Keyboard VIA Mappings for Photoshop Editing

If you make use of Adobe Photoshop when working on digital image editing, graphic design, or photo manipulation, you will understand the importance of shortcuts in helping you reach your desired outcome with ease and speed. We can all agree that nobody wants to be bothered with memorizing shortcuts or spending time navigating the tools that are essential to our work. By using macros and shortcuts in your mechanical keyboard, you can save valuable time in your workflow.

This is where VIA mappings come in, with VIA mappings, you enjoy the ease of making use of your favorite tools with just a tap on a single key. Smooth right? You can improve your productivity and the efficiency of your workflow by configuring your keyboard using VIA, allowing you to focus on the creative part of your work.

VIA is quite popular but not so popular, so you might not be familiar with it, but we got you. In this article we will be sharing with you some of the keyboard shortcuts that you can make use of while working on Photoshop and explain the function they carry out. We will also be sharing with you how you can configure these shortcuts on your keyboard using VIA, such that all you have to do is tap a keypad when you need to make use of that shortcut.

Common Photoshop shortcuts and their functions:

• By pressing Ctrl/Cmd + N, you can open a new file.
• Ctrl/Cmd + O is used to open a file or picture that already exists.
• You can save the paper you're working on by pressing Ctrl/Cmd + S.
• With Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + S, you can save a work with a new name or in a new place.
• You can undo the last thing you did on a page by pressing Ctrl/Cmd + Z.
• With Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z, you can redo an action that you undid with the undo command.
• Ctrl/Cmd + X is used to copy the contents of a chosen area to the clipboard while cutting it out.
• Ctrl/Cmd + C is used to copy chosen text to the clipboard without moving it from its current location.
• Ctrl/Cmd + V is used to paste the contents of the clipboard into a new place.
• Ctrl/Cmd + A lets you choose everything on your canvas or on the current layer.
• Ctrl/Cmd + D lets you choose the text that was already chosen.
• Free transform lets you resize, rotate, and skew layers or selects by pressing Ctrl/Cmd + T.
• For "invert selection," press Ctrl/Command + Shift + I.
• You can copy a layer by pressing Ctrl/Cmd + J.
• To join down, you press Ctrl/Cmd + E.
• With Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E / Cmd+Option+Shift+E on a Mac, you can make a new layer that includes all the visible content that has been merged in the document.
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + C is used to copy all of the merged text to the clipboard.
• By pressing Ctrl/Cmd + U, you can open the hue or saturation dialogue and change the colours in your picture.
• To open the save for web choice, press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S (or Cmd + Alt + Shift + S on a Mac).

While the above photoshop shortcuts can be useful and handy while working, it can also be a hassle trying to remember what shortcut works for what while trying to work on a project. Instead of memorizing these you can just configure your keyboard with these shortcuts using the VIA mappings. It is quite easy although it may be technical. You will however need little or no help configuring your keyboards with VIA. We have made the process easy for you by sharing with you easy steps to configuring your keyboard and enjoying the soft life.

How to Use VIA

If VIA is new to you, you may find it complex but it is actually easy to use. Long before now, you have to download VIA to be able to make use of it but you do not have to any longer. You just have to launch the web-based version through the web. VIA automatically detects your keyboard once it is open and loaded in your browser.

Configuring Your Keys Using VIA

• Once VIA is launched, it will automatically detect your keyboard after which you would see a keyboard layout on the top half of your screen.
• Select the key you’d like to configure in this top half.
• Select the key, function, or command you’d like to re-assign to it in the lower half.
• You would also be able to configure a group of keys to perform one command or function instead of just one key performing a function using the macron option.

How to Test Your Key Configurations

• After you are done configuring your keys, switch to the Key Tester tab
• On the top half of your screen, showcasing your keyboard, select the key you just configured and want to test.
• The function you reassign to the key to will light up, and this indicates that the keypress corresponds to that function.

How to Configure Keys in Layers

You can also configure your keys in layers. That is, you can use a single key to perform multiple functions or carry out a command. This feature comes handy when you are using a small keyboard that does not possess enough physical keys to accommodate all your functions. For example, you can assign shortcuts as layers to some of the letter keys on your keyboard. You can also do the same for the function keys if your keyboard does not come with them. Here are the steps to follow to achieve this:

Under the configure option, you will find the number of layers in each key can accommodate just above your keyboard outline.

• You will find the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3,… in that order.
• In your first layer of key configuration, 0 will be highlighted.
• Move across the numbers from 0 to 1 and so on to configure each key to multiple functions.
• You just have to hold the function key to move to another layer when using your keyboard.

Conclusion

VIA mappings make work easy and more enjoyable for you as you make use of Photoshop with your mechanical keyboard. After configuring your keyboard, unplugging, re-plugging or connecting your keyboard to another computer does not affect it. Your configuration remains intact.

You can assign multiple functions to certain keys by making use of the layer feature and also reassign shortcuts and press multiple keys as one using the macron feature.

VIA mappings is an adventure on its own and one that is enjoyable and makes work easier for you. You can play around until you get your desired results.