Let’s look at the top 18 Shortcut keys of Illustrator.

1. Create a New Document

Use the shortcut Command + N for Mac and Ctrl + N for Windows. This is helpful while trying to create a new document to work on. It leads to the page layout where you can select the appropriate document based on your preference.
2. Pick All The Objects On Layer

In Mac, the shortcut key is Option + Click layer and in Windows, it is Alt + Clicks a layer. If you need to select all the components in the layer, all you have to do is hit the option key and choose the required layer. This lets you select all the locked and invisible layers.
3. Hand Tool

For Mac and Windows users, the shortcut key is the spacebar. In both the Mac and Windows, holding down the space bar lets you activate the hand tool. You can easily hover across your artboard without affecting your content. However, this option becomes invalid when you are editing texts.

4. Zoom In and Zoom Out Tool

In Mac, the shortcut key for zoom is CMD + Spacebar and for Windows, it is Ctrl + Spacebar (A magnifying glass appears with a + symbol). For zoom out, it is CMD + Option + Spacebar for Mac and Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar for Windows (A magnifying glass appears with a – symbol).

While you are in the edit mode and need to use the hand tool, make use of the above keyboards respectively based on your device. You can make use of the mouse left click to toggle instantly between zoom in and zoom out of the scene.
5. Swap Selection or Direction Selection Tool

Mac shortcut is CMD and Windows shortcut is Ctrl. It is a very useful shortcut and a real time saver that allows swapping between selection and direct selection tool.
6. Move Selected Objects Precisely

The shortcut key in Mac is Shift + arrow keys and in Windows, it is Shift + arrow keys. Use this shortcut to precisely move any of your Illustrator elements in a fixed and even distance.
7. Select Multiple Objects

The shortcut key available in Mac and Windows is Shift + click. You can choose multiple objects and move them around and add them to a group for further design modifications.
8. Lock Objects in the Layers

The shortcut key in Mac is CMD+2, while in Windows it is Ctrl+2. This is an effective method to avoid artworks that hinder your work while working on a complex project with multiple layers.
9. Unlock all the Layer Items

Mac shortcut is CMD+Option+2 and for Windows, it is Ctrl+Alt+2. Using this shortcut, you will be able to release all the locked layers at once. Else, you will have to individually scroll through the layer panel for doing so.
10. Clone Objects

The shortcut in Mac is Option + drag and in Windows, it is Alt + drag. If you need to duplicate any object, simply use the above shortcut and create copies of the selected object. You can select multiple objects and clone them using this method.
11. Scale Proportionally with the Selection Tool

The shortcut Shift+drag bounding box is the same for both Mac and Windows devices. Scale the selected artwork uniformly while preserving the scaling proportion.
12. Eyedropper Tool

In Mac and Windows, press I for the shortcut key. This enables you to pick a color from a shape, image or gradient by activating the eyedropper tool.
13. Show/Hide Artboards

The shortcut key in Mac is CMD + Shift + H and for Windows, it is Ctrl + Shift + H. The max possible printable area in Illustrator is bound by solid lines enclosing the canvas area. You can show/hide them using the above-mentioned shortcut command.
14. Display/Hide Artboard Rulers

The shortcut in Mac is Cmd + R and in Windows it is Ctrl+R. Toggle rulers on and off based on your need for aligning artwork.
15. View All Artboards

The Mac shortcut key is CMD + Option+ O and the Windows shortcut key is Ctrl+Alt+O. This allows you to view all your artboards simultaneously.
16. Enhance/Reduce Font Size

The Mac shortcut is CMD+Shift+< or > and Windows shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+< or >. This is a quick and easy method to alter the font size in your work area.
17. Jump Between Screens

The F key is the shortcut in both Mac and Windows systems. It enables the users to view their artwork in multiple screen modes such as normal, full screen along with the menu bar, and in just the full screen.
18. Save for Web and Devices

The shortcut for Mac users is CMD + Shift + Opt + S and for Windows users, it is Ctrl + Shift +Alt + S. This shortcut saves the designer from dragging their mouse cursor through multiple options in order to save their file.
Bonus Shortcut Keys in a Glance

Reff

Ctrl+D

In the Ultimate Guide to Product Packaging Design we look at how to get your … is large or with odd dimensions, on the other hand, may require a custom packaging solution … And you either have to pay someone to put your product into the box, or do it yourself. … Outer packaging is the first thing a customer is going to see.

Broadsheet newspaper pages in the United States usually have 6-9 columns, while tabloid sized publications have 5 columns.

Ctrl+D

Sometimes, focal points can be created by giving the visual element more relative weight: color contrast is one way to draw attention and create a focal point. But focal points can also be created based on relative position, surrounding context, or supporting visual imagery in your design.

When preparing images for print, the highest quality images are disired. The ideal file format choice for print is TIFF, followed closely by PNG.

TIFF?
Tagged Image File Format, abbreviated TIFF or TIF, is a computer file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing …
Standard‎: ‎ISO 12639

The Smudge Tool in Photoshop Elements: Overview
When you select the Smudge Tool in Photoshop Elements and click and drag it in an image, it produces an effect similar to the effect of dragging your finger through wet paint. The Smudge Tool in Photoshop Elements picks up the color of the place at which you click.

To do so, press Ctrl Alt Shift K (Mac: Command Option Shift K) to bring up the Keyboard shortcut menu. Then click on Layer and choose Curves under ‘New Adjustment Layer’. When the input box is active press Ctrl M (Mac: Command M). Accept the change, and close the window.

Ctrl + B
Color Balance – Color Balance is another thing very useful for photo manipulation. Ctrl + B is the shortcut for this. Desaturate – If you quickly want to desaturate, press Ctrl + Shift + U.

One of the new features of Photoshop CC 2016, Face Aware Liquify lets you quickly and easily change the expression on someone’s face – adding a smile or a frown, or bringing out more complex emotions. However, if used heavy handedly you can end up with unnatural results (unless you’re after a caricature).

CMYK. Stands for “Cyan Magenta Yellow Black.” These are the four basic colors used for printing color images. Unlike RGB (red, green, blue), which is used for creating images on your computer screen, CMYK colors are “subtractive.” This means the colors get darker as you blend them together.

Adobe Photoshop is a critical tool for designers, web developers, graphic artists, photographers, and creative professionals. It is widely used for image editing, retouching, creating image compositions, website mockups, and adding affects. Digital or scanned images can be edited for use online or in-print.

A clipping mask is a group of layers to which a mask is applied. The bottommost layer, or base layer, defines the visible boundaries of the entire group. For example, suppose you have a shape in the base layer, a photograph in the layer above it, and text in the topmost layer.

Selecting
Draw marquee selection from center
Alt–drag selection
Add to a selection
Shift
Subtract from a selection
Alt
Intersect with a selection
Shift–Alt
Make copy of selection w/Move tool
Alt–drag selection
Make copy of selection when not in Move tool
Ctrl–Alt–drag selection
Move selection (in 1-pixel increments)
Arrow keys
Move selection (in 10-pixel increments)
Shift–Arrow keys
Select all opaque pixels on layer
Ctrl–click on layer thumbnail (in Layers panel)
Reselect last selection
Ctrl–Shift–D
Feather selection
Shift–F6
Move marquee while drawing selection
Hold Spacebar while drawing marquee
Viewing
Fit on Screen
Double–click on Hand tool or Ctrl–0
100% View Level (Actual Pixels)
Double–click on Zoom tool or Ctrl–1
Zoom in
Ctrl–Spacebar–click or Ctrl–Plus(+)
Zoom out
Alt–Spacebar–click or Ctrl–Minus(–)
Hide/Show all tools and panels
Tab
Hide/Show all panels except Tools panel and Options bar
Shift–Tab
Cycle through full screen modes
F
Scroll image left or right in window
Ctrl–Shift–Page Up/Down
Jump/Zoom to part of Image
Ctrl–drag in Navigator panel
Toggle layer mask on/off as rubylith

Layers
Create new layer
Ctrl–Shift–N
Select non-contiguous layers
Ctrl–click layers
Select contiguous layers
Click one layer, then Shift–click another layer
Delete Layer
Delete key (while in the Move tool)
View contents of layer mask
Alt–click layer mask icon
Temporarily turn off layer mask
Shift–click layer mask icon
Clone layer as you move it
Alt–drag
Find/Select layer containing object
Right–click on the object w/Move tool
Change layer opacity
Number pad keys (w/Move tool selected)
Cycle down or up through blending modes
Shift–Plus(+) or Minus(–)
Change to a specific blending mode
(w/Move tool) Shift–Alt–letter (i.e.: N=Normal, M=Multiply. etc.)
Switch to layer below/above current layer
Alt–[ or Alt–]
Move layer below/above current layer
Ctrl–[ or Ctrl–]
Type
Select all text on layer
Double–click on T thumbnail in Layers panel
Increase/Decrease size of selected text by 1 pt
Ctrl–Shift–> or <
Increase/Decrease size of selected text by 5 pts
Ctrl–Shift–Alt–> or <
Increase/Decrease kerning/tracking
Alt–Right/Left Arrow
Align text left/center/right
Ctrl–Shift–L/C/R
Painting
Fill selection with Background color
Ctrl–Backspace
Fill selection with Foreground color
Alt–Backspace
Fill selection with Foreground color using Lock Transparent Pixels
Shift–Alt–Backspace
Fill selection with source state in History panel
Ctrl–Alt–Backspace
Display Fill dialog box
Shift–Backspace
Sample as background color
Alt–click w/Eyedropper tool
To get Move tool
While in any painting/editing tool, hold Ctrl
To get Eyedropper with painting tools
Alt
Change paint opacity (with Airbrush OFF)
Number keys
Change paint opacity (with Airbrush ON)
Shift–Number keys
Change Airbrush flow (with Airbrush ON)
Number keys
Change Airbrush flow (with Airbrush OFF)
Shift–Number keys
To get Crosshair Cursor
While in any painting/editing tool, turn Caps Lock on
Decrease/Increase brush size
[ or ]
Decrease/Increase hardness of brush
Shift–[ or Shift–]
Switch between preset brushes
< or >
Open Brushes pop-up panel
Right–click in image window
Erase to History panel’s source state
Alt–Eraser
Cycle down or up through blend modes
Shift–Plus(+) or Minus(–)
Change to a specific blend mode
Shift–Alt–letter (i.e.: N=Normal, M=Multiply, etc.)
Create fixed color target from within a dialog box
Shift–click in image window
Delete fixed color target
Alt–click on target with Color Sampler tool
Create new Spot Color channel from current selection
Ctrl–click on New Channel button in Channels panel
Pen Tool & Paths
To get Direct Selection tool while using Pen tool
Ctrl
Switch between Add Anchor and Delete Anchor Point tools
Alt
Switch from Path Selection tool to Convert Point tool when pointer is over anchor point
Ctrl–Alt
To select a whole path w/Direct Selection tool
Alt–click
Convert path to a selection
Ctrl–click on path name (in Paths panel)
Panels
Show/Hide Brushes panel
F5
Show/Hide Color panel
F6
Show/Hide Layers panel
F7
Show/Hide Info panel
F8
Show/Hide Actions panel
Alt–F9
Open Adobe Bridge
Ctrl–Alt–O
Miscellaneous Good Stuff
Switch between open documents
Ctrl–Tab
Undo or Redo operations beyond last one
Ctrl–Alt–Z/Ctrl–Shift–Z
Reapply last filter used
Ctrl–F
Reapply last filter used, but display dialog box to alter settings
Ctrl–Alt–F
Temporarily switch to Hand tool
Spacebar
Reset dialog box
Hold Alt, Cancel turns into Reset button, click it
Increase/Decrease value (in any option field) by 1 unit
Up/Down Arrow
Increase/Decrease value (in any option field) by 10 units
Shift–Up/Down Arrow
Reapply last transformation
Ctrl–Shift–T
Measure angle between lines (Protractor function)
After ruler is drawn, Alt–drag end of line with Ruler tool
Move Crop/Selection marquee while creating
Hold Spacebar while drawing
Snap Guide to Ruler ticks
Hold Shift while dragging
Highlight fields in Options bar (n/a for all tools)
Enter
Don’t snap object edge while moving
Hold Control while dragging
Tools
V
Move and Artboard tools
M
Marquee tools
L
Lasso tools
W
Quick Selection, Magic Wand
C
Crop and Slice Tools
I
Eyedropper, 3D Material Eyedropper, Color Sampler, Ruler, Note, Count
J
Spot Healing Brush, Healing Brush, Patch, Content-Aware Move, Red Eye
B
Brush, Pencil, Color Replacement, Mixer Brush
S
Clone Stamp, Pattern Stamp
Y
History Brush, Art History Brush
E
Eraser tools
G
Gradient, Paint Bucket, 3D Material Drop
O
Dodge, Burn, Sponge
P
Pen tools
T
Type tools
A
Path Selection, Direct Selection
U
Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon, Line, Custom Shape
H
Hand
R
Rotate View
Z
Zoom
D
Default colors
X
Switch Foreground and Background colors
Q
Quick Mask Mode

Ctrl + R
Rulers in Photoshop. To show or hide rulers in Photoshop, choose View > Rulers or press Cmd + R (Mac) or Ctrl + R (Windows). A ruler will appear along the top and along the left hand side of the interface. To turn the rulers off again just hit the same keyboard shortcut.

Select the Quick Selection tool from the Tools panel. The tool looks like a wand with a marquee around the end. It shares the Magic Wand tool’s flyout menu. You can also press the W key, and then press Shift+W until you get the tool.

If however, you would prefer to change the Brush Opacity (instead of the … Photoshop enables a change in Opacity when dragging up/down or size.