Top 10 Photoshop Tricks Every Designer Should Use
Muhammad Umair
Senior Graphics Designer @ Confidential | UI/UX Design, Branding, Digital Marketing, Content Creation
Photoshop is an essential tool for any designer. While the basics of the software can be mastered quickly, the real magic lies in discovering its hidden features and shortcuts that can significantly speed up your workflow and improve the quality of your work.
1. Master Layer Masks
Layer masks allow you to hide or reveal parts of a layer without deleting anything. They’re non-destructive, meaning you can always undo or adjust your changes. Simply add a mask by clicking the mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and use a black brush to hide parts of the layer and a white brush to reveal them.
Tip: Press X to quickly swap between the black and white brush when working on masks.
2. Smart Objects for Non-Destructive Editing
Smart Objects enable you to apply filters, transforms, and effects non-destructively. This means you can return to the original state of an image without losing quality, no matter how many edits you've made. To convert a layer to a Smart Object, right-click on the layer and select “Convert to Smart Object.”
Tip: Double-click on a Smart Object thumbnail to edit the content separately.
3. Content-Aware Fill and Move
Need to remove an unwanted object from a photo? Use the Content-Aware Fill feature. Just select the object with the Lasso Tool, go to Edit > Content-Aware Fill, and Photoshop will automatically replace it with pixels that blend seamlessly into the surrounding area.
For moving objects, the Content-Aware Move tool lets you move elements around while filling the gap left behind with background textures.
4. Blend If for Seamless Blending
The “Blend If” sliders are a powerful and lesser-known feature that allows you to blend layers based on brightness levels. You can find this feature in the Blending Options under the layer's FX settings. This technique is especially useful for smoothly integrating textures and highlights into your designs.
Tip: Hold down Alt while dragging the sliders to split them and achieve smoother transitions.
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5. Quickly Duplicate Layers
Speed up your workflow by quickly duplicating any layer or selection. Simply hold down Alt (Option on Mac), click on the object or layer, and drag. This is especially useful when you need to create multiple versions of a shape, text, or image.
6. Adjust Shadows and Highlights
For fine-tuning lighting in your images, the Shadows/Highlights adjustment tool is a gem. Go to Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights and tweak the sliders to bring out the details in overexposed highlights or shadowy areas.
7. Create Clipping Masks
Clipping Masks allow you to make one layer visible only within the bounds of the layer below. Right-click a layer and select Create Clipping Mask. This is useful when you want to limit adjustments to a specific area or add textures to a specific shape.
8. Keyboard Shortcuts for Speed
Knowing the right keyboard shortcuts can drastically speed up your Photoshop workflow. Here are a few key ones:
9. Use Adjustment Layers
Adjustment layers are non-destructive ways to alter colors, contrast, brightness, and more. These layers sit on top of your existing layers and allow you to make global changes without altering the original content. You can stack adjustment layers and tweak their opacity or blending mode to achieve unique effects.
10. Color Lookup Tables (LUTs) for Instant Color Grading
Color grading can dramatically change the mood and tone of an image. With Color Lookup Adjustment layers, you can apply pre-built LUTs (lookup tables) to create cinematic effects in a matter of seconds. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Lookup and choose from different color presets.