Comparison · Updated
Photoshop vs Affinity Photo Keyboard Shortcuts: Every Key Compared
Switching from Photoshop to Affinity Photo, or back? Every documented shortcut of both, side by side for Mac and Windows: which keys match, which differ, and which exist in only one.
By ShortcutPosters Editorial Team · from 3 official sources
Affinity Photo borrows much of Photoshop's keyboard layout, so a switch costs less than it looks — but not nothing. This is every shortcut each one documents, joined on the key.
Every documented key, side by side
Each row is a key combination. "Different action" means both apps document it for something different — the keys your hands will get wrong after the switch.
- 22Same key, same action
- 12Same key, different action
- 15Affinity Photo only
- 15Adobe Photoshop only
| Key |  Adobe Photoshop |  Affinity Photo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| L | Lasso Tool | Freehand Selection ToolTools | Different action |
| W | Quick Selection / Magic Wand | Selection Brush ToolTools | Different action |
| I | Eyedropper Tool | Color Picker ToolTools | Different action |
| E | Eraser Tool | Erase Brush ToolTools | Different action |
| G | Gradient / Paint Bucket | Flood Fill ToolTools | Different action |
| T | Type Tool | Text ToolTools | Different action |
| H | Hand Tool | View ToolTools | Different action |
| ⌘⇧I | Inverse Selection | Invert Pixel SelectionSelect | Different action |
| ⌘J | New Layer via Copy | DuplicateLayers | Different action |
| ⌘0 | Fit on Screen | Zoom to FitView | Different action |
| ⌘1 | 100% (Actual Pixels) | Actual Size (100%)View | Different action |
| ⌘U | Hue/Saturation | HSLAdjustments | Different action |
| V | Move Tool | Move ToolTools | Same |
| M | Marquee Tool | Marquee Selection ToolTools | Same |
| C | Crop Tool | Crop ToolTools | Same |
| B | Brush Tool | Paint Brush ToolTools | Same |
| P | Pen Tool | Pen ToolTools | Same |
| Z | Zoom Tool | Zoom ToolTools | Same |
| ⌘A | Select All | Select AllSelect | Same |
| ⌘D | Deselect | DeselectSelect | Same |
| ⌘G | Group Layers | GroupLayers | Same |
| ⌘E | Merge Down | Merge DownLayers | Same |
| ⌘Z | Undo | UndoEdit | Same |
| ⌘⇧Z | Redo | RedoEdit | Same |
| ⌘X | Cut | CutEdit | Same |
| ⌘C | Copy | CopyEdit | Same |
| ⌘V | Paste | PasteEdit | Same |
| ⌘+ | Zoom In | Zoom InView | Same |
| ⌘− | Zoom Out | Zoom OutView | Same |
| ⌘R | Show/Hide Rulers | Show / Hide RulersView | Same |
| ⌘S | Save | SaveFile | Same |
| ⌘⇧S | Save As | Save AsFile | Same |
| ⌘L | Levels | LevelsAdjustments | Same |
| ⌘M | Curves | CurvesAdjustments | Same |
| K | — | Clone Brush ToolTools | |
| Q | — | Quick MaskSelect | |
| ⌘N | — | New DocumentFile | |
| ⌘O | — | Open DocumentFile | |
| ⌘W | — | Close DocumentFile | |
| ⌘⇧⌥S | — | ExportFile | |
| ⌘P | — | PrintFile | |
| ⌘⇧C | — | Copy MergedEdit | |
| ⌘⌥I | — | Resize DocumentEdit | |
| ⌘⌥C | — | Resize CanvasEdit | |
| ⌘, | — | Settings / PreferencesEdit | |
| ⌘⇧G | — | UngroupLayers | |
| ⌘⇧⌥E | — | Merge VisibleLayers | |
| ⌘⇧] | — | Move to FrontLayers | |
| ⌘⇧[ | — | Move to BackLayers | |
| J | Spot Healing Brush | — | |
| S | Clone Stamp Tool | — | |
| D | Default Foreground/Background Colors | — | |
| X | Switch Foreground/Background Colors | — | |
| ⌘⇧D | Reselect | — | |
| ⌘⇧N | New Layer | — | |
| ⌘⇧E | Merge Visible | — | |
| ⇧F5 | Fill | — | |
| ⌘T | Free Transform | — | |
| ⌘⇧T | Transform Again | — | |
| [ | Decrease Brush Size | — | |
| ] | Increase Brush Size | — | |
| ⇧[ | Decrease Brush Hardness | — | |
| ⇧] | Increase Brush Hardness | — | |
| ⌘H | Show/Hide Extras | — |
- 21Same key, same action
- 12Same key, different action
- 16Affinity Photo only
- 16Adobe Photoshop only
| Key | Adobe Photoshop | Affinity Photo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| L | Lasso Tool | Freehand Selection ToolTools | Different action |
| W | Quick Selection / Magic Wand | Selection Brush ToolTools | Different action |
| I | Eyedropper Tool | Color Picker ToolTools | Different action |
| E | Eraser Tool | Erase Brush ToolTools | Different action |
| G | Gradient / Paint Bucket | Flood Fill ToolTools | Different action |
| T | Type Tool | Text ToolTools | Different action |
| H | Hand Tool | View ToolTools | Different action |
| CtrlShiftI | Inverse Selection | Invert Pixel SelectionSelect | Different action |
| CtrlJ | New Layer via Copy | DuplicateLayers | Different action |
| Ctrl0 | Fit on Screen | Zoom to FitView | Different action |
| Ctrl1 | 100% (Actual Pixels) | Actual Size (100%)View | Different action |
| CtrlU | Hue/Saturation | HSLAdjustments | Different action |
| V | Move Tool | Move ToolTools | Same |
| M | Marquee Tool | Marquee Selection ToolTools | Same |
| C | Crop Tool | Crop ToolTools | Same |
| B | Brush Tool | Paint Brush ToolTools | Same |
| P | Pen Tool | Pen ToolTools | Same |
| Z | Zoom Tool | Zoom ToolTools | Same |
| CtrlA | Select All | Select AllSelect | Same |
| CtrlD | Deselect | DeselectSelect | Same |
| CtrlG | Group Layers | GroupLayers | Same |
| CtrlE | Merge Down | Merge DownLayers | Same |
| CtrlZ | Undo | UndoEdit | Same |
| CtrlShiftZ | Redo | RedoEdit | Same |
| CtrlX | Cut | CutEdit | Same |
| CtrlC | Copy | CopyEdit | Same |
| CtrlV | Paste | PasteEdit | Same |
| Ctrl− | Zoom Out | Zoom OutView | Same |
| CtrlR | Show/Hide Rulers | Show / Hide RulersView | Same |
| CtrlS | Save | SaveFile | Same |
| CtrlShiftS | Save As | Save AsFile | Same |
| CtrlL | Levels | LevelsAdjustments | Same |
| CtrlM | Curves | CurvesAdjustments | Same |
| K | — | Clone Brush ToolTools | |
| Q | — | Quick MaskSelect | |
| CtrlN | — | New DocumentFile | |
| CtrlO | — | Open DocumentFile | |
| CtrlW | — | Close DocumentFile | |
| CtrlShiftAltS | — | ExportFile | |
| CtrlP | — | PrintFile | |
| CtrlShiftC | — | Copy MergedEdit | |
| CtrlAltI | — | Resize DocumentEdit | |
| CtrlAltC | — | Resize CanvasEdit | |
| Ctrl, | — | Settings / PreferencesEdit | |
| CtrlShiftG | — | UngroupLayers | |
| CtrlShiftAltE | — | Merge VisibleLayers | |
| CtrlShift] | — | Move to FrontLayers | |
| CtrlShift[ | — | Move to BackLayers | |
| Ctrl= | — | Zoom InView | |
| J | Spot Healing Brush | — | |
| S | Clone Stamp Tool | — | |
| D | Default Foreground/Background Colors | — | |
| X | Switch Foreground/Background Colors | — | |
| CtrlShiftD | Reselect | — | |
| CtrlShiftN | New Layer | — | |
| CtrlShiftE | Merge Visible | — | |
| ShiftF5 | Fill | — | |
| CtrlT | Free Transform | — | |
| CtrlShiftT | Transform Again | — | |
| [ | Decrease Brush Size | — | |
| ] | Increase Brush Size | — | |
| Shift[ | Decrease Brush Hardness | — | |
| Shift] | Increase Brush Hardness | — | |
| Ctrl+ | Zoom In | — | |
| CtrlH | Show/Hide Extras | — |
Keep the new set within reach
For the first weeks after a switch, keep the new app's full list one glance away and look a shortcut up instead of guessing from the old one. The differences above are the ones to drill.
FAQ
- Can I use Photoshop shortcuts in Affinity Photo?
- Many do. The table above lists every combination both apps document and whether it does the same thing in each.
- Where do these shortcuts come from?
- From each app's official documentation. Every app page lists its sources and the date its shortcuts were last checked.