Drag Selection Shortcut Key
September 29th, 2006 Filed in: Tricks & Tips Jump to comments
While I was working in Photoshop, I accidentally found a very cool shortcut which allows you to drag the inactive selection around. Have you ever tried to make a precise rectangle selection, but dragged at the wrong position, and you had to release your mouse and re-drag again? Well, next time before you release your mouse button, hold down the Spacebar and Photoshop will allow you to drag the selection around.
Test it now:
- use the Rectangular Marquee tool
- drag any where in your document (don’t release your mouse yet)
- then hold down the Spacebar
- now you can drag the selection around
This also works for Crop and Shape tools (Photoshop and Illustrator).
October 1st, 2006 at 3:05 pm
Hmm… Nice trick but didnt work for me im on a mac using cs2
Nvm it did haha thanks
October 1st, 2006 at 11:28 pm
LA Knight,
I’m using Mac CS2 too. You have to press Spacebar before releasing the mouse.
October 2nd, 2006 at 4:22 am
No shortcut is required on Fireworks… Thank you though, I’m sure it will come in handy in AI…
October 2nd, 2006 at 6:17 am
you could also select marquee tool and place the arrow inside and u can drag the selection around even without holding the spacebar.
note:make sure you select the marquee tool,once u place it inside the selection it will turn into marquee arrow
October 2nd, 2006 at 9:43 am
Here works fine!
Nice trick, and very useful!
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:17 am
This shortcut works in all the main Adobe products, i.e. illustrator, Photshop and InDesign. I thought I would share this just in case you all use these as well.
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:03 pm
Thanks Lupe. I’ve never tested in InDesign.
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:41 pm
Thanks for the tips!
October 3rd, 2006 at 6:09 am
Hehe I know this tip before. :)
October 3rd, 2006 at 2:42 pm
In Photoshop CS2, you don’t need to press the SPACEBAR, just make your selection box, and then move the mouse inside and the cursor will changue to an arrow/with dotted rectangle.
Bye!, good tip!
October 4th, 2006 at 9:44 pm
just wanted to say that your current redesign is one of the best thing I have ever seen online. I am still…like…..wow…. congrats.
October 5th, 2006 at 7:03 am
Nice tip. as said earlier, photoshop CS2 doesn’t require pressing spacebar.
anyways, now that you are free, we need more and more cool work from you. :)very nice re-design. (though, i don’t like bla…ck)
October 5th, 2006 at 4:54 pm
Oh people, you were always able to move around the selection box. He is talking about being able to move the selection box and still be able to size it as well. Without pressing space, you are stuck with the dimensions of the selection.
October 12th, 2006 at 7:13 am
Wow that’s cool and very handy!
Thanx
October 13th, 2006 at 12:48 am
nice help thanks
very usefull
October 13th, 2006 at 7:04 am
good good…im very like your grapphic design
October 13th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
as has been said you cand drag via the marquee tools aarow while still in the marquee tool - or right click and choose transform selection.
October 13th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
I think there is a misunderstanding here. I mean you can shift the unselected area around with the spacebar. Drag on the document, but don’t release your mouse yet, then hold on the spacebar, now you can shift the unselected area around.
October 14th, 2006 at 9:04 am
Cool tip i knew you could move a selection thats what i thought you were on about but this is useful.
cheers
October 20th, 2006 at 9:43 am
nice tip buddy…tanx!!!
October 31st, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Spacebar (genral pan tool) is also useful in Illustrator when using the pen tool. Say you want to relocate the most recent point while designing a curve, press spacebar while holding on to your left mouse button and drag the point to a new location. Guess it works for the Photoshop pen tool too.
November 18th, 2006 at 2:18 pm
I HAVE SEEN THIS …FIRST TIME…VERY NICE..
HELP…VERY USEFUL…I WILL NEVER THIS FORGET…ALWAYS REMEBER..
December 8th, 2006 at 4:51 pm
Awesome! I consider myself a vary advanced p-shop user who uses a lot of shortcuts and I didn’t know about this one. Thanks!
December 12th, 2006 at 7:46 am
.. and if you hold Ctrl while spacebar-dragging your selection, you will override the ‘Snap’-function and be able to move it px by px..
- This applies to Shape + Crop tool as well.
Neat.
December 14th, 2006 at 3:42 am
I am still waiting of Adobe cs3 pakage.
December 14th, 2006 at 7:28 am
nice tric
give me some more shortcut keys
January 18th, 2007 at 5:52 am
hello
giving a new idea to drag
If u have any new command plz mail me
thanx
raj
February 18th, 2007 at 2:44 am
hi.. this trick is not that cool coz i knew this… but there is lot of things i learned from this site.. the website is useful.
Thanx
May 29th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
YOu dont have to hold down space. Just make your selection and it automatically allows you to click and drag it. in CS2. - Ruben
September 5th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
here is somthing i found i hope to be usefull for you
you can select the layer behinde by Alt+{
and the front layer by Alt+}
and you can also change your layer style by
Shift+Alt+o to make your layer style Overlay and S to make it Screen layer
and C to make it color layer and L to make it Lemosiny and F to make it Soft light
and you can finde out the rest of layer stayl short cut by tring another letters
also you can change your layer opicty by select any tool that have no Opcity Option
then clik on any number
September 5th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
yeah i forget to tell you that you can change the layer style by Shift + Alt + -
by that kyes you can change your layes style step by step starting with normal then dissolve ….. Etc and you can go back by Shift + Alt + +