Lightroom Keyboard Shortcuts: A Complete Guide

(Last updated on September 26th, 2023)

Short Summary

• This article will show you how to use keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom, one of the most popular and powerful photo editing software in the world.
• You will learn the basic, advanced, and custom keyboard shortcuts that you can use to enhance your photos and optimize your performance.
• You will also learn how to create and modify your own keyboard shortcuts using a plugin called Keyboard Tamer.
• You will find a cheat sheet that summarizes all the keyboard shortcuts mentioned in the article, grouped by categories.

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how some photographers can edit hundreds of photos in a matter of minutes? How do they manage to achieve such stunning results without spending hours on each image? The secret is simple: they use keyboard shortcuts and efficient photo editing techniques like batch editing in Lightroom.

Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of keys that perform certain actions or commands in a software program. They can help you speed up your workflow, improve your efficiency, and save your precious time. They can also make your editing process more enjoyable and fun.

In this article, we will show you how to use keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom, one of the most popular and powerful photo editing software in the world. We will cover the basic, advanced, and custom keyboard shortcuts that you can use to enhance your photos and optimize your performance. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, you will find something useful and interesting in this guide.

Basic Keyboard Shortcuts

Let’s start with the most common and essential keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom. These are the ones that you should know and use on a regular basis. They will help you navigate through the interface, switch between modules and views, activate tools and functions, and perform basic edits.

Here are some of the basic keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom:

• G for Grid view: This shortcut will switch to the Grid view in the Library module, where you can see thumbnails of all your photos in a folder or a collection.
• E for Loupe view: This shortcut will switch to the Loupe view in the Library module, where you can see a single photo in full screen or zoomed in.
• C for Compare view: This shortcut will switch to the Compare view in the Library module, where you can compare two photos side by side and select the best one.
• N for Survey view: This shortcut will switch to the Survey view in the Library module, where you can compare multiple photos at once and eliminate the ones you don’t like.
• D for Develop module: This shortcut will switch to the Develop module, where you can edit your photos using various sliders and tools.
• L for Library module: This shortcut will switch to the Library module, where you can organize, rate, and filter your photos.
• M for Map module: This shortcut will switch to the Map module, where you can view and edit the location data of your photos.
• R for Crop tool: This shortcut will activate the Crop tool in the Develop module, where you can crop, rotate, and straighten your photos.
• Q for Spot Removal tool: This shortcut will activate the Spot Removal tool in the Develop module, where you can remove dust spots, blemishes, and other unwanted objects from your photos.
• K for Adjustment Brush tool: This shortcut will activate the Adjustment Brush tool in the Develop module, where you can apply selective adjustments to specific areas of your photos.
• [ for decreasing brush size: This shortcut will decrease the size of your brush when using the Spot Removal tool or the Adjustment Brush tool.
• ] for increasing brush size: This shortcut will increase the size of your brush when using the Spot Removal tool or the Adjustment Brush tool.
• O for showing/hiding mask overlay: This shortcut will show or hide the mask overlay when using the Spot Removal tool or the Adjustment Brush tool. The mask overlay is a red color that indicates which areas of your photo are affected by your adjustments.
• H for hiding/showing pins: This shortcut will hide or show the pins when using the Spot Removal tool or the Adjustment Brush tool. The pins are small circles that mark where you have applied your adjustments.
• Z for zooming in/out: This shortcut will zoom in or out of your photo when using any view or tool. You can also use your mouse wheel to zoom in or out. This function is also available in Photoshop and if you’re wondering how to zoom in on Photoshop, we’ve covered that for you.
• X for rotating crop aspect ratio: This shortcut will rotate the crop aspect ratio when using the Crop tool. The crop aspect ratio is the proportion between the width and height of your photo. You can choose from various presets or enter a custom value.
• F for full screen mode: This shortcut will enter or exit full screen mode when using any view or tool. Full screen mode will hide all panels and menus and show only your photo on your screen.
• / for flagging/unflagging photo: This shortcut will flag or unflag your photo when using any view or module. Flagging is a way of marking your photos as picks or rejects. You can use flags to filter and sort your photos later.
• P for picking photo: This shortcut will pick your photo when using any view or module. Picking is another way of flagging your photo as a pick. You can use picks to filter and sort your photos later.
• U for unpicking photo: This shortcut will unpick your photo when using any view or module. Unpicking is another way of flagging your photo as a reject. You can use rejects to filter and sort your photos later.
• 0-5 for rating photo with stars: These shortcuts will rate your photo with stars from 0 to 5 when using any view or module. Rating is a way of assigning a numerical value to your photos based on their quality or importance. You can use ratings to filter and sort your photos later.
• 6-9 for adding color label to photo: These shortcuts will add a color label to your photo from red to blue when using any view or module. Color labels are another way of assigning a visual value to your photos based on their category or status. You can use color labels to filter and sort your photos later.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Z for undoing the last action: This shortcut will undo the last action you performed in Lightroom. You can use this shortcut to revert any changes you made to your photos or settings.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z for redoing the last action: This shortcut will redo the last action you performed in Lightroom. You can use this shortcut to restore any changes you made to your photos or settings.

These are some of the basic keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom that you should know and use. They will make your editing process faster and easier. To see more keyboard shortcuts, you can press Ctrl/Cmd + / in Lightroom to open a cheat sheet that lists all the available shortcuts for the current module or view.

Advanced Keyboard Shortcuts

Now that you know the basic keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom, let’s move on to some more advanced and less known keyboard shortcuts that can further enhance your editing process and save you more time. These are the ones that you may not use as often, but they can come in handy in certain situations or scenarios.

Here are some of the advanced keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom:

• Shift + Tab for hiding/showing all panels: This shortcut will hide or show all the panels in Lightroom, such as the left panel, the right panel, the top panel, and the bottom panel. Hiding the panels can give you more space and focus on your photo, while showing the panels can give you more options and controls.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + H for enabling/disabling histogram clipping indicators: This shortcut will enable or disable the histogram clipping indicators in the Develop module. The histogram clipping indicators are small triangles that appear on the corners of the histogram and show you if there are any areas of your photo that are too bright or too dark. If there are any clipped areas, they will be highlighted in red (for overexposed areas) or blue (for underexposed areas) on your photo. You can use these indicators to adjust your exposure and avoid losing details in the highlights or shadows.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + V for pasting settings from previous photo: This shortcut will paste the settings from the previous photo you edited in the Develop module to the current photo you are editing. This can save you time if you want to apply the same edits to multiple photos that have similar lighting or colors.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + R for resetting all settings to default: This shortcut will reset all the settings in the Develop module to their default values. This can help you start over if you are not happy with your edits or if you want to try a different approach.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + C for copying selected settings to clipboard: This shortcut will open a dialog box that lets you choose which settings you want to copy from the current photo in the Develop module to the clipboard. You can select all or some of the settings, such as exposure, contrast, white balance, tone curve, etc.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + V for pasting selected settings from clipboard: This shortcut will open a dialog box that lets you choose which settings you want to paste from the clipboard to the current photo in the Develop module. You can select all or some of the settings, such as exposure, contrast, white balance, tone curve, etc.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + S for syncing settings across multiple photos: This shortcut will open a dialog box that lets you choose which settings you want to sync from the current photo in the Develop module to other selected photos in the Library module. You can select all or some of the settings, such as exposure, contrast, white balance, tone curve, etc. This can save you time if you want to apply consistent edits to a batch of photos that have similar lighting or colors.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + A for applying auto tone to photos: This shortcut will apply the auto tone function to the current photo or the selected photos in the Develop module. The auto tone function will automatically adjust the exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks of your photos based on their histogram and content. This can help you achieve a balanced and natural look for your photos.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + U for applying auto white balance to photos: This shortcut will apply the auto white balance function to the current photo or the selected photos in the Develop module. The auto white balance function will automatically adjust the temperature and tint of your photos based on their color and lighting. This can help you achieve a neutral and accurate color for your photos.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + Shift + T for applying auto transform to photos: This shortcut will apply the auto transform function to the current photo or the selected photos in the Develop module. The auto transform function will automatically correct the perspective and distortion of your photos based on their geometry and content. This can help you achieve a straight and realistic look for your photos.

These are some of the advanced keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom that you should know and use. They will make your editing process more sophisticated and convenient. To see more keyboard shortcuts, you can press Ctrl/Cmd + / in Lightroom to open a cheat sheet that lists all the available shortcuts for the current module or view.

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Custom Keyboard Shortcuts

So far, we have covered the basic and advanced keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom that are built-in and predefined by the software. But what if you want to create your own keyboard shortcuts that suit your preferences and needs? Is that possible?

The answer is yes, it is possible. You can create and modify custom keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom using a plugin called Keyboard Tamer. Keyboard Tamer is a plugin that allows you to assign any key or combination of keys to any function or tool in Lightroom that has a menu item. You can also change or remove any existing keyboard shortcut that you don’t like or use.

To create and modify custom keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom using Keyboard Tamer, you need to follow these steps:

• Download and install Keyboard Tamer from its official website.
• Open Lightroom and go to File > Plug-in Manager.
• Select Keyboard Tamer from the list of installed plugins and click Enable.
• Click Done to close the Plug-in Manager window.
• Go to File > Plug-in Extras > Keyboard Tamer.
• A window will open that shows all the menu items and their corresponding keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom.
• To change an existing keyboard shortcut, select the menu item you want to change and click Change Shortcut.
• A dialog box will appear that asks you to press the new key or combination of keys you want to assign to the menu item.
• Press the new key or combination of keys you want to assign and click OK.
• To create a new keyboard shortcut, select the menu item you want to create a shortcut for and click Add Shortcut.
• A dialog box will appear that asks you to press the new key or combination of keys you want to assign to the menu item.
• Press the new key or combination of keys you want to assign and click OK.
• To remove an existing keyboard shortcut, select the menu item you want to remove a shortcut from and click Remove Shortcut.
• A dialog box will appear that asks you to confirm if you want to remove the shortcut.
• Click Yes to remove the shortcut.
• To save your changes, click Save Changes at the bottom of the window.
• To cancel your changes, click Cancel Changes at the bottom of the window.

This is how you can create and modify custom keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom using Keyboard Tamer. You can use this plugin to customize your editing experience and optimize your performance.

Here are some tips and suggestions on how to choose and assign custom keyboard shortcuts that suit your preferences and needs:

• Choose keys or combinations of keys that are easy to remember and access. For example, you can use single keys like F1-F12 or Alt/Option + 1-9 for frequently used functions or tools, or use combinations of keys like Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + Shift + A for less used functions or tools.
• Avoid using keys or combinations of keys that are already assigned by Lightroom or by your operating system. For example, you should not use Ctrl/Cmd + C or Ctrl/Cmd + V for copying or pasting settings, as they are already used for copying or pasting text. You can check if a key or combination of keys is already assigned by pressing it in Lightroom and seeing if it performs any action.
• Use consistent and logical keys or combinations of keys for similar functions or tools. For example, you can use Alt/Option + 1-9 for applying presets from a specific folder or collection, or use Shift + 1-9 for applying profiles from a specific group or category.
• Test your custom keyboard shortcuts and make sure they work as expected. If you encounter any problems or conflicts, you can change or remove them using Keyboard Tamer.

Here are some examples of custom keyboard shortcuts that you can create and use in Lightroom:

• Alt/Option + 1-9 for applying presets from a specific folder or collection: These shortcuts will apply the presets from the folder or collection that you have selected in the Presets panel in the Develop module. For example, if you have selected the folder or collection named “Landscape”, pressing Alt/Option + 1 will apply the first preset in that folder or collection, pressing Alt/Option + 2 will apply the second preset, and so on.
• Shift + 1-9 for applying profiles from a specific group or category: These shortcuts will apply the profiles from the group or category that you have selected in the Profile Browser in the Develop module. For example, if you have selected the group or category named “Artistic”, pressing Shift + 1 will apply the first profile in that group or category, pressing Shift + 2 will apply the second profile, and so on.
• F1-F12 for accessing specific functions or tools that are not assigned by default: These shortcuts will access the functions or tools that you have assigned to them using Keyboard Tamer. For example, you can assign F1 to access the Graduated Filter tool, F2 to access the Radial Filter tool, F3 to access the Range Masking option, etc.

These are some of the custom keyboard shortcuts that you can create and use in Lightroom. You can create your own keyboard shortcuts based on your preferences and needs.

Cheat Sheet for Lightroom Shortcuts

Category	Shortcut	Description
Basic	G	Switch to Grid view
Basic	E	Switch to Loupe view
Basic	C	Switch to Compare view
Basic	N	Switch to Survey view
Basic	D	Switch to Develop module
Basic	L	Switch to Library module
Basic	M	Switch to Map module
Basic	R	Activate Crop tool
Basic	Q	Activate Spot Removal tool
Basic	K	Activate Adjustment Brush tool
Basic	[	Decrease brush size
Basic	]	Increase brush size
Basic	O	Show/hide mask overlay
Basic	H	Hide/show pins
Basic	Z	Zoom in/out
Basic	X	Rotate crop aspect ratio
Basic	F	Enter full screen mode
Basic	/	Flag/unflag photo
Basic	P	Pick photo
Basic	U	Unpick photo
Basic	0-5	Rate photo with stars
Basic	6-9	Add color label to photo
Basic	Ctrl/Cmd + Z	Undo last action
Basic	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z	Redo last action
Advanced	Shift + Tab	Hide/show all panels
Advanced	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + H	Enable/disable histogram clipping indicators
Advanced	Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + V	Paste settings from previous photo
Advanced	Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + R	Reset all settings to default
Advanced	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + C	Copy selected settings to clipboard
Advanced	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + V	Paste selected settings from clipboard
Advanced	Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + S	Sync settings across multiple photos
Advanced	Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + A	Apply auto tone to photos
Advanced	Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + U	Apply auto white balance to photos
Advanced	Ctrl/Cmd + Alt/Option + Shift + T	Apply auto transform to photos

Conclusion

We have reached the end of this article on Lightroom keyboard shortcuts. We hope you have learned something new and useful from this guide. We have covered the basic, advanced, and custom keyboard shortcuts that you can use to enhance your photos and optimize your performance. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, you will find something useful and interesting in this guide.

Keyboard shortcuts are one of the best ways to speed up your workflow, improve your efficiency, and save your precious time. They can also make your editing process more enjoyable and fun. By using keyboard shortcuts, you can unleash the full potential of Lightroom and achieve stunning results.

We encourage you to try out the keyboard shortcuts we have mentioned in this article and practice them regularly. You can also create your own keyboard shortcuts using Keyboard Tamer and customize your editing experience. You will be amazed by how much faster and easier your editing process will become.

Thank you for reading this article on Lightroom keyboard shortcuts. We hope you enjoyed it and found it helpful. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know in the comments below. Happy editing! 😊

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