Filter Gallery Defaults
If you use the filter gallery a lot then it could be worth your while setting up some of your own default filters. Then, each time you open up the filter gallery your preferred filters will be there waiting for you. To do this first open up the filter gallery and set it up the way you want it, use the little page icon at the bottom to load more filters into the palette and assign them to whichever filters you want, then when you open up the filter gallery again they will load as your defaults. If you want to return to the Photoshop default pallet hold down the Ctrl key and the cancel button will turn into a default button, if you want to return to your setup hold down the Alt key and the cancel button will turn into a reset button.
Cropping
You can make Crops using any of the selection tools. Pick the area that you want to keep, then go to the Image menu and hit the Crop option. As much of the image as possible will be cropped away.
Instant Brush Action
It used to be a right pain accessing your brush palette every time you wanted to change the brush you were using. Not any more, all you have to do now is right click and up comes the brush palette, pick the brush you want, hit enter on your keyboard and away you go. couldn't be simpler and you can still change your brush size using the squared brackets on your keyboard - what do you mean you didn't know you could change your brush size that way.
Chequerboard distracting you???
Photoshop display's transparent area's in an image with the familiar chequerboard pattern. If you find this distracting then just turn it off. Hit Ctrl+K on your keyboard (or Edit > Preferences) and select Transparency & Gamut. You can even change the size and colour of the chequerboard pattern if you wish.
Starting again
After making adjustments in a dialog box you end up with something you don't like, what do you do? Close the dialog box and re-open it to start again, more than a bit annoying. Well, not any more, just hold down Alt and this will change the Cancel button to a Reset button, hit it and you're back to square one. How simple is that?
Your own preset document size's
A lot of people like to work on certain size documents - if this is you then make your own preset document size's that you can open with the click of a mouse. First go to File > New to access the New dialog box. Then enter the necessary information (1), click Save Preset (2), give the new preset a name (3), tick all the boxes (4) and hit OK (5). That's it, every time you go to open a new document your preset size's will be on the list.
Wrong fill colour?
How many times have you picked the Fill command from the Edit menu and look down to see you have the foreground colour on the toolbar - close the dialog box, pick the right colour and start again is the norm. Well not any more, just select colour from the drop-down menu and up comes the colour picker. Easy Peasy.
Find layers fast
If like me you are a bit lax at naming your layers then this is the tip for you. Just select the Move tool, hold down Ctrl and click on the area of the image you want and you will be taken straight to that layer.
Precise Curves anyone?
The Curves dialog is a great way to fine tune colour in an image, but it can be a bit hit and miss if you only want to adjust one colour. The best way to do this is, with the Curves dialog box open Ctrl click on the colour you want to tweak in your image. A point will appear in the curve that represents that colour. You can even move the point in precise increments using the arrow keys on the keyboard.
Transform
Have you ever copied an image onto a new layer that is larger than the document size, then when you go to transform (Ctrl+T) it you cant see the boundaries, well that's not a problem anymore. After hitting Ctrl+T, hit Ctrl+0(zero) and the window will zoom out so you can see all the transform handles.
Rotating an image
Rotating an image can be, at times, a bit of a hit and miss affair. But did you know that you can enlist the help of the Measure Tool (found under the Eyedropper Tool's fly out menu). All you have to do is click and drag a line to the angle you want, then go to Edit>Transform>Rotate and the image will match the angle of the line you have drawn with the Measure Tool.
Hide layers fast
Sometimes, when working on multi-layered you want to just work on one layer in isolation - but it's a right royal pain switching off all the other layers one by one. Not any more, just hold down Alt and click on the eye icon of the layer you want to solo and as if by magic all the other layers switch themselves off. To get them all back on again do the same again.
Painting
You can alter your brush strokes' appearance using the Fade command found in the Edit menu. Lighten the opacity using the slider and even alter the blending mode using the Mode drop down box.
