7 Photoshop Tricks Hiding in Plain Sight

Photography Tips

Most users never quite get to use the full range of tools that Photoshop has to offer. Some of these tools are, however, extremely useful for the purpose speeding up your workflow. This video from photoshopCAFE elaborates:

1. Read the Fine Print

Ever wondered about the tiny bits of information on top of the image when you open it up in Photoshop? Well some of it is obvious, like the file name. But what about the rest? The symbol @ with something % tells you the magnification level of the image. So if you see “@ 100%” it means you’re looking at the image in full size.

If you see an asterisk at the end of the line it means you changed something on the file and forgot to save it. It will also show information like whether you’re working on a layer mask or a layer.

2. The last worked files

Photoshop shows the last 25 files you worked on by default. However, you can change this by going to Photoshop CC > Preferences > File Handling, and then changing the Recent File List Contains number.

Now you can set the number of files you want to see under the last files worked list.

3. Presets

Presets are extremely useful when working in Photoshop. Presets include your brushes, your textures, patterns, layer styles contours and so much more. It would be great to have one single window where you can find all your presets. Fortunately, there is one such window.

Go to Edit > Preset > Preset Manager.

Here you will find all your custom brushes, layer styles and everything that you have preserved.

4. Reset Tool

Over a period of time having worked with your Photoshop tools, you’re bound to have them all messed up or find them not working as they should be. It’s time to reset them. The best way to reset an individual tool is to right-click on it and select Reset Tool, which will reset the tool and put it back to its default setting.

If you select Reset All Tools, all the tools will reset to their default settings.

5. Reset Photoshop

Even Photoshop needs resetting from time to time. Before you hit the panic button or call tech support, you might want to try this technique out.

However, this will delete all your preferences, and some of your presets will not display as they should.

To delete Photoshop preferences, press Shift + Option + Command (Control).

You will get this prompt:

Choose Yes, and your Photoshop preferences will be deleted. Photoshop will now load up exactly the way it was when it was first installed.

6. Reset Button

Settings like Curves adjustments can be pretty long and cumbersome, and sometimes you can lose track of the changes you’ve made. You may even need to reset all the changes.

If you hold down the Alt or Option key, the Cancel button turns into a Reset button. How cool is that?

7. Check File Details

How do you check the document profile of your working image? Or the pixel size of your document? Simply click at the bottom of the document and a list of possible options will open up. You can then choose the information you need.

Did you already know about these Photoshop tricks? Have any others to add?