Assign Keyboard Shortcuts to MixColors functions in Adobe Photoshop

Starting from MixColors 3.0 you can set up keyboard shortcuts through MixColors Settings dialog (from the panel’s menu):

MixColors - assign keyboard shortcuts in Adobe Photoshop
MixColors – assign mixing keyboard shortcuts in Adobe Photoshop

Click on the empty field next to the function description and press the key combination. That’s it! Works on Adobe Photoshop CS3, CS4, CS5, CS5.5, CS6, CC, CC2014, CC2015, CC2017, CC2018+.

You can also adjust steps for every feature. For example you can adjust brightness by value of 5 or 10 or even 17.

Here’s the list of MixColors functions that you kind bind to your key presses:

MixColorsShortcutsInfo - Add new Color Swatch
 - Add new Color Group
 - Create new Smart Color Group
 - Add Foreground Color into Color Mix
 - Clear Color History
 - Undo/Redo Color (Navigate Color History, click to get back to older colors you chose for Photoshop Foreground)
 - Pick Color from Color Mix into History
 - Turn on Mix Eyedropper mode
 - Toggle Auto-Sync mode
 - Mix colors from each of 3 Mixers with main color (no matter if Auto-sync is on)
 - Mix colors from each of 3 Mixers with Photoshop Foreground (no matter if Auto-sync is off)
 - Load colors into each of 3 Mixers
 - Mix colors from each of 3 Mixers with main color and then update mixer with this color
 - Open/Close MixColors panel

Adobe Photoshop CS3 and CS4 troubleshooting

Due to limitations on older Adobe products on Adobe Photoshop CS3 and CS4 you can assign keyboard shortcuts using Photoshop Edit -> Keyboard Shortcuts… dialog. In the dialog locate File -> Scripts menu and assign keyboard shortcuts to “(MC)…” scripts.

Tip#50: MixColors 2 and new swatch groups

New MixColors 2.0 is the fastest way to organize swatches in groups in Photoshop.

  • Click on the folder icon to create new group
  • Click on the group name to activate it
  • Click on arrow next to group name to hide/show colors in the group.
MixColors panel with swatch color groups in Photoshop
MixColors panel with swatch color groups in Photoshop

You can move colors between groups and inside one group using drag’n’drop! The feature works across all modern versions of Photoshop from CS3, CS4, CS5 and CS6 up to CC 2015.

MixColors, the color mixer and swatch group manager for Adobe Photoshop