6 time-saving Photoshop hacks

Whether it's for work or play, chances are you're probably already quite familiar with Photoshop and most of its basic functions. However, like all good programs, there are some lesser known features that can make your life just that little bit easier. Here are 6 handy Photoshop hacks you might not have been aware of:

Opening a file without the menus

Sick of menus? All you have to do to open a file is simply double click the grey background area in the Photoshop window. This will bring up the File Open dialog straight away - saving you having to navigate the menu each time.

Talking of that background colour...

Had enough of that same, dull grey? Change it! You can easily change the grey colour inside an image window just by hitting control + right click (or command + right click if you're using a Mac) and selecting from the palette.

Position shapes or selections

If you're in the middle of drawing a shape or a selection, and the position is frustratingly just a little bit wrong, all you need to do is hold down the mouse button and the space bar at the same time in order to move your item to the correct position. Letting go of the spacebar will allow you to continue drawing.

Bring back a selection

It can be really frustrating when you lose a selection in the middle of a project. To solve this, simply press Ctrl + Shift + D (Command + Shift + D on the Mac) and this will allow it to make a swift return. Ctrl + D (Command + D on the Mac) will then deselect your selection.

Hide and keep

If you find the selection marquee is hampering you, using Ctrl + H (Command + H on the Mac) will allow you to hide the selection but still keep it in place. As long as you don't forget to turn it back on after!

See the bigger picture

Lastly, an invaluable time saver. Simply dragging a large layer from one document to the next can allow you to view the whole layer, including its sizing handles by clicking Ctrl + Click (Command + Click for Mac) on the layer thumbnail. Pressing Ctrl + T (Command + T for Mac) will let you view the transform handles, and Ctrl + 0 (zero) (or Command + 0 for Mac) will then shrink the image, allowing all of the sizing handles to be visible.

And there we have it, taking the frustration out of Photoshop. Share with friends and if you have any Photoshop hacks of your own, let us know in the comments section below!