Whether you love the MAC or swear by the PC – you’re also probably one of the many users that still does everything by the click of a mouse, or you’re a growing number of the people that have realized just how effective keyboard shortcuts can be. From speeding up everyday tasks, to putting your design projects into hyperdrive – keyboard shortcuts are an easy and effective way to get things done faster.

One of the most important things I learned in the Design Essentials program between BCIT and Emily Carr is how critical keyboard shortcuts are on the MAC or PC when doing graphic design work. You may not realize this now, but solely using your mouse to navigate and maneuver items on your working surface on the computer is not only cumbersome but can actually eat up a significant amount of your time. It is not initially an easy thing to get used to, as there are differences between keyboard shortcuts (and keys available!) on the MAC and PC.

Since the first operating system I learned was the PC, switching over to the MAC when I was in school for graphic design was initially a challenge. Learning new and different keystrokes – and the difference between the CTRL (PC) and CMD (MAC) keys was interesting – considering my fingers kept hitting the wrong keys. I then became a cross platform computer user, as I really enjoy what both the PC and MAC operating systems have to offer on many levels.

I put together a listing of excellent keyboard shortcut resources, covering not only general user shortcuts on both the MAC and PC, but also a selection of effective shortcuts for typical graphic design programs such as Adobe’s InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

Click on any of the articles below to get started:

General Keyboard Shortcuts for both the MAC and PC

The Ultimate Guide to Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts

Dan Rodney’s Mac and PC Keyboard Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks

Graphic Design Keyboard Shortcuts for both the MAC and PC

Keyboard Shortcuts – Adobe, Macromedia, Quark and More

I hope you found these resources helpful!