How to Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts in Photoshop

Many essential Photoshop functions surprisingly lack default keyboard shortcuts, forcing you to navigate through menus repeatedly for common tasks like creating smart objects or layer masks. Learning to create custom shortcuts transforms your workflow by giving you instant access to the tools you use most.

This comprehensive guide walks you through the entire process of setting up personalized shortcuts that make sense for your specific workflow, plus shows you how to save and share your configurations across different installations.

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Practical Tips

These techniques will help you master custom keyboard shortcuts and streamline your editing process:

• Access the keyboard shortcuts dialog using Shift+Option+Command+K (Mac) or Shift+Alt+Ctrl+K (PC) to quickly open the customization panel
• Use the Shift+Option+Command combination with letters for custom shortcuts since these combinations are typically available and conflict-free
• Create shortcuts for frequently used functions that lack defaults, like "Convert to Smart Object" (suggested: Shift+Option+Command+O) and "Reveal All Layer Mask" (suggested: Shift+Option+Command+M)
• Export your custom shortcut set as a .kys file to transfer between computers or share with team members
• Generate a summary HTML file of all shortcuts to print as a reference guide that includes your custom additions

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