The last article I wrote for dPS titled “18 Exceptionally Useful Photoshop Shortcuts” was taken in very well by all the wonderful photographers here. Darren had the idea of creating a follow-up article that outlined additional shortcuts and keyboard commands in Photoshop, and naturally I was more than happy to whip something up.
Adobe Photoshop’s CS6 desaturate command can wash all the color out of a layer or selection. Photoshop offers a variety of tools to brighten and enhance colors, but this may not be what you need. It may seem contradictory to using Photoshop, but, sometimes, you don’t want any color at all.
Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Use this command with caution because neither the Desaturate command nor Photoshop’s Image→Mode→Grayscale command is the best technique for converting a color image to monochrome. Simply removing the color can produce an image that appears to be too low in contrast, which is another kettle of fish altogether.
However, if you simply want to eliminate the color from a layer or image selection quickly, the Desaturate command does the job. To apply it, select your desired layer in the Layers panel, select the area you want to operate on, and then choose Image→Adjustments→Desaturate or press Shift+Ctrl+U (Shift+Command+U on the Mac).
Using the Saturation control in the Hue/Saturation command gives you better control over the degree of desaturation you desire, while leaving the image looking richer.
Photoshop CS6 retains all it had in previous versions —, and provides new features to help you with your tasks, such as a darker, more immersive, User Interface, true vector Shape layers, the Oil Paint filter, Adaptive Wide Angle correction, Content-Aware Move tool, new brush tips, and more. None of it is hard to learn, and all of it will help enhance both your productivity and creativity.
The Basic Photoshop CS6 Commands
Getting familiar with the Photoshop CS6 application window is a great way to get your bearings before diving into Photoshop tools and commands. Here are a few basic pointers:
- Launch Photoshop by clicking the Start menu or an icon on the taskbar (Windows) or clicking the Photoshop icon on the Dock (Mac).You can also double-click a Photoshop shortcut or alias on your desktop.
- Open an image by choosing File→Open. If you have several images open at a time, cycle through them by pressing Ctrl+Tab (Windows) or Control+Tab (Mac).
- Sometimes you need to see more detail in a photo. Zoom in by pressing Ctrl (Command on the Mac) + the plus sign key. When you’re done editing, zoom out by pressing Ctrl + the minus sign key (Command + the minus sign key on the Mac).
- Scroll an image by pressing the spacebar and then dragging.
- Set your preferences by choosing Edit→Preferences (Windows) or Photoshop→Preferences (Mac).
- Arrange and combine panels, customize the Options bar, and modify menu and keyboard shortcuts to how you work best. Then save your workspace to use again by choosing Window→Workspace→New Workspace.
Accessing the Photoshop CS6 Tools Palette through Shortcuts
Photoshop CS6 sports a hefty number of tools. Not to fear. This handy guide shows you the Photoshop tool icon and the name of each tool, even if it is tucked away, hidden in a flyout menu:
Making and Adjusting Selections in Photoshop CS6
Mastering selections is a key skill to becoming a Photoshop CS6 master. Here are a few basic Photoshop keyboard shortcuts to get you started on digital photography projects of all sorts:
Task | Shortcut (Windows) | Shortcut (Mac) |
---|---|---|
Draw straight lines. | Alt-click with Lasso tool | Option-click with Lasso tool |
Add to the selection outline. | Shift-drag | Shift-drag |
Deselect from the selection area. | Alt-drag | Option-drag |
Deselect all but the intersected area. | Hold down Shift+Alt and drag | Hold down Shift+Option and drag |
Deselect the entire image. | Ctrl+D | Command+D |
Reselect the last selection. | Ctrl+Shift+D | Command+Shift+D |
Hide extras. | Ctrl+H | Command+H |
Fill the selection with foreground color. | Alt+Backspace | Option+Delete |
Fill the selection with background color. | Ctrl+Backspace | Command+Delete |
Reapply the last filter. | Ctrl+F | Command+F |
Adjust levels. | Ctrl+L | Command+L |
Use Free Transform. | Ctrl+T | Command+T |