the assignment until next Monday (6/28)

wxwax

digismile wrote:

With all the shortcuts posted, I can't believe that spacebar hasn't been mentioned! It's a toggle for the hand tool. Although "H" selects the hand tool, the spacebar is a much better solution

Brad

Oooh, good one!

ginger_55

This is the subj I am looking for, just don't know ....

digismile wrote:

"X" toggles your foreground/background colours. This is very useful when you are editing a layer mask using black and white and somekind of brush. Black and white are the colours used to either add to or take away from the mask. X lets you quickly go back and forth between the two colours you are using.


Brad

That is the subject I am trying to find the shenanigans on, or a tutorial, or something. What words would someone use to find it. In a "search". This is the picture I did for the assignment, a lot of PS is in the picture from the assignment.



See, I have this picture, and the original, and I have no idea how I did this. I am now paper clipping together and filing everything I copy from this site, but this was one of the first things, the "how to" is lost, and I can't find it anywhere. I would like to be able to find out how to do this. I know it was on the subject above, but I went through my books last night til my eyes wouldn't stay open, I am sorry, I just don't have the slightest idea how I did it, so it is difficult to look up. ginger

digismile

Lasso Shortcuts
I use this a lot as well.

If you are using the lasso (L) to make an initial selection, you may need to add to the selection or take away from the selection. The default for the lasso is to "add" to the existing selection. By holding the alt key, the cursor shows a little "-", indicating that the new selection will take away/remove from the existing selection.

Once the selection is satisfactory, holding the ctrl key will allow you to "move" the selection, holding ctrl-alt allow you to move a copy of the selection.

Brad

wxwax

Along the same lines, if you're using the magnetic lasso tool, and want to undo a click, just hit delete. The lasso will go back one dot every time you hit Delete, as long as you keep your cursor in the neighborhood. I saw this yesterday - would have saved me a lot of grief in months past.

wxwax

ginger_55 wrote:

That is the subject I am trying to find the shenanigans on, or a tutorial, or something.

Ahem. Ginger, if you'd clicked on the this link the first time I posted it for you in this thread, you'd have had the answer to your question.

wxwax

Here's something I'd like to learn more about: how to use the Gradient tool. Anyone know if the other imaging programs have some form of a Gradient tool?

cletus

wxwax wrote:

Here's something I'd like to learn more about: how to use the Gradient tool. Anyone know if the other imaging programs have some form of a Gradient tool?

I'm sure they do. They may not have the flexibility of photoshop's gradient tool, but they surely have something!

ginger_55

Sid, Thanks, and what is the "tilde" key, or where?

wxwax wrote:

Ahem. Ginger, if you'd clicked on the this link the first time I posted it for you in this thread, you'd have had the answer to your question.

Sid, I find it funny that I did click on that link, but thought it couldn't be the one I was looking for as I use hue/saturation all the time, and I thought it was something else. Today I read even further, saw my picture of the dogs (so I was wrong, it was the right subj), and I explain rt there how I did the picture, but I still don't understand it. And now there are the pelicans, and I don't understand them either, but I have it all printed out. Thanks.
Now I need to go find which of my 5 elements book I used with the hue/saturation thing to do the paint brush thing. I have quit using the Elements books, I love the Kelby ps 7 bk and the ps 7 WOW bk, but the answer is with the link you gave me and something I read in a bk.
I still think it is funny that I told you all how I did the technique and now have no clue as to what I was talking about. No, I don't drink, etc. Pity.
ginger (Thanks) I am finding all sorts of extra info while I am searching.
What is the "tilde" key that Andy keeps mentioning, as in ctrl-alt-tilde (selects). I feel like an idiot, but I have no idea where the "tilde" key is. I have a pc.

hutchman

gubbs wrote:

I've just realized that tab hides/unhides all the pallets and toolbox (pscs win)

This one is really handy if you use pallets!

Hutch

wxwax

ginger_55 wrote:

What is the "tilde" key that Andy keeps mentioning, as in ctrl-alt-tilde (selects). I feel like an idiot, but I have no idea where the "tilde" key is. I have a pc.

Wow, Ginger, your memory is like mine! Finally a kindred spirit!

Here's what a tilde looks like:

~

It's on your keyboard, above the Tab key and to the left of the 1 key. A tilde is an accent used when writing Spanish.

gubbs

I read another one yesterday, its new to me but nobody else I suspect.
When using levels adjustment, if you hold down the ALT key when you click on the shadow or highlight sliders, the preview will only show the pixels on the left of the slider if using the shadow, and on the right if using the highlight, enabling you to trim more accurately...PSCS

Just read that back, I hope you know what I mean