1. Learn to Use Keyboard Shortcuts Like a Boss

Keyboard shortcuts eliminate all those repetitive mouse clicks that slow you down when editing photos or creating graphics in Photoshop. To start working more efficiently in Photoshop, start with learning a handful of basic Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts. You don’t need to overwhelm yourself with tons of these shortcuts all at once, just pick out 10 or so to practice using in Photoshop on a daily basis.

Keep in mind that Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts are going to be different on a Mac vs. a PC. For the following example shortcuts, use Command (Cmd) on a Mac and Control (Ctrl) on a PC.

A few keyboard shortcuts to practice

• To move an object and return to a previous tool quickly: Hold down Cmd/Ctrl
• Invert a selected layer or selected layer’s mask: Cmd/Ctrl + I
• Disable a layer mask: Shift + Click on a Layer Mask
• Duplicate a selected layer : Cmd/Ctrl + J
• Step backwards: Shift + Cmd/Ctrl + B

Link to a full Keyboard Shortcut Cheat Sheet here.

2. Create Your Own Custom Keyboard Shortcuts

Let’s say you use the filter Gaussian Blur on almost all of your Photoshop projects. instead of navigating to Gaussian Blur with your mouse from the drop down Filters menu, you can set your own Custom Keyboard Shortcut.

Like we talked about in number 1, Photoshop has a bunch of pre programed keyboard shortcuts. For the options you use that don’t already have shortcuts assigned to them, create your own in just a few clicks. Additionally, let’s say Photoshop has a pre set keyboard shortcut that you don’t really like. You can change it by editing the combination of keys for any preset Photoshop Keyboard Shortcut.

How to create a Custom Keyboard Shortcut or change an existing shortcut

1. From the drop down Edit menu, click on Keyboard Shortcuts to bring up the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box.
2. In the dialog box, select the drop down menu under which the specific action is located, then select the action you want to create or change the Keyboard Shortcut for (ie. Layer > New > Layer Via Copy). To set or reset the Keyboard Shortcut for that action, just hit the series of keys you want to use (ie,  Cmd + Shift + N) then click Add Shortcut.

3. Scale Text Like a Pro

If your’e still changing font size in Photoshop with the drop down menu, knock it off already. There’s 2 way quicker and simpler ways to adjust font size in Photoshop.

Option 1: With the text selected, press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + > to increase font size; or Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + < to decrees font size.

Option 2: Select the text layer and press Cmd + T to scale the text with your mouse.

4. Create A Custom Workspace

Everyone uses Photoshop differently. Some people use certain panels like crazy, while you might never use those same panels. Why use a Photoshop workspace that doesn’t make sense to you? You can create Custom Workspaces in Photoshop that when selected, will only display the tools and panels you use on your own photography and design projects. You can even create several Custom Workspaces and nickname them for different types of projects.

How to create and save a Custom Photoshop Workspace

1. While working on a project in Photoshop; open, close, and rearrange any panels and tools you want hidden or readily available in your new custom workspace.
2. Once you have the panels and menu items customized to your liking, create a Custom Workspace in Photoshop based on your current window. Go to Window > Workspace > New Workspace. Name the new workspace and save it.
3. To use the Custom Workspace again, go to Window > Workspace > title of your Custom Workspace.

5. Record Common Actions

We saved the best for last this time. Recording common actions is a seriously underrated, but an insanely useful Photoshop time saver. Let’s say you want to Batch Edit a hundred photos, or add the same combination of effects and adjustments to a hundred images. Photoshop Actions allow you to eliminate all that repetition of selecting, clicking, duplicating, filtering, and saving each file over and over again. By recording a series of commands and clicks as an Action, you can turn 10 steps into a single click to use on similar projects.

How to record a Custom Action

1. Click Window > Actions to open the Actions panel.
2. Click the New Action button (on the bottom right of the Actions panel). Photoshop should automatically start recording your clicks; if not, click the red record button at the very bottom of the Actions panel.
3. If you make a mistake in recording mode and do something you don’t want to be recorded in your Custom Action, you can delete that specific task by selecting it in the Actions panel list and clicking Delete.
4. To play your new Custom Photoshop Action, select the layer you want to apply it to (or open the file you want to work on next) and click the Play button. The action will be carried out live over just a few seconds.

Tip: For batch photo editing, be sure to include the Save process in your Custom Action. Be sure to record tasks like resizing the image and in which location on your computer to save the image. After a bit of experimenting with Custom Actions, you’ll be hooked.