Changes to Hotkeys

If you already started using Photoshop CC 2019, you probably noticed that everything is weird and buggy! This is because Photoshop changed the hotkeys. Here are the 2 things you need to know:

1. The Undo hotkey has been switched. Ctrl/Cmd+Alt+Z is now Ctrl/Cmd+Z. Photoshop's undo hotkey works like every other app now.
2. Holding shift does the opposite. When transforming/scaling, you don't need to hold the shift key anymore. Photoshop keeps the width/height ratio the same. Instead, if you don't want Photoshop to do that, you would hold the shift key.

These changes may take some time to get used to, but it is the right direction for Photoshop.

Frame Tool

The new Frame tool lets you create placeholder boxes. The boxes let you drag & drop an image directly into it. You can draw a rectangle or a circle.

Content-Aware Fill Workspace

Content-Aware Fill lets you remove objects in a photo. The new Content-Aware Fill workspace improves this tool. To use it, make a selection of the object that you want to remove. Go to Edit > Content-Aware Fill. Here you can "train" Photoshop on which parts of the image to sample from. You can do so by painting in the green areas to remove it from the sampling area.

Symmetry Mode

Photoshop's brush tool has a new mode called Symmetry. This mode lets you paint with repeating symmetry between 10 different paths.

Blending Mode Previews

Hovering over the blending modes will show you how it looks. No more pressing the up/down arrows!

Distribute Spacing

Photoshop's Move tool has new options for aligning multiple objects. Distribute spacing lets you evenly scale layers/objects.

• Align evenly spreads the layers out based on the center of the layer.
• Distribute spacing evenly spreads the layers out based on the edge of the layer. This is usually more desirable.

RGB Color Wheel

The Color panel has a new mode called the Color wheel.

Selecting All Layers With the Shift Key

The easiest and most popular way to select all layers is to use the shift key.

1. Select the bottom layer in the Layers panel.
2. Hold the Shift key.
3. Select the top layer.

Selecting All Layers With Hotkeys

Here's a better way of doing this if you need to do this operation key a lot. Note that the hotkeys below use the comma and period keys.

Windows:

1. Press Alt+, to select the bottom layer.
2. Press Shift+Alt+. to select the top layer.

Macs:

1. Press Option+, to select the bottom layer.
2. Press Shift+Option+. to select the top layer.

You can also record this hotkey combination with a macro-keyboard. Many gaming keyboard have built-in macro keys which let you record a series of keystrokes. Here's an article comparing the best keyboard for Photoshop.

Step 1

This is the image that I will be starting off with. The photo is by Christopher Campbell and is available free on Unsplash.

Step 2

We are going to grab the yellow channel. But to do this, we need to switch to CMYK mode temporarily. Go to Image > Mode > CMYK color.

Step 3

Go to your channels panel (Window > Channels) and then select the Yellow channel. Press Ctrl/Cmd+A to select the canvas then Ctrl/Cmd+C to copy the yellow channel to your clipboard.

Step 4

Now we can switch back to RGB mode. But instead of doing it from the Image > Mode menu, press Ctrl+Alt+Z (Macs: Cmd+Option+Z) to undo until you're back in RGB mode. You know you're back in RGB mode when your Channels panel shows Red/Green/Blue instead of Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black. The reason we undo is because converting between RGB and CMYK mode will degrade your image. By undoing, you aren't actually converting color modes back and forth.

Press Ctrl/Cmd+V to paste your clipboard as a new layer. Set the blending mode to Overlay.

Step 5

Once you do this you'll notice some areas, such as the eyes look dark. To bring it back up, add a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast). Increase the brightness so that dark areas are revealed (in this photo, it's the eyes).

Step 6

Select the layer mask then press Ctrl/Cmd+I to invert it.

Step 7

Press D to reset your foreground/background colors. Select the Brush tool (B) and then paint over the eyes or anywhere that's too dark to brighten it back up.

Final Results

That's it! Here is how it looks like before and after. This is a very common trick to intensify skin and unbeautify it. If your person has freckles, it will even bring out the freckles.

3D Map Generator Photoshop Actions

By far the coolest Photoshop actions out there. 3D Map Generator lets you build incredible maps that look like they're made with 3D software, but aren't. These actions are so popular that we've seen them used by big media agencies.

The other great thing about the sheer amount of graphics and icons that are compatible with the maps. Yes, you do have to buy them separately but at least they're available if you need them.

AI Skin Photoshop Actions

The best skin retouching Photoshop actions is AI Skin. They are the easiest actions to use that also produce the most pleasing results. You can, literally, retouch skin without painting over the skin. It uses AI and face-detection to retouch skin in one-click.

As easy as it is to use, it's also suitable for professionals. It produces a very natural appearance and the settings are fully-editable and nondestructive.

There are many skin actions, but AI skin is by far the best.

AI Architecture Sketches Photoshop Actions

These actions are from the same author as AI Skin and they're the best architecture sketch actions out there. You simply paint over the building, play the action, and pick from 10 effects.

Most architecture actions only generate one effect and take about 5-10 minutes to process. AI Architecture Sketches renders in just a minute or two. It also generates 10 different styles eliminating the to buy multiple products.

We also like how easy it is to use to get good results. With other sketch actions, you need to paint over the building precisely (5 min task). AI Architecture Sketches only requires a quick rough mask (20 sec task). Artificial intelligence does the rest of the work for you.

Sandstorm Photoshop Actions

With over 30k sales, this is one of the most popular Photoshop actions out there. It lets you create a striking sandstorm effect in just a few clicks. It did take a long time for the actions to render, but the results are well worth the wait.

There are many knockoffs of this, but the one you should be getting is from SevenStyles. SevenStyles also creates tons of other awesome Photoshop actions that are worth checking out.

And if you want the animated version of this effect, get Sandstorm Motion Kit for Adobe After Effects. It's the same effect but animated.

Important: Sandstorm is only compatible with the English version of Photoshop.

Newspaper Art Photoshop Actions

There are a ton of effects you can create with Photoshop and this newspaper art action is one of the more unique products we've seen. It turns your photo into an abstract composition made from letters and newspaper text.

Important: Newspaper Art is only compatible with the English version of Photoshop.

Animated Glitch Photoshop Actions

The coolest glitch Photoshop actions we've seen! With these actions, you can create a cool animated glitch effect all inside Photoshop. Yes, you read that right, no After Effects, just Photoshop. Photoshop has a built-in video editor, although basic, it does the job fine for this effect.

Important: Animated Glitch is only compatible with the English version of Photoshop.

Isometric Mockup Photoshop Actions

Isometric mockups are ideal for UI/UX designers to showcase their designs. These isometric mockup Photoshop actions are one of the easiest to use. It's available as actions or a plugin/panel. The panel is easier to use but we recommend using Photoshop actions because they have fewer installation issues.

• Isometric Mockup Photoshop Actions (Recommended)
• Isometric Mockup Photoshop Panel

Wall of Lights Photoshop Actions

These Photoshop actions completely transform your photos with a luminous wall of light. After painting over your subject (5 min task), the action will do everything for you. There are a few of these actions but this one by BlackNull is our favorite because it generates a variety of different displays with one action.

Toy Bricks Photoshop Actions

These fun Photoshop actions transform your cliparts into something that looks like it's made from Lego/toy bricks. It's great for both small and large images and there's 3 depth styles to pick from.

Another alternative to this is these Brick Mosaic Photoshop Actions. It doesn't generate 3D depth but offers both 1x1 and 2x2 bricks and official Lego colors mode.

Comic Book Photoshop Actions

These Photoshop actions let you create fun comic book effects in just a few clicks. You'll need to paint over your subject but once that's done it'll generate a comic book effect for you. The background is editable and it comes with 27 speech bubbles, sound effect graphics, and other comic elements.

Download

Download the action below. To use it, drag and drop the ATN file into Photoshop's Actions panel. You can find the Actions panel by going to Window > Actions.

Using the Actions

Open the actions panel. If you can't find it, go to Window > Actions. You will find the actions here. If you don't, drag and drop the ATN file into this panel.

Select the Frequency Separation action then click the play button.

You'll see Photoshop doing a bunch of task at lightning speed. Then, you'll get a message telling you to paint over the skin. Click continue.

Before you paint, there's a few settings you need to check. In the options bar, make sure that it has these settings:

• Blending Mode: Normal
• Opacity: 100%

Right-click on your photo then pick a brush.

Now you can paint over the skin. As you paint, you'll see the airbrushing effect.

The results look super strong, but don't worry. It's like this so that you can see where you are painting.

Go to the Layers panel and reduce the layer opacity. It looks much better at 50%.

You're done. These actions make retouching fast and simple.

If you need something more professional, here are the best frequency separation actions. There's nothing else like it. It uses face detection and works with 16/32-bit photos.

I'm interested in how you used this. If you've used it, please let me know in the comments. I hope you enjoy this free action 🙂

Step 1 - Open the Red-Eye Image

Here's the image that we'll be using. If you're practicing, you can load this image into Photoshop. As you can see, there is a strong red-eye effect.

Step 2 - Select the Red Eye Tool

Photoshop's red eye tool is hidden inside the spot healing brush. In the toolbar, click and hold on the spot healing brush tool to bring up more tools. There, you will find the Red Eye Tool.

Step 3

Here's where most people make a mistake. I've even seen this mistake in popular Photoshop books.

Do not select the pupils. Instead, make a selection of the entire eye. This will give you much better results - typically without any further adjustments. Photoshop uses AI and Machine Learning to find the pupil.

Ever wonder why the selection is a rectangle and not a circle? That's why.

Here's a comparison of selecting the pupil vs the eye. The left image is with the pupil selected and doesn't do a proper correction. On the right is with the entire eye selected.

Step 4

If you find that the results are still not good, you can adjust the Pupil Size setting in the options bar.

There is also a darken amount setting that lets you control how dark/light the pupils are.

Step 5

Repeat this for the other eye and you're done!

Step 1

First, you'll need to copy the Lightroom presets to the correct directory.

• Macs: ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/Settings
• Windows: C:\Users\[YOUR_USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\Settings

Step 2

Open any photo into Photoshop.

Right-click on the layer and select "Convert to Smart Object".

Doing this will allow you to add the preset as a "Smart Filter" - you'll learn what it is later.

Step 3

Go to Filter > Camera Raw Filter.

Click on the Presets tab and you should find the Lightroom presets here. Select the preset that you want to apply but don't click OK yet.

Step 4

Go to the Basic tab. You'll find an Amount slider which you can adjust to change the preset opacity. Click OK when you're done adjusting the settings.

Important Note: Not all Lightroom presets have this feature. The preset must be made with profiles. The one that we're using is called Light and Airy.

Step 5

You're done! If you need to change the settings, doubleclick on the "Camera Raw Filter" text in the Layers panel.

If you do not see the Camera Raw Filter text, make sure that you've converted your layer into a Smart Object (step 1).

Sample PSD (Photoshop Document)

• skin-airbrushing.psd

Airbrushing Skin Photoshop Tutorial

Step 1

Open the photo into Photoshop. For this tutorial, try to use a high resolution image where you can see the skin texture.

Step 2

Create a duplicate layer and put it into a group. To do this, press Ctrl+J to duplicate the layer then Ctrl+G to place the new layer into a group. Name the group "Airbrush" and the layer "Blur". To retouch the skin, there will be two layers in the Airbrush group. The first layer we've created (the Blur layer) will be used to blur the skin. After that, we'll add another layer to restore the natural skin texture.

Step 3

Have the Blur layer selected. To blur this layer, use the Surface Blur filter. This filter blurs like the Gaussian Blur filter except it can retain edge detail. We'll need to blur the layer so that the skin is smoothed and somewhat blurry without having the edges

Here's what my image looks looks like after the Surface Blur filter. Your image should look similar with details such as the eye intact. If the eye becomes blurry, your settings are too strong. Undo and redo the Surface Blur filter with a lower setting.

Step 4

Create a new layer and move it above the Blur layer. Name this layer "Texture" and change the blend mode to Hard Light. This layer, as the name states, will be used to add a slight texture to the skin and also adjust the skin tonality.

The texture created in this layer will contribute to the final results very minimally - the difference can only be easily seen zoomed in on high resolution images and varies from image to image. Even though the result is very minimal, it ensures that no area of the skin looks too smooth or plastic.

Below is an example of this. On the left, the image looks like a solid color, also known as plastic skin. The image on the right has a slight noise pattern to make the skin look more realistic.

Step 5

Make sure that you have the "Texture" layer selected. With that layer selected, press Shift+F5 or choose Edit > Fill. In the Fill tool, set the settings according to the image below. This will fill your layer with a 50% gray color.

Step 6

Open the Add Noise filter from the Filter > Noise menu. Enter in the settings shown in the image below. This will add some noise to the image that will prevent skin from looking plastic. It may look a little too sharp, but in the next step, we'll fix this with a Gaussian Blur filter.

Step 7

Choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Blur the layer by 1 pixel.

Step 8

Now we'll temporarily tint the color of this layer. First, select the Eye Dropper tool from the toolbar. Sample an area on the skin that appears to be the average skin color. You don't have to be very precise because we will tune the color later in the tutorial. In the Color palette, click on the flyout menu below the close window button and select HSB sliders. We'll need to see the HSB values for the next step.

Step 9

Open the Hue/Saturation tool by pressing Ctrl+U or choosing Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. Check the Colorize option and adjust the hue, saturation, and lightness values to match the HSB values from the color we sampled in the previous step. For the brightness, set this to

Step 10

Select the Airbrush group in the Layers palette and add go to Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All. This will create a layer mask filled with the color black that will hide the group. With this layer mask, we'll paint the areas were we want the skin to appear. Otherwise, this skin airbrushing effect will appear on the entire image.

Step 11

First, press D on your keyboard to set the foreground and background colors to the default black and white. Select the Brush tool and apply the settings below.

Zoom in to 100% and paint over the skin. The parts that you paint will appear smoother with a different skin tone. Don't worry if the skin tone doesn't look correct. This is because we didn't pick the correct color when we used the Hue/Saturation to tint the "Texture" layer. It's too difficult to do that without a preview, so we'll fix that later.

When painting, you'll need to change the brush size and hardness frequently. It would be tedious to always access the brush option menu to do this so take this as an opportunity to use hot keys. Use the following hot keys to help you with modifying the brush size and hardness:

• Decrease brush size: [
• Increase brush size: ]
• Decrease brush softness by 25%: Shift + [
• Increase brush softness by 25%: Shift + ]

When you're done, your layer mask should have the skin areas in white and the skin should look smooth.

Step 12

Now we're going to fix back the color and tone of the skin as we mentioned earlier in the tutorial. Select the "Texture" layer and press Ctrl+U to access the Hue/Saturation tool. Alter the settings to get a natural looking skin tone.

• The Hue setting is usually correct. I increased it by 10 to add more yellow to it to make the appearance of the red areas less visible.
• The Saturation setting usually needs to be reduced greatly. Adjust this until the skin tone looks natural but not too pale.
• The Lightness setting requires slight modification. A slight change in the lightness will create big difference in how the skin blends in with the image. As you adjust the setting, you will see how sensitive this setting is. Even though it requires high precision, it is easy to tell when it is the correct setting. If it is off, it will look really off. If it is at the correct setting, it will look a lot more natural.

Step 13

Finally, we're going to restore the skin details. Choose Image > Apply Image. Use the settings below.

The reason why we're applying data from the Red channel is because it contains the least skin imperfections. The image below shows the difference in the channels. The red channel hides many of the skin imperfections that are visible in the green and blue channel.

Final Results

Here's the final results after applying this airbrushing technique. In the image below, you can see how smooth the skin looks. Because the image below has been downsized to fit into this tutorial, it may look slightly plastic. However, when zoomed in, the texture is clearly visible.

This is a crop of an area zoomed in 100%. The tiny skin bumps are still visible. Even near the bottom right of the image, it still looks natural because of the "Texture" layer that we added. Without that layer, that area would appear as a solid color with no noise.

And as usual, here are the before and after images.

Update: Here's a video on retouching skin in Photoshop. It's a completely different tutorial than this one but I highly recommend you watch it.

Skin Retouching Photoshop Actions

Update 2: I highly recommend you try these skin retouching actions - they're the best actions you can get. To use, simply play the action then paint over the skin. You can airbrush skin, mattify skin, restore blown-highlights, and more. Highly recommended. The Pro version includes additional actions.

Update 3: If you're looking for something basic, download these Frequency Separation Photoshop actions. They're made a similar frequency separation technique shown in this tutorial and can autoretouch your photo using Photoshop's face detection technology. The Pro version works with 16 and 32-bit photos and lets you apply both modern and traditional frequency separation. Don't know what modern/traditional frequency separation is? Read below.

What is Modern vs Traditional Frequency Separation?

One of the techniques that you learned in this tutorial is Modern Frequency Separation. This is done using Photoshop's Surface Blur filter which gives more natural results. With Traditional Frequency Separation, the Gaussian Blur filter is used instead of Surface Blur. This gives a softer and more diffused look. It's also less natural-looking so I recommend using it with caution especially on portraits with wrinkly skin.

See this image from Denny's Tips as an example:

Step 1 - Set the File Format and Options for Saving Files

First, you'll need to predefine the options for saving your file, such as if you want it saved as a JPG, PNG, or GIF file, the image quality, and where the default saving folder should be. To do this, go to Edit > Preferences.

Adjust the default export settings:

1. Pick whether you want to save as a JPG, PNG, or GIF file (other file formats are not supported). Set the quality (higher quality creates a larger file size)
2. Enable the "Ask where to export each time" option, so that you can pick where you would like to save the file.
3. Choose whether you'd like to include metadata. You can save a smaller file by leaving this set to "None".
4. Choose whether to convert it to sRGB. Turn this on if you are will be posting the image on the internet, or if you're unsure.
5. If you want the save dialog to automatically set the saving location to where the original file is stored, enable "Export assets to the location of the current document."

The "Use legacy Export As" option will enable legacy mode. This mode gives you the interface of the traditional Export As tool. I recommend keeping this disabled unless you want the old interface.

Step 2 - Create a Keyboard Shortcut for the Quick Export Command

You can now use the File dropdown menu > Export > Quick Export as JPEG.

However, it does not have a keyboard shortcut assigned. To create a keyboard shortcut, go to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus. In the Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus window, browse to File > Export > Quick Export as JPG/PNG. Enter the keyboard shortcut that you'd like to use.

There is a good chance that the keyboard shortcut is taken, but you can choose to replace it by clicking on the "Accept and Go to Conflict" button.

Step 3 - Your Newly Saved File

Now you can save your image by pressing the keyboard shortcut you defined in step 2, or by going to File > Export > Quick Export As. You will see a save window, but you won't see the JPEG Options or PNG Options dialog box anymore.

Also, your newly saved file will be saved with the options you set earlier.

The Faded Urban Cityscape Look

Looking at nealkumar's IG, you can see that he his post-processing style is consistent with slight variations. In this tutorial, I'll be showing you how to recreate the look using this image as a reference.

Step 1

Here is the image that will be used for this tutorial. If you want to follow along using the same image, you can download it from Unsplash (link below image below).

Step 2

In the Color section, click on the Color Mixer button.

Step 3

Select the yellows then set the saturation to -100.

Repeat the -100 saturation setting for the rest of the colors (leave reds and oranges alone).

Step 4

In the Light section, click on the Tone Curve button.

Step 5

Go into the Blue channel and drag the bottom-left point upwards. This will tint the shadows blue.

Switch to the Green channel and drag the bottom-left point upwards until the shadows change from blue to teal.

Switch between the blue and green channels to refine the tint. It usually takes a few tries to get the right color.

Step 6

Switch to the RGB channel (the gray circle). Drag the bottom-left point towards the center. This will lift and crush the blacks:

• Right = crushing the blacks
• Up = lifting the blacks

Step 7

In our image, there's a heavy tilt towards the blues. Not a lot of oranges/reds are showing up. To change the balance of this, adjust the white balance. This setting will vary depending on your photo.

Final Results

We're done! Here's the final results.