Top Five on Friday - Photoshop Shortcuts

For today's top five list I thought I'd share five of my favorite, most-used Photoshop shortcuts. Although I've used Photoshop CS3 for close to four years, I constantly learn new things. It's a powerful piece of software, and while I've thought about upgrading, CS3 does everything I need and so much more! I feel like I've only recently started to get comfortable in it! So here's my top five shortcuts, in no particular order:

1. CTRL-J (Duplicate layer). Very handy when clustering, repeating an element, building a title, and so forth. Much easier than dragging the same element onto the page multiple times!
2. CTRL-ALT-G (Clip selected layer to layer below). This is particularly useful for templates, to clip photos or papers to the appropriate shape. 
3. CTRL+/- (Zoom in/out) and CTRL-0 (Return to normal zoom). I use this shortcut all the time, to quickly zoom in and see how something looks at 100%, or zoom out to get "the big picture" (since unfortunately I don't have a lovely giant monitor!).
4. SHIFT-CTRL-N (Create new layer). Helpful especially when working with brushes. If you don't create a new layer, the brush will just stamp down on whatever layer is currently highlighted (like your paper, or element, or photo), which means you can't adjust it. Create a new layer for your brush, then you can resize, recolor, and fiddle with it to your heart's content!
5. CTRL-Z (Undo last action). Not much to say about this one - although it should probably be first in the list!! I'm pretty sure this is every scrapper's most used shortcut :). 

And because the blogging experts have decreed that no post is complete without a photo, I'll share my latest layout(s) with you - I suppose it's even an example of my top five, since I certainly used all those shortcuts! I rarely create double-pagers, but that was part of the challenge over at Oscrap's Designer Spotlight this week: to scrap a two-page layout where one or both pages used a patterned background paper. Often my best pages come from challenges, because they force me to step outside my little comfortable box. This is also my Log Your Memory Weekly Challenge #4 layout - this week's challenge was to scrap about a project. I took a more metaphorical approach, but I needed the scrap therapy of my topic!

Left side - Journaling reads: 1. Feed him every 3 hours, both sides. 2. Supplement with 1 oz formula at each feeding. 3. Suction his poor nose, even though he hates it. 4. Persist with the inhaler for breathing treatments. 5. Start solids and sippy. 6. Make sure he gets lots of tummy time and room to practice rolling over. 7. Take fenugreek and pump to increase my supply. 8. Love, play, pray, cuddle, kiss, sing, talk.

Right side - Journaling reads: Some days I feel like a terrible mother. Some days I don't know what to do for you, how to help. I hear you coughing and choking, snorting as you struggle to breathe smoothly, and my heart breaks. Is there anything I could've done differently? I know this is a pointless line of reasoning no matter what. It won't help you get better. Instead I need to focus on doing everything in my power now to help you heal, grow, develop, and blossom. I can snuggle you and soothe you, and give you what only a mother can: a mother's love. But most importantly, I can pray for you and trust that God holds your tiny body in His strong arms, and He can heal you. Yes, He'll probably use doctors, and it's my responsibility to get you to the right ones. But I know that in the end, your life and health is in God's hands. And baby, there's no safer, healthier place to be. I love you so much, Avyn! 6 months old, January 27, 2011

I'll be back a little later today with a huge special announcement from one of my favorite digiscrap stores - yep, big enough for me to post TWICE in one day!! Curious yet? Heehee...