10 Bad Habits to Break in Photoshop

1. Working on a Single Layer

No matter what you do in Photoshop it is always advisable to work on separate layers
instead of applying all your changes to the Background layer. The biggest problem with
working on a single layer is that you won’t have the flexibility to go back later and make
changes. The so-called non-destructive workflow’s foundation is to always create new layers
for each effect or modification and name them accordingly to make it easier for later
changes.

Try using separate layers for editing whenever possible

2. Deleting and Erasing Instead of

Masking
This bad habit is also very common among Photoshop users. Deleting and erasing parts of a
layer’s content is a very destructive way of editing. To avoid losing image content you should
always consider utilizing one of the following features in Photoshop.
• A Pixel Mask

• A Vector Mask

• A Clipping Mask
 The easiest way to hide parts of a layer is by adding a mask to the layer. Masking will only
temporarily hide the selected parts of a layer, which can always be made visible again by
deactivating the mask.

Use masking instead of deleting parts of your layers

3. Wasting Time With Too Much

Clicking
Using Photoshop without keyboard shortcuts is like eating a soup with a fork. It is possible
but takes much longer than eating it with a spoon. A real Photoshop user should have one
hand on the mouse (or the pen in case of a Wacom tablet) and the other hand on the
keyboard. Here are some of the most useful default shortcuts you should start memorizing.
• Cmd/Ctrl + T – Free Transform

• Cmd/Ctrl + Enter – Accept typing

• Cmd/Ctrl + S – Save document

• Cmd/Ctrl + A – Select all

• Cmd/Ctrl + D – Deselect

• Cmd/Ctrl + I – Invert colors

• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + I – Invert selection

• Cmd/Ctrl + click on layer’s thumbnail – Selection based on Layer’s content

• Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + A – Select All Layers

• Option/Alt + click between two layers – Clipping Mask

• Cmd/Ctrl + G – Group Layers

• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + G – Ungroup Layers

And if this is not enough than here is a guide to almost all the default Photoshop keyboard
shortcuts laid out on a keyboard:

Save time with keyboard shortcuts

4. Transforming Pixel Layers

Most Photoshop users have heard about Smart Objects and how useful they are, but not
everyone uses them regularly. Essentially, when you convert a normal layer into a Smart
Object layer, Photoshop embeds the image inside the PSD file as a separate file and it uses
that embedded source image to render the changes of the Smart Object.
Thanks to this technology introduced in Photoshop CS2, we can transform Smart Object
layers as many times as we want without losing image quality. You probably know that by
resampling a pixel image you loose quality, which is mainly noticeable when you upsample a
photo. That is the cause of pixel images being resolution-dependant.
A Smart Object won’t make a pixel image resolution-independent, but it can capture the
state of the image at the time of the conversion. It is ideal to convert a layer into a Smart
Object while they are still in their highest available size and thus best quality. Losing quality
is only caused by resizing images, but even rotating them will reduce their quality if they are
not converted into a Smart Object. In the video I’m presenting an interesting experiment,
which I call the "washing-machine effect", which shows exactly what happens when you
continuously rotate pixel layers.

Loss of quality after rotating the layer for a couple of times

5. Not Using Adjustment Layers

Working in Photoshop without using Adjustment Layers is very similar to working on a single
layer, it’s a big mistake. If you use the adjustments from the Image menu you will
destructively apply them onto the selected layer and you won’t be able to amend their effect
later on. On the flip side, if you apply them as Adjustment Layers they will be completely
independent from the image layer, which allows you great control over their opacity, blend
mode and settings. It is good to keep mind that an Adjustment layer will affect all underlying
layers.
Curves Adjustment layer for setting the White Balance

6. Being Disorganized
As a Photoshop user, it is very important that you be organised. If you have learned anything
from the first lesson of this tutorial and you already use separate layers for your images, then
you have to also learn to name and organise your layers appropriately. It might seem like a
waste of time, but believe us, it is going to save you a lot of time in the long run. Especially if
you are working on a team and are sharing PSD files with others.
Learn to be organised with your layers

7. Using Filters Destructively

Photoshop Filters can be applied to your image layers non-destructively as Smart Filters.
When you have a Smart filter applied to a layer, you will be able to turn it off and on easily as
well as modify its settings, opacity and even blend mode. You can also add multiple filters
onto the same Smart object. Last but not least you can also use the Smart Filter mask to
hide or reveal the effect of the filters on your image layer.
 Start using Smart Objects whenever applying Filters

8. Lack of Navigation Skills

Many Photoshop users click and drag the vertical and horizontal scroll bars around instead
of using the Spacebar button for accessing the Hand tool and panning the image around
with it. There are a couple of things you should learn to quickly navigate in your Photoshop
documents.
• Space – Hand tool

• Z + drag right and left – Zoom in and out

• Hold down H + click – Bird’s eye view

• Cmd/Control + 0 – Fit to Screen

• Cmd/Control + 1 – Actual Size

Bird’s eye view: temporarily seeing the whole canvas

9. Not Using Bridge

Another big time-waster is not using Photoshop’s native file management application: Adobe Bridge.
This tool has shipped with Photoshop since Photoshop CS2 and it can save a lot of time organising
and finding your images and project files. Many photographers use it also for managing their
photographs, although for professional photographers it is more advisable to use Lightroom instead;
having said that Bridge has a lot to offer.
Adobe Bridge, Photoshop’s native file management application

10. Not Saving PSDs

Never forget to save your work as a PSD file. You should also remember to you’re your work
frequently. There is nothing more annoying than losing a big part of your work when your computer
freezes. PSD files are your working files, which you don’t necessarily have to give away to your
clients, but you should always keep them so you can easily make amends to your work in case the
client wants changes.

File formats you can save from Photoshop