I of the about frequent tasks I do in Photoshop is moving layers then they're in the middle of other layers or sections, so I decided to figure out how I tin can do information technology faster. If I can save a few seconds every time I demand to centre something, I can take less time drawing out my ideas on screen.

The Ho-hum Style

To become an idea of how much time I've gained, let's showtime look at how I used to do information technology. Previously I would make use of guides to center layers. If I needed to center something, I would have to setup a guide first, which can be quite long winded.

It's simple plenty to create a guide in the heart of the canvass (View > New Guide… > Vertical orientation with position set every bit 50%)

I would so move the layer into position by pressing CMD + T (free transform) and lining upward the handles in middle to the guide.

What if I desire to centre a layer to a part of the blueprint that isn't the middle of the document? Well, I used to create a guide in the middle of the area I needed past either pressing CMD + T on and existing layer or using Select > Transform Selection and moving a guide to the center of the bounding box indicated by the handles.

That seems like madness now, even though I was used to it and information technology didn't seem to exist a problem. It seemed similar the fastest way at the time merely I got stuck in my means and I at present accept a much faster way of doing information technology.

The Fastest Way: Center via Marquee Selection

The fastest way to middle element(s) in photoshop is by using the marquee option tool and I didn't even know it was possible until recently. It's one of those things you detect, employ for five minutes and recall "why didn't I know about this earlier?!". Then it quickly becomes second nature and an important part of your Photoshop process.

The Process

First, let's look at how we can utilise this technique to center a layer in the center of a document. With the layer you want to center selected and the marquee tool active, press CTRL + A to select the whole certificate and then within the motion tool (keyboard shortcut: Five), click either the "Marshal vertical centers" or the "Align horizontal centers" push button (highlighted below). Click both to center the layer exactly in the middle of the certificate.

You can likewise drill down in the menus by going to Layer > Align Layers to Selection and clicking on the appropriate alignment choices there just who wants to do that? Not me and in fact, I have an fifty-fifty quicker way than fifty-fifty selecting the motion tool and clicking the icons.

Custom Keyboard Shortcuts

I'm not happy with moving my mouse and clicking on a button. I'thou lazy, then allow'south make this process fifty-fifty faster by creating our ain keyboard shortcut to eye the layer.

The keyboard shortcuts I utilise to center horizontally and vertically are:

  • Vertically: ALT + CMD + i
  • Horizontal: SHIFT + CMD + i

The important thing here is these combinations aren't being used by Photoshop for whatsoever congenital-in keyboard shortcuts and information technology'southward quick and easy to trigger with your left hand. They do feel a little odd at first simply one time yous get used to these keyboard shortcuts it saves a tremendous amount of time over locating icons in the UI.

If you want to use a different keyboard shortcut, you can create your own by going to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts… simply I discover this works really well.

More Ability!

This now allows you to eye one layer in the middle of another simply by selecting them both and using the keyboard shortcut. You lot tin can as well center layers by any marquee selection you make yourself which can come in handy at times, peculiarly if you want to center a layer along the 3rd column of a layout for example. Just make the selection (super easy if you're using guides for your grid) with the layer selected and hit the keyboard shortcut and you're done.

Take it even further and sign keyboard shortcuts to other alignment functions. I utilise the top and left align functions almost equally much as eye so I have keyboard shortcuts setup for those besides.

Photoshop now includes smart guides which appear on the screen every bit y'all move layers around, informing you of the location of the layer relative to other layers.

You lot tin can position layers to be centerd vertically and horizontally using these smart guides but it tin go disruptive in a complicated certificate with many layers as it can be hard to tell if information technology is exactly in the middle of a particular layer or if it is really adjustment with another layer. This is why I even so recommend using the method above most of the time.

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