Master Adobe Lightroom Classic with these essential shortcuts!
Master Adobe Lightroom Classic: Essential Shortcut Keys for Photographers
Adobe Lightroom Classic is an incredibly powerful tool for photographers, offering comprehensive features for organizing, editing, and sharing your images. While the interface is intuitive, mastering keyboard shortcuts can dramatically speed up your workflow, allowing you to spend more time on creative pursuits and less on navigating menus.
It is the desktop-focused version of Adobe's photography ecosystem, designed for photographers who prefer to store their images locally and have robust cataloging and editing capabilities. Key features include advanced local adjustment tools, powerful tethering for studio work, and comprehensive printing modules. It's renowned for its non-destructive editing, which means your original image files are always preserved.
This complete guide provides a detailed list of essential Lightroom Classic shortcut keys for both Windows and macOS users. Using shortcut keys can significantly speed up your workflow, allowing you to access tools and commands quickly without navigating through menus.
For Windows, use 'Ctrl' where 'Command' is listed for Mac, and 'Alt' where 'Option' is listed for Mac, unless specified otherwise.
Mobile Tip: On touch devices, press & hold tables to scroll horizontally if needed.
🚀 General & Navigation Shortcuts
| Description | Windows Shortcut | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Show/Hide Side Panels | Tab | Tab |
| Show/Hide All Panels (including Filmstrip) | Shift + Tab | Shift + Tab |
| Show/Hide Toolbar | T | T |
| Show/Hide Module Picker | F5 | F5 |
| Show/Hide Filmstrip | F6 | F6 |
| Show/Hide Left Panels | F7 | F7 |
| Show/Hide Right Panels | F8 | F8 |
| Cycle Screen Modes | F | F |
| Cycle Lights Out Modes | L / Shift + L | L / Shift + L |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Command + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Shift + Z | Command + Shift + Z |
| Preferences | Ctrl + , | Command + , |
| Open Catalog Settings | Ctrl + Alt + , | Command + Option + , |
| Quit Lightroom | Ctrl + Q | Command + Q |
✨ Module Navigation Shortcuts
| Description | Windows Shortcut | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Go to Library Module | Ctrl + Alt + 1 | Command + Option + 1 |
| Go to Develop Module | Ctrl + Alt + 2 | Command + Option + 2 |
| Go to Map Module | Ctrl + Alt + 3 | Command + Option + 3 |
| Go to Book Module | Ctrl + Alt + 4 | Command + Option + 4 |
| Go to Slideshow Module | Ctrl + Alt + 5 | Command + Option + 5 |
| Go to Print Module | Ctrl + Alt + 6 | Command + Option + 6 |
| Go to Web Module | Ctrl + Alt + 7 | Command + Option + 7 |
| Go Back to Previous Module | Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow | Command + Option + Up Arrow |
📸 Library Module Shortcuts
The Library module is where you'll manage and organize your vast collection of photos.
View Modes:
| Description | Windows Shortcut | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Enter Grid View | G | G |
| Enter Loupe View | E | E |
| Enter Compare View | C | C |
| Enter Survey View | N | N |
| Enter People View | O | O |
| Toggle Zoom (Loupe View) | Z / Spacebar | Z / Spacebar |
| Zoom In/Out (Loupe View) | Ctrl + = / Ctrl + - | Command + = / Command + - |
| Cycle Info Overlay | I | I |
| Show/Hide Info Overlay | Ctrl + I | Command + I |
Rating & Flagging:
| Description | Windows Shortcut | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Flag as Pick | P | P |
| Flag as Rejected | X | X |
| Unflag | U | U |
| Set Rating (0-5 Stars) | 0-5 | 0-5 |
| Set Color Label (Red, Yellow, Green, Blue) | 6-9 | 6-9 |
| Auto Advance (after flagging/rating) | Caps Lock | Caps Lock |
Selection & Management:
| Description | Windows Shortcut | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Select All Photos | Ctrl + A | Command + A |
| Deselect All Photos | Ctrl + D | Command + D |
| Delete Selected Photo(s) | Backspace / Delete | Delete |
| Rename Photo | F2 | F2 |
| Create Virtual Copy | Ctrl + ' | Command + ' |
| Import Photos | Ctrl + Shift + I | Command + Shift + I |
| Export Photos (with dialog) | Ctrl + Shift + E | Command + Shift + E |
| Export Photos (with previous settings) | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E | Command + Option + Shift + E |
| Add to Quick Collection | B | B |
| Show Quick Collection | Ctrl + B | Command + B |
🎨 Develop Module Shortcuts
The Develop module is where the magic of editing happens. These shortcuts will help you fine-tune your images with speed and precision.
Tool Activation:
| Description | Windows Shortcut | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Open Develop Module | D | D |
| Crop Tool | R | R |
| Rotate Crop Orientation | X (while in Crop tool) | X (while in Crop tool) |
| Straighten Tool (while in Crop tool) | Ctrl + Drag | Command + Drag |
| Spot Removal Tool | Q | Q |
| Adjustment Brush Tool | K | K |
| Graduated Filter Tool | M | M |
| Radial Filter Tool | Shift + M | Shift + M |
| White Balance Selector | W | W |
| Red Eye Correction | Alt + R | Option + R |
Adjustments & Previews:
| Description | Windows Shortcut | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Show Before/After (Side by Side) | Y | Y |
| Show Before/After (Single Image) | \ (backslash) | \ (backslash) |
| Toggle Clipping Indicators | J | J |
| Auto Tone | Ctrl + U | Command + U |
| Convert to Black & White | V | V |
| Copy Develop Settings | Ctrl + Shift + C | Command + Shift + C |
| Paste Develop Settings | Ctrl + Shift + V | Command + Shift + V |
| Paste Settings from Previous | Ctrl + Alt + V | Command + Option + V |
| Reset All Settings | Ctrl + Shift + R | Command + Shift + R |
Local Adjustment Brush Specifics:
| Description | Windows Shortcut | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Increase Brush Size | ] | ] |
| Decrease Brush Size | [ | [ |
| Increase Brush Feather | Shift + ] | Shift + ] |
| Decrease Brush Feather | Shift + [ | Shift + [ |
| Toggle Auto Mask | A (when brush active) | A (when brush active) |
| Toggle Mask Overlay | O (when brush active) | O (when brush active) |
| Cycle Mask Overlay Color | Shift + O (when brush active) | Shift + O (when brush active) |
| Temporarily Switch to Eraser | Alt (hold) | Option (hold) |
📺 Slideshow Module Shortcuts
Create stunning presentations with these Slideshow module shortcuts.
| Description | Windows Shortcut | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Play Impromptu Slideshow | Ctrl + Enter | Command + Return |
| Preview Slideshow | Alt + Enter | Option + Return |
| Pause/Resume Slideshow | Spacebar | Spacebar |
| Next/Previous Slide (during playback) | Right Arrow / Left Arrow | Right Arrow / Left Arrow |
| Stop Slideshow | Esc | Esc |
| Create Saved Slideshow | Ctrl + S | Command + S |
🖨️ Print Module Shortcuts
Prepare your images for printing with these useful shortcuts.
| Description | Windows Shortcut | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Print One Copy | Ctrl + Alt + P | Command + Option + P |
| Toggle Rulers | Ctrl + R | Command + R |
| Toggle Page Bleed | Ctrl + Shift + J | Command + Shift + J |
| Toggle Image Cells | Ctrl + Shift + K | Command + Shift + K |
| Create New Template | Ctrl + N | Command + N |
| Create Saved Print | Ctrl + S | Command + S |
| Move to Next Page | Ctrl + Right Arrow | Command + Right Arrow |
| Move to Previous Page | Ctrl + Left Arrow | Command + Left Arrow |
🌐 Web Module Shortcuts
Generate web galleries efficiently with these shortcuts.
| Description | Windows Shortcut | macOS Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Export Web Gallery | Ctrl + Shift + E | Command + Shift + E |
| Preview in Browser | Ctrl + Shift + Alt + W | Command + Shift + Option + W |
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