I often find myself switching between tools briefly to perform one quick task, then going back to my original tool and continuing to work. The Spring-loaded keyboard shortcuts are a subtle, yet effective, productivity boost designed to reduce the number of times you need to switch between tools for quick adjustments.

To illustrate the spring-loaded keyboard shortcuts, I’ll use an example of compositing two images together. As you paint on the Layer mask to blend the two images, you notice the seam between the images doesn’t quite match. Instead of pressing “V” to switch to the move tool, press and hold the “V” key to temporarily switch to the move tool. As soon as you release the V key, Photoshop switches back to the brush, allowing you to resume masking.

Any simple steps you can take to improve each step of the workflow compounds to create a significantly faster workflow. Using keyboard shortcuts in concert with actions and presets allows you to concentrate your time on the artistic processes in your workflow.

Bonus Tip: Customize your keyboard shortcuts giving the Burn and Dodge tools separate shortcuts. For example, I switched the Burn tool to “K” and left the Dodge tool at the default shortcut “O”. This allows you to quickly switch between burning and dodging using the Spring-loaded keyboard shortcut.