TAKE A BREAK!
Time files when photoshopping, so it’s a good practice to walk away from your monitor every 1 1/2 hrs. Set a timer on your cell to remind you. Look out the window, stretch, take a deep breath, get a drink of water before you go back to all those layers & masks.

SHORTCUTS NOT RESPONDING?
If you sometimes find that Photoshop is not responding to keyboard shortcuts, press the return/enter key. You may have the cursor active in a panel or in the tool option bar and pressing the return key gets you unstuck.

COLOR CODE LAYERS
If you’re working on a file with many layers, sometimes it’s tough to keep track. You can add color codes to quickly identify select layers. Right click on a layer eye icon to see a list of colors.

CURVES
When using curves to lighten or darken or to add contrast, change the layer blend mode to Luminosity to insure that it will not shift colors. In Luminosity mode, it only affects the tonal values.

DIGITAL DARKROOM
Your computer room environment is very important in achieving consistent results in Photoshop. Position the monitor away from windows & room lights so there’s no glare across the screen. Window shades are helpful in subduing ambient light so daytime environment is not terribly different than night time photoshopping. A hood around your monitor will help keep out stray light.