One of the most frequent tasks I do in Photoshop is moving layers so they’re in the center of other layers or sections, so I decided to figure out how I can do it faster. If I can save a few seconds every time I need to center something, I can take less time drawing out my ideas on screen. Show The Slow WayTo get an idea of how much time I’ve gained, let’s first look at how I used to do it. 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 enough to create a guide in the center of the canvas (View > New Guide… > Vertical orientation with position set as 50%) I would then move the layer into position by pressing CMD + T (free transform) and lining up the handles in middle to the guide. What if I want to center a layer to a part of the design that isn’t the middle of the document? Well, I used to create a guide in the center of the area I needed by 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 it didn’t seem to be a problem. It seemed like the fastest way at the time but I got stuck in my ways and I now have a much faster way of doing it. The Fastest Way: Center via Marquee SelectionThe fastest way to center element(s) in photoshop is by using the marquee selection tool and I didn’t even know it was possible until recently. It’s one of those things you discover, use for five minutes and think “why didn’t I know about this before?!”. Then it quickly becomes second nature and an important part of your Photoshop process. The ProcessFirst, let’s look at how we can use this technique to center a layer in the middle of a document. With the layer you want to center selected and the marquee tool active, press CTRL + A to select the whole document and then within the move tool (keyboard shortcut: V), click either the “Align vertical centers” or the “Align horizontal centers” button (highlighted below). Click both to center the layer exactly in the middle of the document.  You can also drill down in the menus by going to Layer > Align Layers to Selection and clicking on the appropriate alignment choices there but who wants to do that? Not me and in fact, I have an even quicker way than even selecting the move tool and clicking the icons. Custom Keyboard ShortcutsI’m not happy with moving my mouse and clicking on a button. I’m lazy, so let’s make this process even faster by creating our own keyboard shortcut to center the layer. The keyboard shortcuts I use to center horizontally and vertically are:
The important thing here is these combinations aren’t being used by Photoshop for any built-in keyboard shortcuts and it’s quick and easy to trigger with your left hand. They do feel a little odd at first but once you 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… but I find this works really well. More Power!This now allows you to center one layer in the middle of another simply by selecting them both and using the keyboard shortcut. You can also center layers by any marquee selection you make yourself which can come in handy at times, especially if you want to center a layer along the third 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 use the top and left align functions almost as much as center so I have keyboard shortcuts setup for those as well. Photoshop now includes smart guides which appear on the screen as you move layers around, informing you of the location of the layer relative to other layers. You can position layers to be centerd vertically and horizontally using these smart guides but it can get confusing in a complicated document with many layers as it can be hard to tell if it is exactly in the middle of a particular layer or if it is actually aligning with another layer. This is why I still recommend using the method above most of the time. Aligning Layers using Smart Guides — As you reposition layers in a document, Photoshop displays Smart Guides to help align and distribute the contents. In the illustration below, the horizontal smart guides show that the center of the gold shape is in alignment with the top of the rust shape and the bottom of the gold shape is in alignment with the center of the rust shape. Note: the Smart Guides forming the rectangle around the gold shape define the bounding box of the shape. • With the Move tool selected: Hold Command (Mac) | Control (Win) and reposition the curser outside of the targeted layer to display the distance between the edge of the currently selected layer’s bounding box and the edge of the canvas. Holding Command (Mac) | Control (Win) and positioning the curser over the contents of another layer will display the distance between the content in the layers. You can then use the Move tool to reposition the active layer, you can also use the arrow keys to nudge the selected layer until you get the exact distance you want between layers (while referencing the Smart Guide’s measurement). Note: When using the arrow keys, the distance that Photoshop moves the layer is based onto zoom percentage so, if you want to move a layer in single pixel increments, be sure to zoom to 100%. When repositioning a third layer, if the distance between the third layer and the distance between the other layers is close to being the same, Smart Guides will snap the content of the selected layer to equally distribute the layers. • When working with multiple shapes on the same layer, use the Direct Selection tool (with the same shortcuts as above) to help align and distribute layers. • Select Preferences > Guides, Grid & Slices to change the color of Smart Guides. • Select View > Show > Smart Guides to toggle the visibility of Smart Guides or, use the shortcut Command +H (Mac) | Control + H (Win) to toggle the visibility of all Extras. Aligning the Contents of Multiple Layers — Select two or more layers (or Layer Groups or linked layers) and, with the Move tool selected, use the Align icons in the Options bar. Note: the Align and Distribute options are also menu items (Layer > Align and Layer > Distribute). Use the icons on the Options bar to align and distribute layers. Click the more icon (the ellipse) for additional options. By default, layers are aligned based upon their location within the canvas. In this first illustration all of the shapes are on different layers and all of the layers are selected. Then, with the Move tool selected, the Align Center option was chosen in the Options bar. The three shape layers are aligned based on the center of their original locations. If you want to align the layers to a specific location, use a selection tool to select the location and then choose the desired alignment option. The three shape layers are targeted in the Layers panel and a selection was made with the Rectangular Marquee tool on the right side of the canvas. When the Align Center icon is selected, the three shape layers are center aligned within the marquee selection. To align layers based on the canvas, click the More icon (the three dots) to choose Canvas. The three shape layers are targeted in the Layers panel and with the Move tool selected, click the More icon to access the Canvas option. When Align Center icon is selected, three shape layers are aligned in the center of the canvas. Distributing the Contents of Multiple Layers — Photoshop can quickly distribute layers (horizontally or vertically) based on either the spacing between layers (regardless of the size of each layer’s content), or the center of each layer’s content. The first illustration shows the original image with 6 photos – each on their own layer with a random amount of spacing/overlap between them. To distribute the layers with equal spacing between each layer, Select the Move tool and click the Distribute Horizontally icon to distribute the images. To distribute the layers based on the center of each layer’s content, target the layers in the Layers panel and, with the Move tool selected, click the More icon (the three dots) in the Options bar and click the Distribute Horizontal Centers icon. As you can see in the illustration below, this is not the optimal choice in this instance because the photos on the layers are different sizes. Assigning Custom Keyboard Shortcuts — If you use the Align and Distribute options often and want to assign a custom keyboard shortcut to them, choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts, Choose Shortcuts For: Application Menus, use the disclosure triangle next to Layer to show the menu commands and enter a shortcut next to the desired commands. Note: These menu items can also be recorded as a part of an action. Align and Distribute Multiple Shapes on a Single Layer — Use the Path Selection tool to select multiple shapes (on the same layer). Then, use the Path Alignment icon in the Options bar to align and distribute the selected shapes. Quickly Centering a Layer — Using the Move tool with “Smart Guides” and “Snap” enabled (View > Show > Smart Guides and View > Snap), makes it easy to reposition a layer in the center of the canvas. If, however, you have a very complex document with a number of overlapping layers near the center of the image, it can be difficult to “Snap” to the correct location. When this is the case, don’t forget that you can quickly Select > All (Command + A (Mac) | Control + A (Win) and, with the Move tool chosen, click the “Align Vertical Centers” and “Align Horizontal Centers” icons in the Options bar. How do I align a layer to an artboard in Photoshop?1 Answer. Select the Move Tool.. Select the layer you want to center.. Press Ctrl / Cmd + A to select all. ... . Use the Align vertical centers and Align horizontal centers buttons in the top tool bar or use Layer > Align Layers to Selection > Vertical Centers and Layer > Align Layers to Selection > Horizontal Centers.. How do I make a layer appear on top in Photoshop?Change the stacking order of layers. Drag the layer or layers up or down the Layers panel to the new position.. Choose Layer > Arrange, and then choose Bring To Front, Bring Forward, Send Backward, or Send To Back.. How do I auto align an image in Photoshop?Once you've got your images on different layers in the same document—they need to be exactly the same size—activate at least two layers by Shift- or ⌘-clicking them (Ctrl-clicking on a PC) in the Layers panel, and then choose Edit→Auto-Align Layers (this menu item is grayed out unless you have two or more layers ... How do I stop my artboard from moving in Photoshop?The move tool cursor does change from the "arrow with a cross" to the "black direct selection arrow" when you are at the edge of the artboard (if it shows the black arrow you will select the artboard). You can prevent the artboard from moving if it is accidentally selected by locking it's position in the layer panel. |
