Keyboard shortcut - a serendipitous discovery

I was using MS-Excel today - in which I often use Ctrl+Tab to switch between multiple open spreadsheets.

Shortly after, I started some work with PhotoLab - and, without thinking, I used this shortcut in the expectation that it would switch focus to my Image Browser, which I had open on a 2nd monitor.

Instead, tho, and to my surprise, it switches PL’s working mode between PhotoLibrary & Customize.

It’s only a small thing - but this is much simpler than having to use Ctrl+F1 to invoke PhotoLibrary mode and Ctrl+F2 for Customize … especially since one of these two shortcuts is actually redundant (when in PhotoLibrary mode, pressing Ctrl+F1 does nothing … and Ctrl+F2 does nothing in Customize mode !)

John M

9 Likes

Works on Mac too!

That is very cool. The documented keystrokes are Ctrl+F1 to go to PhotoLibrary and Ctrl+F2 to go to Customize… To use either keystroke combination single handed on a full size desktop keyboard requires a somewhat awkward twist of the wrist and stretch of the thumb and fore finger of your left hand, and you are likely to to occasionally use the wrong set of key stokes depending on which tab you are in at the moment.

A toggle keystroke combination like Shift+Tab is a much better choice and doesn’t require an awkward wrist movement or stretch of the thumb and forefinger, It goes back and forth between PhotoLibrary and Customize using the same keystroke. That is terrific. I was not aware of it although I’m sure other people were. I wish I had known about this before. Very useful! Thanks John

Mark

1 Like

Hi @zkarj,

Yes, I confirm control+Tab (not Cmd as often vs Ctrl in Windows).

I accidently hit that combi also, i wanted to screencopy something and hitted the wrong shortcut. Didn’t do any thing with yet.
I need to think if i need it.
I use the single filmstrip mode in small thumbnails to navigate not a second screen like you.
So it could help me quick switch back and fourt between both to find a image quicker.
But i am mostly go from left to right in my filmstrip using trafficlights to monitor my progres.
Almost no projects. Mostly daystrips of one event so straight forward.

CRTL f1? Depents on you hand and keyboard size if that’s a single hand toggle.

thanks, very helpful!

generally i think photolab has room for improvement on the level of keyboard shortcuts, which actually may trigger different results (or no results) depending on where mouse focus currently is. it would be good to have a full list of shortcuts, incl. “hidden ones” (such as [ctrl] + [tab]) and to have everything rethought to be a bit more logical and intuitive.

examples: many other pieces of software use [f11] for full screen mode. why does photolab use [f12]? and why is there no keyoard shortcut to move to the next or previous picture while in customizing mode that always works, regardless of mouse focus? or is there?

F11 on a Mac is a system shortcut to hide all apps and reveal the desktop, full screen is Cmd-shift-F.

The left and right cursor keys move between pictures on the filmstrip, even when editing.

Ah so! Much needed and well hidden shortcut.
Now if we could only get a side by side view function.

1 Like

Another reason I’m delighted about this discovery is that it helps to protect myself against myself !

On too many occasions, I’ve completed a set of corrections then selected multiple images and invoked an Export to Disk … Then, while waiting for the export to complete, I’ve noticed something about the currently displayed image I don’t quite like - and proceeded to “adjust” it … not realising I still have multiple images selected (Ahhhh !!)

Now, I explicitly switch to PhotoLibrary mode (Ctrl+Tab) before I invoke Export to Disk.

John M

3 Likes

:grin:
I just walk away. 109 images in the prime modes cost 1hour and 40 something minuts on my pc.
:confounded::sleeping:

1 Like

thanks, this is at least interesting to know, but as a windows user it doesn’t make things more intuitive anyway. on windows i would still expect [f11].

this is a good example of where the same shortcut does NOT always work the same way, even in customize mode. if the focus is on the file to be customized or on the film strip then it works, however in case the last mouse click was on one of the tools then it won’t. instead it might increase or decrease a slider value. for me this is not consistent. what i am looking for is a keyboard shortcut that moves to the next picture regardless of anything else.

Hello guys,

Thank you for the feedback. I’ll ask the team to add the info to the Shortcuts panel.

Regards,
Svetlana G.

2 Likes

Peter,
What is deeprime? My PL3 installation offers only Prime noise reduction. What am I missing?
Regards, Joseph

Typo,
I ment the Prime modes . “De” is the in dutch.
Changed it.

2 Likes

So, today we know the real story about DeepPRIME :wink:

Joseph

2 Likes

:slight_smile::zipper_mouth_face::joy:
Ididn’tknownothing…

Fake news

:grin:

4 Likes

Aha !! … If you didn’t know nothing (double negative) - then you must have known something :clown_face:

2 Likes

A language professor is talking to his class.

“In some languages a double negative is a positive, for example in English. In other languages a double negative is still a negative, as in Russian. However, a double positive is always positive in all languages.”

A voice pipes up from the back of the class.

“Yeah, right.”

:grin:

2 Likes