PhotoCraft keyboard shortcuts for the browser

Focus the editor first

Click inside the embedded editor before pressing a shortcut. Otherwise the outer page or browser may receive it. Menus display the shortcut assigned by the upstream application; those menu labels are the best reference for your current version and platform.

Start with editing essentials

Use the modifier shown in your menu: commonly Ctrl on Windows/Linux or Command on macOS. Undo and redo are accessible from Edit; opening and saving are in File. Tool letter shortcuts only work when you are not typing in a text field. Browser-reserved combinations can differ by platform.

A reliable alternative

If a shortcut opens the browser Save Page dialog, cancel it and choose File → Save As in PhotoCraft instead. Opening the editor in a dedicated tab can reduce focus confusion. Remember that Save in the web app downloads a file; it does not overwrite your local original.

Useful defaults in the pinned build

The upstream calls the platform command modifier “Cmd”; on Windows/Linux the UI displays Ctrl, and on macOS it displays Command. Custom preferences may change these defaults.

Action	Windows / Linux	macOS
Open	Ctrl + O	Command + O
Save	Ctrl + S	Command + S
Save As	Ctrl + Shift + S	Command + Shift + S
Free Transform	Ctrl + T	Command + T
Fit on Screen	Ctrl + 0	Command + 0
100% view	Ctrl + 1	Command + 1
Layers panel	F7	F7

Browser conflicts still apply. Use the menu when the browser intercepts a combination.

Build a shortcut workflow around focus

There are three places a key can go: the browser, the webpage surrounding the editor, or the editor canvas. The same combination can produce a different result in each place. Before using a document command, click inside the workspace and check the active document. If a language menu, browser address bar or text field has focus, a shortcut may never reach the application.

Practice with the synthetic PNG from our editing tutorial. Make one obvious change, use the menu to undo it, and then try the corresponding shortcut shown by your running build. This gives you an observable result. Do not test a destructive command on the only copy of valuable work. A familiar keyboard combination is not a guarantee that the current application will interpret it as expected.

Opening and saving without browser confusion

The browser's Save Page dialog saves a webpage, not the current editable image document. If it appears, cancel it. Return focus to the editor and use its File menu to choose Save or Save As. Locate the downloaded file and inspect its extension. A page saved as HTML is not a PSD checkpoint even if the image was visible when you pressed the keys.

Opening a file has a similar distinction. Browser-level commands may replace the current tab or open an image as a page. Use the application's menu if focus behavior is unclear. The backup guide explains why downloading, locating and reopening a saved file is a stronger success check than assuming a shortcut completed the intended operation.

Windows and Linux browser conflicts

The table above gives the pinned application's defaults, but browsers reserve some combinations. For example, a command used for a document transform may also be a browser tab command. Which action wins depends on the browser and focus. If a new browser tab appears instead of the expected editor tool, stop and return to the original session rather than repeating the keys.

Use the menu alternative and inspect the shortcut printed there. Desktop environment shortcuts can also intercept function keys. On laptops, the function-key row may control hardware unless the appropriate modifier is used. Do not change system-wide shortcuts merely to try a browser editor; a menu-based operation is a reasonable fallback while you identify the conflict.

macOS modifier and function-key checks

The upstream menu's command modifier maps to Command on macOS. Do not replace every printed modifier by guesswork: inspect the label in the actual running application. Some commands also use Shift or other modifiers. A shortcut described for a different operating system may not be the correct reference for your setup.

Mac keyboards can assign function keys to system features. A layer-panel shortcut may require a keyboard setting or an additional function modifier, and an external keyboard can behave differently. Start with the menu or visible panel controls. The aim is to reach the application action reliably, not to prove that one key combination must work on every keyboard model.

Viewing the image without changing the output

Fit-to-screen and actual-size views change how you inspect the canvas; they do not necessarily resize the exported document. After changing zoom, inspect the document dimensions separately. A small image displayed across a large canvas is still a small image unless you perform a resizing operation. This distinction prevents confusing a viewing command with an output-resolution change.

Use fit view to find the whole image and a closer view to inspect an edit. If a command seems to do nothing, check whether the image is already in the requested view. A browser's own zoom is separate again: it can change the surrounding layout and the space available to the embedded application. Record which zoom you changed when reporting a display problem.

Typing, tool keys and reversible practice

Single-letter tool shortcuts are useful only when you are not typing into an editable field. Finish or cancel text entry before expecting a letter to change tools. Click the canvas and confirm the visible tool state. If the chosen tool is unclear, use the toolbar rather than adding more keystrokes that could become text or trigger another operation.

For a new shortcut, perform a small reversible test and inspect the exported result when it affects pixels. Undo and redo should be practiced before using them to recover a substantial edit. Do not use undo history as the only recovery plan: a browser restart or renderer change can end the session. Save a checkpoint before a sequence you may need to repeat.

Report a shortcut problem precisely

Include the browser version, operating system, keyboard layout, command attempted, keys pressed and the interface element that had focus. State the expected application action and what actually happened, such as a browser dialog or new tab. A screenshot of the relevant menu can establish the shortcut the application advertised at the time.

Use the menu as a fallback while the problem is investigated. Avoid repeatedly firing a conflicting shortcut during important work. The most reliable keyboard workflow combines a small set of verified combinations with explicit saves and visible menu alternatives. That approach remains useful even when browsers or desktop environments reserve a shortcut you expected the editor to handle.