# Before and After View Shortcut Key?



## stevevp

Newbie Photoshop question. In Lightroom you can hide the panels and use the backslash key to see uncluttered before and after views. Is there a similar shortcut key in Photoshop please?


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## Gnits

Check out the History Panel in Ps..


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## stevevp

Thanks, but I'm really after a shortcut key for use when the panels are hidden for an uncluttered before and after view.


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## Cerianthus

Lights out L

Lightroom CC/6 Keyboard Shortcuts | The Lightroom Queen


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk


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## frozenframe

In PhotoShop, you need to create your own shortcuts for like full screen. Go to the *Edit Menu>KeyBoard Shortcuts* or press ALT+Shift+Ctl+K to open it, then to View and scroll down. Click on the blank space to the right to insert your keyboard shortcut.


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## Conrad Chavez

stevevp said:


> Newbie Photoshop question. In Lightroom you can hide the panels and use the backslash key to see uncluttered before and after views. Is there a similar shortcut key in Photoshop please?


While you can go full screen by pressing F twice, and hide all panels by pressing Tab, the missing piece is that Photoshop does not have a single-key before/after view in Photoshop that works like Lightroom.

One way to sort of do it is to press the keyboard shortcut for Revert (F12 by default), which will take you back to the last saved version. But not the original unedited version as in Lightroom, because Photoshop is not a nondestructive editor. And if you do choose to Revert, you must press the Undo shortcut as soon as you're done comparing because you do not want to lose all of your edits since the last save.

I just thought of another way to simulate it in Photoshop, if you're willing to build your workflow around this:

Always use the Background layer for the original unedited image, and don't put any other edits on that layer.
Make all edits on other layers.
In the Actions panel in Photoshop, record an action that does the following:
Select the Background layer.
Option/Alt-click the eye icon for the Background layer. (This hides all other layers.)

Now assign a keyboard shortcut to the action. Unfortunately only Fn key shortcuts are allowed.

With all that done, when you want to see a before/after, press the Fn key shortcut for your action. It will hide all layers except the Background which is the unedited original. Press your Fn shortcut again to show all layers and see the edited version again.


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## johnbeardy

One can't assume that the background is always the Before state. So you might be better off with an action that creates a duplicate of the image and tiles the two documents. In practice, you would take the current image back to the history step or snapshot you want as the Before stage, then invoke the action.

You can also right click any history step or snapshot and choose New Document. It's then just a matter of tiling, which can be a function key.

John


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## stevevp

Thanks to everyone for your advice. I'm sorry it got so complicated. I am hoping that Conrad's suggestion will do the trick. Time to learn how to record an action!!


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