Overlooked Photoshop Commands – Part One (The File Menu)

Saturday, August 08, 2009 Filed in: Adobe

Close All – Cmd+Option+W (Ctrl+Alt+W)

Save As... – Choose from 20+ formats (more through special plugins). Photoshop is the ultimate graphic converter. Shift+Cmd+S (Shift+Ctrl+S)

Save for Web & Devices – It doesn’t get any more intuitive. Choose the two-up window, resize and compress your image for the web or e-mail. Now you can safely send the client an approval copy without having to worry about messing up your original. Shift+Option+Cmd+S (Shift+Alt+Ctrl+S)

Place – Can’t open it? Try placing it. This is how you can bring in EPS, AI, or PDF files. It allows you to position and scale an image (via a bounding box). When you click OK, Photoshop will add it at the proper size, position, and resolution (plus newer versions of Photoshop will insert it as a useful Smart Object).

Automate Submenu – These are some of the most useful tools for preparing client comps. Whether for print, web, or e-mail, the Automate options take boring tasks and make them quick and easy. Think of this menu as Photoshop’s batch rendering option. (Think of batch rendering as the only chance you may get for caffeine, nicotine, or vending machine—the vices for a media pro.)