Table of Contents:
Photoshop Cheat Sheet — Complete Tools, Keyboard Shortcuts & Layer Blending Modes
Adobe Photoshop is the most powerful image editing software used by designers, photographers, and digital artists worldwide.
This Photoshop Cheat Sheet will help you learn all the essential tools, shortcuts, and layer controls to speed up your workflow and enhance creativity.
Photoshop Interface Overview
Photoshop’s interface consists of the menu bar, tools panel, options bar, layers panel, and workspace area.
Understanding these key areas helps streamline editing and design tasks.
- Menu Bar: Contains commands (File, Edit, Image, Layer, Select, Filter, View, Window, Help).
- Tools Panel: Contains all major editing and selection tools.
- Layers Panel: Displays image layers, blending modes, and adjustment layers.
- Workspace Area: The canvas where editing occurs.
Photoshop Tools List (With Function & Shortcut)
| Tool | Function | Shortcut Key |
|---|---|---|
| Move Tool | Moves selected objects or layers | V |
| Marquee Tool | Selects rectangular or elliptical areas | M |
| Lasso Tool | Freehand selection of objects | L |
| Quick Selection Tool | Selects areas based on color and texture | W |
| Crop Tool | Crops image to specific area | C |
| Eyedropper Tool | Picks up colors from the image | I |
| Brush Tool | Paints with customizable brushes | B |
| Clone Stamp Tool | Copies pixels from one area to another | S |
| Healing Brush Tool | Fixes imperfections | J |
| Eraser Tool | Erases pixels or parts of a layer | E |
| Gradient Tool | Fills with gradient blend | G |
| Blur/Sharpen Tool | Softens or enhances edges | R |
| Pen Tool | Creates paths and shapes | P |
| Type Tool | Adds text to the canvas | T |
| Path Selection Tool | Edits paths and shapes | A |
| Rectangle/Shape Tool | Draws geometric shapes | U |
| Hand Tool | Moves around the canvas | H |
| Zoom Tool | Zooms in/out of the image | Z |
photoshop cheat sheet, photoshop tools list, adobe photoshop shortcuts, photoshop blending modes, photoshop layers guide, photoshop color correction, photoshop editing tips, photoshop beginner tutorial, photoshop image retouching
Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts for Speed Editing
| Action | Shortcut (Windows) | Shortcut (Mac) |
|---|---|---|
| New File | Ctrl + N | Cmd + N |
| Open File | Ctrl + O | Cmd + O |
| Save | Ctrl + S | Cmd + S |
| Duplicate Layer | Ctrl + J | Cmd + J |
| Merge Layers | Ctrl + E | Cmd + E |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Z |
| Step Backward | Ctrl + Alt + Z | Cmd + Option + Z |
| Free Transform | Ctrl + T | Cmd + T |
| Show/Hide Guides | Ctrl + ; | Cmd + ; |
| Fit to Screen | Ctrl + 0 | Cmd + 0 |
| Zoom In | Ctrl + + | Cmd + + |
| Zoom Out | Ctrl + – | Cmd + – |
| Deselect | Ctrl + D | Cmd + D |
| Invert Selection | Shift + Ctrl + I | Shift + Cmd + I |
Photoshop Layers Cheat Sheet
Layers are the foundation of Photoshop editing, allowing you to work non-destructively and control each element separately.
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| New Layer | Adds a blank layer (Ctrl + Shift + N) |
| Duplicate Layer | Copies an existing layer (Ctrl + J) |
| Delete Layer | Removes selected layer (Del) |
| Merge Layers | Combines multiple layers (Ctrl + E) |
| Group Layers | Creates folder for better organization (Ctrl + G) |
| Adjustment Layers | Apply color or tonal changes (non-destructive) |
| Layer Mask | Hides/reveals parts of a layer without deleting |
| Smart Objects | Preserves image quality for transformations |
Photoshop Blending Modes
Blending modes determine how layers interact with each other visually.
| Category | Mode | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Normal, Dissolve | Standard overlay or pixel dissolve |
| Darken | Darken, Multiply, Color Burn | Makes image darker |
| Lighten | Lighten, Screen, Color Dodge | Brightens image |
| Contrast | Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light | Adds contrast |
| Inversion | Difference, Exclusion | Creates color contrast and inversion effects |
| Color | Hue, Saturation, Color, Luminosity | Adjusts color tones and blends hues |
Color Correction and Adjustment Tools
| Adjustment | Shortcut / Tool | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness/Contrast | Image → Adjustments → Brightness/Contrast | Adjusts overall lightness |
| Levels | Ctrl + L | Adjusts tonal range |
| Curves | Ctrl + M | Precise brightness control |
| Hue/Saturation | Ctrl + U | Changes color intensity |
| Color Balance | Ctrl + B | Corrects color tones |
| Selective Color | Image → Adjustments → Selective Color | Adjusts specific colors |
| Gradient Map | Adjustment Layer | Creative coloring effects |
Popular Photoshop Filters
| Filter | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Gaussian Blur | Softens edges |
| Unsharp Mask | Sharpens image details |
| Liquify | Distorts and reshapes objects |
| Lens Correction | Fixes lens distortion |
| Noise Reduction | Removes digital noise |
| Motion Blur | Adds motion effects |
| Oil Paint | Creates painting-like texture |
Photoshop File Formats
| Format | Extension | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Photoshop Document | .PSD | Editable format with layers |
| JPEG | .JPG | Compressed for web use |
| PNG | .PNG | Supports transparency |
| TIFF | .TIF | High-quality printing |
| GIF | .GIF | Animations or low-res graphics |
| Print and sharing format |
Internal Backlinks
FAQ — Photoshop Cheat Sheet
Q1: What is the best way to learn Photoshop quickly?
Start with learning basic tools like Move, Crop, Brush, and Layers, then move on to blending and retouching.
Q2: What are the most useful Photoshop shortcuts?Ctrl + T for Transform, Ctrl + J to Duplicate Layer, and Ctrl + Z for Undo are the most common.
Q3: What is the difference between a raster and vector image?
Raster images are pixel-based (e.g., photos), while vectors are scalable shapes created using paths.
Q4: How to make non-destructive edits in Photoshop?
Use Adjustment Layers and Layer Masks to preserve the original image data.
Q5: What file type should I use for web images?
Use JPEG for photos and PNG for transparent or high-quality graphics.
