Adobe Quick Tip Thursday

Greetings all! Just some quick tips today as I’m getting myself together for this weekend’s D2W conference. As always we’re talking Photoshop so let’s throw out the tips:

1. Did you know you can use your keyboard’s Numeric Keypad to change a Layer’s opacity? Dial 0-9 to get 100% through 90% opacity. Dial two digits (54) to get 54% opacity. USEFUL TIP – If you’re using a brush-based tool you’ll change the brush opacity INSTEAD of the Layer opacity.

2. Press SHIFT with the + and – keys to cycle through Layer Blend Modes. USEFUL TIP – Just like opacity, if you’re using a brush-based tool you’ll change the brush blend mode INSTEAD of the layer blend mode.

3. Press OPT (Mac) ALT (PC) key with the bracket keys [ or ] to SELECT a layer in the Layers panel. Press the CMD (Mac) CTRL (PC) key with the bracket keys [ or ] to MOVE a selected layer in the Layers panel.

4. Selections and other tools not seem to work? Menu options not all available? Make sure your not working accidentally in CMYK color space, 16-bit mode or have a Quick Mask on. All this info is available on Photoshop’s document tab for your file.

5. The OPTION (Mac) or ALT (PC) key is your friend. Take a moment to click Photoshop’s interface while holding OPT/ALT. You’ll discover new things that will make your life faster. FOR EXAMPLE – OPT/ALT click tools to cycle through the tool group. Hold the OPT/ALT key when unlocking a background layer to avoid the dialogue prompt. Holding the OPT/ALT key when adding a Layer Mask will create a black mask instead of a white mask. See what hidden gems you can find.

6. Manage your presets by using the Preset Manager located under the Edit menu. YES, there is a better way to create custom brush packs without deleting brushes one-by-one.

Hope you enjoy today’s quick tips. Watch for the video to be posted on my YouTube channel next week.

Do you have a quick tip that has helped you out? Why not share it in the comments below.