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Most useful shortcuts nobody knows

I've become very aware lately of hidden shortcuts in software packages that do not have equivalent menu buttons and are rarely mentioned in help docs. Some of these shortcuts perform crucially important functions, but yet few people use them because few people know what they are.

I know many of these have been covered in other threads and tutorials, but it'd be nice to have them all in one place. Please contribute, and please be succinct. All software packages welcome.


Some easy ones from me:

3ds Max:
Alt+MiddleButton and drag - Arc Rotate
From a sub-obj selection + ctrl + click on any other sub-obj mode - select touching.
From a sub-obj selection + shift+ctrl + click on any other sub-obj mode - select fully enclosed (Usually from vertex or edge, to face).

Mudbox:
V + L_Button + M_button and drag - selection rectangle for faces.

Photoshop:
Under the general settings of the blending options panel. If you alt+ L_click on the sliders for the grayscale bars, it splits the sliders and allows for smooth value blends.

Replies

  • Eric Chadwick
    Alt F4, best one evar
  • renderhjs
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    renderhjs sublime tool
    Photoshop:
    ctrl + shift + U = convert selection/layer to grey
    ctrl+ alt + c = canvas size
    ctrl + alt + 0 (numpad) = 100% size, 1:1
    ctrl + click on the layer thumbnail = mask the layer content as selection
    shift + click on layer mask = temporary disable mask

    3dsmax
    i = focus on mouse cursor, usefull when creating splines and you want to pan your view
    ctrl + backspace = remove selected edges or vertices without affecting existing faces to be deleted by it in the polyEdit mode
    F1 in maxscipt = opens up context sensitive help entries. Actually the fastest way to look methods up

    but I tend to extend and script alot myself sometimes even to that degree that at some point someone eventually tells me that the feature x / y was already available and right beneath my nose.
  • BradMyers82
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    BradMyers82 interpolator
    The most important Photoshop discovery I made last year and now I cannot live without:
    (Select somthing in a layer)
    Cntl + Shift + C (copies all visable layers as one flattened layer)
  • bugo
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    bugo polycounter lvl 17
    alright, here's a really good one:

    - on photoshop, to make a layer visible isolating itself only press shift + alt + "eye icon" of the layer, and if you want to get back to all layers the way it was do it again on the same eye icon of the same layer.
  • renderhjs
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    renderhjs sublime tool
    photoshop
    ctrl + j = copy selection to new layer WITHOUT shifting
    backspace in selection (e.g BW in mask) = cut off or extend without aliasing mess, its basicly just filling with the background color but does a absolute additional fill, not the buggy one you can do with the paint bucket

    Opera (he he)
    1 = switch to left tab from current tab
    2 = switch to right tab from current one
    ctrl + click on image = save image
    F12 = quick setup

    Windows Explorer
    F2 = rename selected file
    F6 = jump to adress bar (the real navigator)
    ctrl + w = close window (works in almost every application, ctrl + w closes the window, alt +F4 closes the whole app)
    win + R = run command, I use it daily usually with the following commands
    - 'Photoshop'
    - 'calc' (calculator)
    - 'mspaint'
    - 'charmap' (character map for layouting and typo work)
    - 'cmd' (command line, dos like prompt)
    - 'firefox'
    all those should work in your systems as well if you have the apps installed. In addition to that you can call anything (including shortcuts) that are stored in /windows/system32/ so sometimes I add additional shortcuts like PS(.ink) (*.ink is a windows shortcut, the extention is though hidden)
  • m.roanhaus
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    m.roanhaus polycounter lvl 14
    ArtsyFartsy's Alt+L_Click is very useful when masking white or black from layer as it helps smooth edges nicely. Two missed ones I use frequently:

    Ctrl+Shift+I = Image Size
    Ctrl+Alt+I = Invert Selection
  • jocose
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    jocose polycounter lvl 11
    In windows:

    ctrl+shift+esc

    Takes you directly to the task manager, no more ctrl alt delete crap.
  • Valandar
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    Valandar polycounter lvl 18
    In Photoshop, Ctrl-Alt - ~ selects by luminance - white is 100% selected, black is 0 % selected, etcetera. There may be other ways of getting this, but it works through all visible layers, and I find it quite useful at times.

    And the Ctrl-Backspace in 3DS Max mentioned by renderhjs is something I only learned about myself a month or two ago, and it is a GODSEND.
  • glib
    Valandar wrote: »
    And the Ctrl-Backspace in 3DS Max mentioned by renderhjs is something I only learned about myself a month or two ago, and it is a GODSEND.

    I can't find a situation where ctrl+backspace does anything different than just backspace. Can you give an example?
  • sampson
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    sampson polycounter lvl 9
    okay say you have an unnecessary edgeloop on a circle.
    you select the loop, press backspace. yay the edge is gone!, you go into vertex mode - and OH NOES, the vertices of the edgeloop are still there

    so if you had pressed control + backspace, it would delete the edge and the corresponding vertices - saving you time
  • glib
    Ohhh okay. One of the first things I did when I picked up max (coming from maya) was assign ctrl+r to 'remove' under edit poly. This gives me the ctrl+backspace behavior by default. I actually only recently learned how to get the behavior of just clicking the remove button (which is just the backspace key). I still find it weird that clicking the remove button and hitting a hotkey bound to 'remove' give you different behavior by default.
  • fast1
    any shortcuts for mac users?clear.gif
  • binopittan
    Photosop.
    Alt +del -or- Ctrl + del = fill selection w color

    3dsmax.
    Shift+X=Edge constraint toggle
  • Muzzoid
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    Muzzoid polycounter lvl 10
    photoshoop:

    Flatten image onto new layer:
    ctrl+alt+shift+E

    Essentially flattens the image onto a layer while leaving the rest of the layers intact.

    Great if you want to do an experiment or if you need to copy a part of the image that is on multiple layers without potentially losing all your layers.
  • SHEPEIRO
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    SHEPEIRO polycounter lvl 17
    maya-

    ctrl+f8,f9,f10,f11,f12 convert selection to obj,vert,edge,poly,uv (just got to check that maybe shift)

    photoshop-

    -ctrl+click on channel: creates selection mask from greyscale values
    -ctrl++click on channel: adds to a selection mask from greyscale values
    -ctrl+alt+ click on channel: removes a selection from greyscale values
    -ctrl+g: while selecting muliple layers groups those, see so many people use the buttons and then dragging them all in to the right group---so slow.
    -ctrl+e: merge layer down
    -ctrl+shift c: copy merged
  • elte
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    elte polycounter lvl 18
    shepeiro - instead of using hotkey which move ur left hand, hold ctrl+RMB to convert selection.

    maya
    w to move, but hold w+lmb opens up marking menus, same goes with q,e,r
    shift+RMB opens context sensitive marking menus.
    ctrl+RMB mostly convert selection
    ctrl+shift - reflection and select mode.
    tips. if marking menus have child example if u select edge, then shift+RMB, merge - collapse edge would be in the direction of north - east. You don't have to wait till the menu appear, simply just draw a gesture and maya will remember and invoke the command.
    I use marking menus most of the time. This way I don't have to remember mapping keys and minimize my left hand movement.
  • Farfarer
    One I only found out in Photoshop yesterday, alt+clicking on a layer's mask will toggle between mask and RGB channels.
  • Karmageddon
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    Karmageddon polycounter lvl 7
    How do you center your mesh on your screen in ZBrush and Mudbox?
  • SHEPEIRO
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    SHEPEIRO polycounter lvl 17
    f in zbrush just like maya
  • SHEPEIRO
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    SHEPEIRO polycounter lvl 17
    fast1 wrote: »
    any shortcuts for mac users?clear.gif

    most are applicable in the mac versions as far as i can tell just replace ctrl with cmd most of the time
  • G3L
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    G3L polycounter lvl 9
    3D Studio Max
    alt+w = maximize viewport OR if viewport is maximized, reverts to your original viewport views (depending if you have it set up for 4, 3 or 2 panels).

    ctrl+alt+middle mouse button AND drag = camera pans in and out VERY smoothly
  • malcolm
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    malcolm polycount sponsor
    photoshop

    -alt + left mouse drag a layer and drop it between to layers to duplicate

    -left mouse drag over many layers eye icons to hide/show drag them all
  • ivars
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    ivars polycounter lvl 17
    Here are some Maya shortcuts you may, or may not know.

    PgUp / PgDwn to change subdivision level of the smooth preview.
    Arrow keys for edge loop/ring select and step.
    Double click for edgeloop, element and some more stuff depending on component mode
    Shift+ MMB drag to constraint to an axis with the transform tools.
    Ignore version in the optionbox for "open".
  • Snowfly
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    Snowfly polycounter lvl 18
    The Crop tool (hotkey C) in Photoshop also works to enlarge the canvas size. Just drag the handles outside the image area.
  • elte
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    elte polycounter lvl 18
    maya
    ctrl click one of the arrow to constrain the axis when moving, for example ctrl click y axis will change the 'yellow box' in the middle to xz plane, so it will always stay on the ground when you move something from perspective view.
  • SHEPEIRO
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    SHEPEIRO polycounter lvl 17
    carrying on from ^^^^^^^

    maya-ctrl clicking on a scale axis will scale the two not clicked on equally
  • Mark Dygert
    Most useful are the ones you set yourself... kind of hard to share those...
  • Michael Knubben
    I think it's worth learning a few of the alt shortcuts in photoshop, for portability's (ie. being able to use them on other people's computers) sake.
    One I use a lot is alt - I, I
    This opens the Image menu, and then opens the Image Size dialog. A second one I've started using is alt - I, A, C.
    Not the easiest one, but I do use Brightness/Contrast a lot. If I only need Brightness I'll use ctrl-U, but contrast is pretty essential (and the curves dialog is a bit unwieldy for mere contrast-tweaks. There's levels, too, but I just like the simplicity of Brightness/Contrast)
  • ArtsyFartsy
    Muzz wrote: »
    photoshoop:

    Flatten image onto new layer:
    ctrl+alt+shift+E

    This works great, but I can't get the Ctrl+Shift+C other people are mentioning to work.

    I'm gonna get carpal tunnel syndrome with all these fantastic shortcuts. Alt+Backspace in max is my new messiah.
  • SHEPEIRO
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    SHEPEIRO polycounter lvl 17
    This works great, but I can't get the Ctrl+Shift+C other people are mentioning to work.

    I'm gonna get carpal tunnel syndrome with all these fantastic shortcuts. Alt+Backspace in max is my new messiah.

    press ctrl v after to paste the merged layers into an empty or new layer
  • ArtsyFartsy
    SHEPEIRO wrote: »
    press ctrl v after to paste the merged layers into an empty or new layer

    yep, and also you need a selection for it like Brad mentioned.

    Still in in PS,

    Is there a similar shortcut for merging and copying a choice of layers?

    Is there a shortcut for automatically converting something to a smart object and then rasterizing it (both steps in one). It seems that if you just rasterize a layer strait up, it doesn't merge the effects properly. For me I always have to turn it into a smart object first.
  • glib
    Is there a similar shortcut for merging and copying a choice of layers?

    Just make sure those are the only layers visible when you Ctrl + A, Ctrl + Shift + C, Ctrl + V.
  • TWilson
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    TWilson polycounter lvl 18
    Shift + (Tool Key) will cycle through the sub tools in Photoshop.
    Using combinations of ctrl shift and alt when Transforming gives a variety of useful results.

    In Maya ctrl+spacebar to remove or add all menus. Useful for screenshots or hotkey wizards.
  • Mark Dygert
    Ctrl-E Merges selected layers. (Unless it was already covered)
  • Rens
    also Ctr + E in Ps, with just one selected layer, merges it with the layer below, but also keeps the name from the lower layer, so you dont end up with "new layer 432" and have to rename things constantly



    Z people ... " Z " best one, center object or selection in your viewport (3ds max)
    i work with a tablet, so i dislike having to use the zoom tool, or my zoom pad on the tablet,
    i just grab a selection and hit Z, so it zooms in on the area and saves me 0.78 seconds
  • vik
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    vik polycounter lvl 13
    Max:
    Alt+Q Isolation mode
    PS:
    SHIFT+CTRL+D Reselect
    Unreal:
    select by property: shift+click on property (e.g. brightness 0.5) then right click on light in viewport and choose select by property to select all lights with the value of 0.5
    WinXp (possibly Vista as well):
    Shift+Pause Brings up System Properties
  • ArtsyFartsy
    Mudbox:

    Middle-click and drag on any of the toolbar buttons (brushes, stencils, stamps, etc) will reposition that button. Somewhere, someone even mentioned that you could drag the buttons into floater toolbars but I was never able to do it.

    Square Brackets, ] [ , will increase and decrease your brush size by a certain increment (I'm sure you can specify this somehow but I don't know it). Great for getting quick consistent varied strokes.
  • konstruct
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    konstruct polycounter lvl 18
    Muzz wrote: »
    photoshoop:

    Flatten image onto new layer:
    ctrl+alt+shift+E

    <3 FANTASTIC- I` ve always set up an action for this. great to know!
  • binopittan
    Photoshop .
    alt + click on eyes icon on layer tab = hide unselected layers

    the problem is i don't know how to unhide all layers afterwards =P
  • vik
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    vik polycounter lvl 13
    binopittan wrote: »
    Photoshop .
    alt + click on eyes icon on layer tab = hide unselected layers

    the problem is i don't know how to unhide all layers afterwards =P

    alt+click again? :)
  • TWilson
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    TWilson polycounter lvl 18
    Worst photoshop hotkey = n

    note tool which opens a text field so you're forced to stop what you're doing and remove the layer manually since your hotkeys all go into the text field "bmzzzzz".
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