Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > General (macOS).
Last updated on
23 July 2024
- Photoshop User Guide
- Introduction to Photoshop
- Photoshop and other Adobe products and services
- Photoshop on the iPad (not available in mainland China)
- Photoshop on the iPad | Common questions
- Get to know the workspace
- System requirements | Photoshop on the iPad
- Create, open, and export documents
- Add photos
- Work with layers
- Draw and paint with brushes
- Make selections and add masks
- Retouch your composites
- Work with adjustment layers
- Adjust the tonality of your composite with Curves
- Apply transform operations
- Crop and rotate your composites
- Rotate, pan, zoom, and reset the canvas
- Work with Type layers
- Work with Photoshop and Lightroom
- Get missing fonts in Photoshop on the iPad
- Japanese Text in Photoshop on the iPad
- Manage app settings
- Touch shortcuts and gestures
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Edit your image size
- Livestream as you create in Photoshop on the iPad
- Correct imperfections with the Healing Brush
- Create brushes in Capture and use them in Photoshop on the iPad
- Work with Camera Raw files
- Create and work with Smart Objects
- Adjust exposure in your images with Dodge and Burn
- Auto adjustment commands in Photoshop on the iPad
- Smudge areas in your images with Photoshop on the iPad
- Saturate or desaturate your images using Sponge tool
- Content aware fill for iPad
- Photoshop on the web (not available in mainland China)
- Common questions
- System requirements
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Supported file types
- Introduction to the workspace
- Open and work with cloud documents
- Generative AI features
- Basic concepts of editing
- Quick Actions
- Work with layers
- Retouch images and remove imperfections
- Make quick selections
- Image improvements with Adjustment Layers
- Add a fill layer
- Move, transform, and crop images
- Draw and paint
- Draw and edit Shapes
- Work with Type layers
- Work with anyone on the web
- Manage app settings
- Generate Image
- Generate Background
- Reference Image
- Photoshop (beta) (not available in mainland China)
- Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
- Common questions on generative AI in Photoshop
- Generative Fill in Photoshop on the desktop
- Generate Image with descriptive text prompts
- Generative Expand in Photoshop on the desktop
- Replace background with Generate background
- Get new variations with Generate Similar
- Generative Fill in Photoshop on the iPad
- Generative Expand in Photoshop on the iPad
- Generative AI features in Photoshop on the web
- Content authenticity (not available in mainland China)
- Cloud documents (not available in mainland China)
- Photoshop cloud documents | Common questions
- Photoshop cloud documents | Workflow questions
- Manage and work with cloud documents in Photoshop
- Upgrade cloud storage for Photoshop
- Unable to create or save a cloud document
- Solve Photoshop cloud document errors
- Collect cloud document sync logs
- Invite others to edit your cloud documents
- Share files and comment in-app
- Workspace
- Workspace basics
- Preferences
- Learn faster with the Photoshop Discover Panel
- Create documents
- Place files
- Default keyboard shortcuts
- Customize keyboard shortcuts
- Tool galleries
- Performance preferences
- Use tools
- Presets
- Grid and guides
- Touch gestures
- Use the Touch Bar with Photoshop
- Touch capabilities and customizable workspaces
- Technology previews
- Metadata and notes
- Place Photoshop images in other applications
- Rulers
- Show or hide non-printing Extras
- Specify columns for an image
- Undo and history
- Panels and menus
- Position elements with snapping
- Position with the Ruler tool
- Web, screen, and app design
- Image and color basics
- How to resize images
- Work with raster and vector images
- Image size and resolution
- Acquire images from cameras and scanners
- Create, open, and import images
- View images
- Invalid JPEG Marker error | Opening images
- Viewing multiple images
- Customize color pickers and swatches
- High dynamic range images
- Match colors in your image
- Convert between color modes
- Color modes
- Erase parts of an image
- Blending modes
- Choose colors
- Customize indexed color tables
- Image information
- Distort filters are unavailable
- About color
- Color and monochrome adjustments using channels
- Choose colors in the Color and Swatches panels
- Sample
- Color mode or Image mode
- Color cast
- Add a conditional mode change to an action
- Add swatches from HTML CSS and SVG
- Bit depth and preferences
- Layers
- Layer basics
- Nondestructive editing
- Create and manage layers and groups
- Select, group, and link layers
- Place images into frames
- Layer opacity and blending
- Mask layers
- Apply Smart Filters
- Layer comps
- Move, stack, and lock layers
- Mask layers with vector masks
- Manage layers and groups
- Layer effects and styles
- Edit layer masks
- Extract assets
- Reveal layers with clipping masks
- Generate image assets from layers
- Work with Smart Objects
- Blending modes
- Combine multiple images into a group portrait
- Combine images with Auto-Blend Layers
- Align and distribute layers
- Copy CSS from layers
- Load selections from a layer or layer mask's boundaries
- Knockout to reveal content from other layers
- Selections
- Get started with selections
- Make selections in your composite
- Select and Mask workspace
- Select with the marquee tools
- Select with the lasso tools
- Adjust pixel selections
- Move, copy, and delete selected pixels
- Create a temporary quick mask
- Select a color range in an image
- Convert between paths and selection borders
- Channel basics
- Save selections and alpha channel masks
- Select the image areas in focus
- Duplicate, split, and merge channels
- Channel calculations
- Get started with selections
- Image adjustments
- Replace object colors
- Perspective warp
- Reduce camera shake blurring
- Healing brush examples
- Export color lookup tables
- Adjust image sharpness and blur
- Understand color adjustments
- Apply a Brightness/Contrast adjustment
- Adjust shadow and highlight detail
- Levels adjustment
- Adjust hue and saturation
- Adjust vibrance
- Adjust color saturation in image areas
- Make quick tonal adjustments
- Apply special color effects to images
- Enhance your image with color balance adjustments
- High dynamic range images
- View histograms and pixel values
- Match colors in your image
- Crop and straighten photos
- Convert a color image to black and white
- Adjustment and fill layers
- Curves adjustment
- Blending modes
- Target images for press
- Adjust color and tone with Levels and Curves eyedroppers
- Adjust HDR exposure and toning
- Dodge or burn image areas
- Make selective color adjustments
- Adobe Camera Raw
- Camera Raw system requirements
- What's new in Camera Raw
- Introduction to Camera Raw
- Create panoramas
- Supported lenses
- Vignette, grain, and dehaze effects in Camera Raw
- Default keyboard shortcuts
- Automatic perspective correction in Camera Raw
- Radial Filter in Camera Raw
- Manage Camera Raw settings
- Open, process, and save images in Camera Raw
- Repair images with the Enhanced Spot Removal tool in Camera Raw
- Rotate, crop, and adjust images
- Adjust color rendering in Camera Raw
- Process versions in Camera Raw
- Make local adjustments in Camera Raw
- Image repair and restoration
- Image enhancement and transformation
- Drawing and painting
- Paint symmetrical patterns
- Draw rectangles and modify stroke options
- About drawing
- Draw and edit shapes
- Painting tools
- Create and modify brushes
- Blending modes
- Add color to paths
- Edit paths
- Paint with the Mixer Brush
- Brush presets
- Gradients
- Gradient interpolation
- Fill and stroke selections, layers, and paths
- Draw with the Pen tools
- Create patterns
- Generate a pattern using the Pattern Maker
- Manage paths
- Manage pattern libraries and presets
- Draw or paint with a graphics tablet
- Create textured brushes
- Add dynamic elements to brushes
- Gradient
- Paint stylized strokes with the Art History Brush
- Paint with a pattern
- Sync presets on multiple devices
- Migrate presets, actions, and settings
- Text
- Filters and effects
- Saving and exporting
- Color Management
- Web, screen, and app design
- Video and animation
- Printing
- Automation
- Troubleshooting
Learn more about the Tools panel and its options, some of which appear in the context-sensitive options bar.
The Tools panel appears on the left of the Photoshop application screen.
These tools have more options that appear in the context-sensitive options bar. Select the small triangle at the lower right of the tool icon to access these options.
View their names and other information by positioning the pointer over them.
For a pictorial overview of the different tools in Photoshop, see Tool galleries.
Updated in Photoshop 25.0 (September 2023 release)
The Contextual Task Bar is a floating menu that presents the most relevant next steps in your workflow.
For example, when an object is selected, the Contextual Task Bar appears on the canvas with more curated options for the potential next step, such as Select and Mask, Feather, Invert, Create Adjustment Layer, or Fill Selection.
Go to Window > Contextual Task Bar to turn off this feature, as it's on by default.
Currently, you can view and use these bars with the following workflows:
New document workflow
This bar appears when you open a new, blank document from the Photoshop home screen or from File > New.
Open image/file workflow
This bar appears when you open an image or file from the home screen (i.e. not a new, empty document) or from File > Open.
Type tool workflow
This bar appears when you select the Type tool from the toolbar and draw a text box on the canvas.
Selections workflow
This bar appears with options to refine a selection or create a mask after you make a selection.
You also have the option to use the Generative Fill feature once your selection has been made.
More options menu
Select the three-dot icon to access the additional options menu with options to hide, reset, and pin the task bars. These actions are applied to all bars, so a pinned bar will remain pinned for future bars in your workflow, and hiding a bar will keep all bars hidden until reopened.
- Hide bar: Remove all Contextual Task Bars from your screen. You could also reopen them by navigating to Window > Contextual Task Bar.
- Reset bar position: The Contextual Task Bar moves with you as you work on the canvas, keeping relevant tools at your fingertips. Use the "more options menu" to reset the position of the bar.
- Pin bar position: Pin and un-pin any Contextual Task Bar from the "more options menu". Pinning will hold your bar (and all subsequent bars) where it was placed. De-select Pin bar position from the "more options menu" to unpin a bar.
Masking workflow
This bar appears anytime you enter the Select and Mask workspace, create a mask from a selection, or select a layer mask thumbnail.
Use this bar to refine your mask by adding or subtracting from your masked area, view mode options, and modifying options for density and feather.
Generative Expand workflow
This bar appears when the Crop tool is used and has options to straighten and adjust ratio.
You also have an option to use the Generative Expand feature if the canvas is expanded rather than cropped.
Updated in Photoshop 25.5 (February 2024 release)
Make your creative workflows simpler and streamlined with the advanced text editing capabilities of Photoshop that can be accessed straight from the Contextual Task Bar.
You can edit font properties (type, size, and color) and text alignment, leading, and spacing from the Contextual Task Bar.
You can even adjust font style (bolding, italicizing, and underlining) directly from the Contextual Task Bar.
Select a tool
Do one of the following:
- Select a tool in the Tools panel. If there is a small triangle at the tool's lower right corner, hold down the mouse button to view the button tools, and then select the tool you want to work with.
Or,
- Press the tool's keyboard shortcut. The keyboard shortcut is displayed in its tooltip. For example, select the Move tool by pressing V.
Read more about Photoshop keyboard shortcuts here.
Note:
Pressing and holding a keyboard shortcut key lets you temporarily switch to a tool. When you let go of the shortcut key, Photoshop returns to the tool you were using before the temporary switch.
Cycle through hidden tools
By default, you cycle through a set of hidden tools by holding down Shift and repeatedly pressing a tool shortcut key.
If you prefer to cycle through tools without holding down Shift, you can disable this preference.
-
-
Deselect Use Shift Key For Tool Switch.
Change tool pointers
Each default pointer has a different hotspot, where an effect or action in the image begins. With most tools, you can switch to precise cursors, which appear as cross hairs centered around the hotspot.
In most cases, the pointer for a tool is the same as the icon for that tool; you see that pointer when you select the tool. The default pointer for the marquee tools is the cross-hair pointer 
; for the text tool, the default pointer is the I‑beam 
; and for the painting tools, the default pointer is the Brush Size icon.
-
Choose Edit > Preferences > Cursors (Windows) or choose Photoshop > Preferences > Cursors (macOS).
-
Choose tool pointer settings under Painting Cursors or Other Cursors and select OK.
- Standard: Displays pointers as tool icons
- Precise: Displays pointers as cross hairs
- Normal Brush Tip: The pointer outline corresponds to approximately 50% of the area that the tool will affect. This option shows the pixels that would be most visibly affected
- Full-Size Brush Tip: The pointer outline corresponds to nearly 100% of the area that the tool will affect, or nearly all the pixels that would be affected
- Show Crosshair In Brush Tip: Displays cross hairs in the center of the brush shape
- Show Only Crosshair While Painting: Improves performance with large brushes
Painting Cursors options control the pointers for these tools:
- Eraser
- Pencil
- Paintbrush
- Healing Brush
- Clone Stamp
- Pattern Stamp
- Quick Selection
- Smudge
- Blur
- Sharpen
- Dodge
- Burn
- Sponge
Other Cursors options control the pointers for these tools:
- Marquee
- Lasso
- Polygonal Lasso
- Magic Wand
- Crop
- Slice
- Patch
- Eyedropper
- Pen
- Gradient
- Line
- Paint Bucket
- Magnetic Lasso
- Magnetic Pen
- Freeform Pen
- Measure
- Color Sampler
Note:
Use Caps Lock on your keyboard to toggle between standard and precise cursors in some tool pointers.
Visually resize or change hardness of painting cursors
You can resize or change the hardness of a painting cursor by dragging in the image. As you drag, the painting cursor previews your changes. (Previews require OpenGL.)
To resize a cursor, press Alt+right-click (Windows) or control+option (macOS), and drag left or right. To change hardness, drag up or down.
The tool options bar appears below the menu bar at the top of the workspace. The options bar is context-sensitive, which means it changes with the selection of different tools. Some settings in the options bar (such as painting modes and opacity) are common to several tools, and some are specific to one tool.
You can move the options bar in the workspace by using the gripper bar and dock it at the top or bottom of the screen. Tool tips appear when you position the pointer over a tool. To show or hide the options bar, choose Window > Options.
To return tools to their default settings, right-click (Windows) or control-click (macOS) the tool icon in the options bar, and then choose Reset Tool or Reset All Tools from the context menu.
For more information on setting options for a specific tool, search for the tool’s name in Photoshop Help.
Look for more topics to learn on the Photoshop Discover Panel.
Tool presets let you save and reuse tool settings. You can load, edit, and create libraries of tool presets using the Tool Preset picker in the options bar, the Tool Presets panel, and the Preset Manager.
To choose a tool preset, select the Tool Preset picker in the options bar, and select a preset from the pop‑up panel. You can also choose Window > Tool Presets and select a preset in the Tools Presets panel.
Create a tool preset
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Choose a tool, and set the options you want to save as a tool preset in the options bar.
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Do one of the following:
- Select the Tool Preset button next to the tool at the left of the options bar.
Or,
- Choose Window > Tool Presets to display the Tool Presets panel.
-
Do one of the following:
- Select the Create New Tool Preset button
.
Or,
- Choose New Tool Preset from the panel menu.
- Select the Create New Tool Preset button
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Enter a name for the tool preset and select OK.
Change the list of tool presets
Select the triangle to open the Tool Presets pop‑up panel menu and choose one of the following:
- Show All Tool Presets: Shows all loaded presets
- Sort By Tool: Sorts the presets by tool
- Show Current Tool Presets: Shows only the loaded presets for the active tool. You can also select the Current Tool Only option in the Tool Presets pop‑up panel
- Text Only, Small List, or Large List: Determines how presets are displayed in the pop‑up panel
To create, load, and manage libraries of tool presets, see Work with the Preset Manager.
Make quick edits in Photoshop using keyboard shortcuts for tools by using spring-loaded keys.
Spring-loading keys let you temporarily switch to a different tool as long as you press and hold down its keyboard shortcut (to use the Move tool as a spring-loaded key, select and hold down V on your keyboard). The default is 200 milliseconds, but you can adjust the timing in Preferences > Tools.
Once you have made your edits, release the key and you can continue to work with the tool you were previously using.