Keyboard Shortcuts Overview
Mastering keyboard shortcuts dramatically speeds up your workflow. Instead of navigating menus and clicking buttons, you can execute commands instantly with a quick key press. Professional designers rely heavily on shortcuts to work efficiently.
This guide covers all keyboard shortcuts available in the Picify Editor. Shortcuts shown use the Ctrl key for Windows/Linux; Mac users should substitute Cmd for Ctrl.
Pro tip: Start by learning the shortcuts for tools and actions you use most frequently. Gradually add more to your repertoire as they become second nature.
Press these keys to quickly select tools from the toolbar.
Selection Tools
| Shortcut | Tool | Description |
|---|
| V | Move Tool | Move and transform layers |
| M | Marquee Selection | Rectangle/ellipse selection (press again to toggle) |
| L | Lasso Tool | Freehand/polygonal selection (press again to toggle) |
| W | Magic Wand | Select by color similarity |
| A | Direct Selection | Select and edit path points |
Painting Tools
| Shortcut | Tool | Description |
|---|
| B | Brush Tool | Paint with soft or hard brush |
| E | Eraser Tool | Erase pixels or paint with background color |
| S | Clone Stamp | Clone pixels from one area to another |
| G | Gradient/Paint Bucket | Fill with gradient or solid color (press again to toggle) |
Retouching Tools
| Shortcut | Tool | Description |
|---|
| O | Dodge/Burn/Sponge | Lighten, darken, or adjust saturation (press again to toggle) |
| R | Blur/Sharpen/Smudge | Soften, sharpen, or smear pixels (press again to toggle) |
Vector and Type Tools
| Shortcut | Tool | Description |
|---|
| T | Text Tool | Add and edit text |
| U | Shape Tool | Draw shapes (press again to cycle through shapes) |
| P | Pen Tool | Draw custom paths |
Navigation Tools
| Shortcut | Tool | Description |
|---|
| H | Hand Tool | Pan around the canvas |
| Z | Zoom Tool | Zoom in (click) or out (Alt+click) |
| Space (hold) | Temporary Hand | Temporarily switch to hand tool while held |
Common Operations
Essential shortcuts for everyday editing tasks.
File Operations
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| Ctrl + N | New project |
| Ctrl + O | Open project |
| Ctrl + S | Save project |
| Ctrl + Shift + S | Save as |
| Ctrl + Shift + E | Export |
| Ctrl + W | Close project |
Edit Operations
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| Ctrl + Shift + Z | Redo |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo (alternate) |
| Ctrl + X | Cut |
| Ctrl + C | Copy |
| Ctrl + V | Paste |
| Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste in place |
| Delete / Backspace | Delete selection or layer |
| Ctrl + A | Select all |
| Ctrl + D | Deselect |
| Ctrl + Shift + I | Invert selection |
Transform Operations
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| Ctrl + T | Free transform |
| Enter | Apply transform |
| Escape | Cancel transform |
| Shift (while transforming) | Constrain proportions |
| Alt (while transforming) | Transform from center |
Fill Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| Alt + Delete | Fill with foreground color |
| Ctrl + Delete | Fill with background color |
| X | Swap foreground/background colors |
| D | Reset to default colors (black/white) |
Layer Shortcuts
Quickly manage layers without touching the Layers panel.
Layer Management
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| Ctrl + Shift + N | New layer |
| Ctrl + J | Duplicate layer |
| Ctrl + Shift + J | Cut to new layer |
| Ctrl + E | Merge down |
| Ctrl + Shift + E | Merge visible |
| Ctrl + G | Group selected layers |
| Ctrl + Shift + G | Ungroup |
Layer Ordering
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| Ctrl + ] | Move layer up |
| Ctrl + [ | Move layer down |
| Ctrl + Shift + ] | Move layer to top |
| Ctrl + Shift + [ | Move layer to bottom |
Layer Selection
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| Alt + [ | Select layer below |
| Alt + ] | Select layer above |
| Ctrl + Click (on thumbnail) | Load layer as selection |
Layer Opacity
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| 1 - 9 | Set opacity 10% - 90% |
| 0 | Set opacity 100% |
| 00 (quick press) | Set opacity 0% |
| 45 (quick press) | Set opacity 45% |
Note: Opacity number shortcuts only work when a non-painting tool is selected. With painting tools, these shortcuts affect tool opacity instead.
View Shortcuts
Navigate and customize your view of the canvas.
Zoom Controls
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| Ctrl + + | Zoom in |
| Ctrl + - | Zoom out |
| Ctrl + 0 | Fit to screen |
| Ctrl + 1 | Actual size (100%) |
| Ctrl + 2 | 200% zoom |
| Ctrl + Scroll | Smooth zoom in/out |
View Options
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| Ctrl + R | Toggle rulers |
| Ctrl + ' | Toggle grid |
| Ctrl + ; | Toggle guides |
| Ctrl + H | Toggle extras (guides, grid, etc.) |
| F | Cycle screen modes |
| Tab | Hide/show panels |
Brush and Tool Modifiers
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| [ | Decrease brush size |
| ] | Increase brush size |
| Shift + [ | Decrease brush hardness |
| Shift + ] | Increase brush hardness |
| Shift + Plus/Minus | Cycle blend modes |
| Alt + Click | Sample color (eyedropper) |
| Shift + Click | Draw straight line to click point |
Quick Reference Table
A condensed reference of the most essential shortcuts.
| Category | Shortcut | Action |
|---|
| Tools | V, M, L, W, B, E, T, U | Move, Marquee, Lasso, Wand, Brush, Eraser, Text, Shape |
| Edit | Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V | Undo, Cut, Copy, Paste |
| Selection | Ctrl+A, Ctrl+D, Ctrl+Shift+I | Select All, Deselect, Invert |
| Layers | Ctrl+J, Ctrl+G, Ctrl+E | Duplicate, Group, Merge Down |
| Transform | Ctrl+T, Enter, Escape | Free Transform, Apply, Cancel |
| View | Ctrl+0, Ctrl+1, Space | Fit Screen, 100%, Hand Tool |
| File | Ctrl+N, Ctrl+S, Ctrl+Shift+E | New, Save, Export |
| Brush | [ ] | Decrease/Increase Size |
| Colors | D, X | Default Colors, Swap FG/BG |
Pro tip: Print this quick reference and keep it near your workspace while learning. Within a few weeks, these shortcuts will become muscle memory.
Customizing Shortcuts
If the default shortcuts don't match your workflow, you can customize them:
- Go to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts
- Find the command you want to modify
- Click in the shortcut field and press your desired key combination
- Resolve any conflicts if the shortcut is already in use
- Click OK to save your changes
You can also export and import shortcut configurations to share between devices or team members.