Keyboard Shortcuts

Every keyboard shortcut in Macro Studio, by screen. Most of the time you only need L and E to switch between the Library and the Editor, A to select all frames, and S to stack.

On a Mac, ⌘ is Command, ⌥ is Option and ⇧ is Shift.

Global (anywhere in the app)

Shortcut	Action
L	Switch to the Library. If you’re already there with frames loaded, set the Last frame and select everything from First to Last
E	Switch to the Editor
⌘⇧F / Ctrl+Shift+F	View → Full Screen: show only the image, as large as your screen. Press it again, or Esc, to go back. See Full screen
⌘O / Ctrl+O	File → Open Folder…
⌘⇧O / Ctrl+Shift+O	File → Open Files…: load images you pick by hand
⌘S / Ctrl+S	File → Save… (in the Editor)
⌘, / Ctrl+,	File → Preferences… (on a Mac, it’s in the app menu)
⌘Q / Ctrl+Q	Quit

You can change both mode keys. The LIBRARY and EDITOR tabs always show their current key, like LIBRARY [L].

Library view

In the filmstrip and the bar of buttons above it:

Shortcut	Action
F	Set First frame: marks the start of a range
L	Set Last frame: marks the end of the range and selects everything from First to Last. It’s a separate action from the Library key, so you can change it on its own. See Customizing shortcuts
A or ⌘A / Ctrl+A	Select all frames. If they’re all selected already, deselect them
⌘D / Ctrl+D	Deselect all, and clear the First/Last range. The preview stays on the same frame. Esc does the same and also leaves Compare
D	Add the frame you’re previewing to the selection, or remove it (same as the Deselect button)
C	Open A/B Compare (needs exactly 2 frames selected)
Return / Enter	Open the one selected frame in the Editor (same as double-clicking its thumbnail). On a video, play or pause it
S	Stack the selected frames
Z or Space	Switch the preview between Fit and 100%. On a video, play or pause it
⌘= / Ctrl+= · ⌘- / Ctrl+-	Zoom the preview in / out a step
⌘⌫ / Ctrl+Backspace	Move the selected frames to the Trash (same as right-click → Delete from disk)
⌘Z / Ctrl+Z	Undo the last delete in the Library: the folder or frames come back out of the Trash. See Undoing a delete

Star ratings

Rate the photo you’re previewing, with the same keys as Lightroom. The rating is saved next to the photo, so Lightroom, Bridge and Capture One can read it. See Star ratings.

Shortcut	Action
1 to 5	Rate the photo 1 to 5 stars
0	Remove the rating

The rating goes on the photo you’re previewing, even when several frames are selected. These keys only work in the Library, so they don’t clash with the brush Strength keys in the Editor.

Mouse actions:

Action	Result
Click a folder	Load its images
Double-click a folder	Load its images and expand the folder
Click a thumbnail	Make it the active frame. A selection of two or more frames stays, so you can click through frames while you cull (Esc clears it)
⌘-click / Ctrl-click	Add the frame to the selection, or remove it
Shift-click	Select everything from the active frame to the one you click
Right-click a thumbnail	Menu: Edit single image, Reveal in Finder, Copy file path, Rename file…, Run StackCheck, Copy to folder…, Move to folder…, Delete from disk. See the thumbnail right-click menu
Right-click a folder	Menu: Load N images, Add to Favorites, Reveal in Finder, Copy to folder…, Move to folder…, Rename…, Delete from disk…. See the folder right-click menu
Right-click the large preview	Copy coordinates of the pixel you clicked, plus the switch for the coordinate readout. See Show cursor coordinates
Scroll over the filmstrip	Step through frames one at a time
⇧ / Shift + scroll	Step through frames from anywhere in the Library: the preview, a compare panel or the filmstrip. (A plain scroll over the preview zooms)
Drag a folder in from Finder or File Explorer	On empty space in the folder browser: adds it to the FOLDERS tree. On a folder row: moves it into that folder on disk. Anywhere else in the window: loads its images

Editor

Toolbar shortcuts:

Shortcut	Action
C	Compare two history entries (needs at least 2)
R	Crop. Press R again to apply and leave (as in Lightroom)
\	Before / After: show the image with adjustments off. Press again to go back. Only while you’re looking at the result (not in Crop, Spot Correct, Defringe, Retouch, the mask brush or Compare)
T	Retouch: paint from an aligned source frame into the result. Advanced mode and multi-frame stacks only
Q	Spot Correct (Lightroom’s Spot Removal key). Advanced mode only. Press Esc to cancel or Apply to keep. If you’ve made changes, Esc asks whether to apply or discard them. Unlike R, a second Q doesn’t apply
D	Defringe. Advanced mode only. A second D doesn’t apply: use Apply, or Esc to cancel. In the Library, D adds or removes a frame from the selection instead
K · M · ⇧M	Select the Brush / Linear / Radial mask (Lightroom’s mask keys). Only while you’re looking at the result. In Retouch, M is Match tone instead
O	Show or hide the magenta mask overlay. In the brush editor, O switches between the overlay and your adjustments. In Retouch, O shows the part Paint applies to (nothing on All)
⇧O / Shift+O	In Retouch only: step Paint through All, Subject and Background
{ / }	Less / more Feather on a Radial mask, while its handles are showing
S (hold)	In Retouch only: show the selected source frame in the result pane. Everywhere else, S is Stack
P / M	In Retouch only: turn Preview in brush / Match tone on or off
F	In Retouch only: Find focus, which jumps the source pane to the frame that’s in focus under the brush. Everywhere else, F is Set First frame
A	In Retouch, Spot Correct or Defringe: tick or untick that editor’s Adjustments checkbox. Each editor remembers its own setting. Everywhere else, A is Select All
← / →	Previous / next image in the history strip
⌘S / Ctrl+S (or ⌘⇧E / Ctrl+Shift+E)	Save…, only while you’re looking at the result. In a tool editor, Macro Studio asks you to Apply or Cancel first, so an unapplied edit can’t be left out of the file

Note

Retouch, Spot Correct, Defringe and the mask keys only work in Advanced mode. In Standard mode those controls are hidden, and their keys do nothing. Crop works in both modes, so R always works.

On the canvas:

Action	Result
Z or Space	Switch zoom between Fit and 100%
⌘= / Ctrl+= (or ⌘+)	Zoom in a step
⌘- / Ctrl+-	Zoom out a step
Scroll	Zoom in or out at the pointer
Pinch (trackpad)	Zoom
Click-drag (when zoomed)	Pan
Double-click	Zoom to fit
Click the image	Stop a sidebar control you clicked into from taking the arrow keys. Clicking a slider or its name does the same
Right-click the canvas	Copy coordinates of the pixel you clicked, ready to paste into a bug report, plus the switch for the coordinate readout. See Show cursor coordinates
Click the eye on a mask button	Turn that mask’s adjustments off or on. See Masks
⌥-click / Alt-click a mask button	The same, from anywhere on the button
Click a history thumbnail	Make it the active result
Scroll over the history strip	Step through history one entry at a time
⇧ / Shift + scroll over the history strip	The same as scroll

Adjustments

Action	Result
↑ / ↓ with the pointer over a slider	Nudge that slider one step, without clicking (as in Lightroom Classic). If you’ve clicked into a sidebar control, it keeps these keys until you press Return or Esc, or click another slider or the image. In Compare, they step panel B through history instead
↑ / ↓ in a slider’s value box	Nudge that slider one step. The image updates as you press
Page Up / Page Down in a value box	Ten steps at a time
⇧↑ / ⇧↓ over a slider or in its value box	Ten steps at a time (a full stop on Exposure)
Return in a value box	Apply the value you typed and leave the box. Typed values only apply when you press Return
Esc in a value box	Leave the box without applying what you typed. Arrow-key nudges you already made stay
Double-click a slider	Reset it to its default
Double-click a slider’s name (like “Exposure”)	Reset it to its default
⌘Z / Ctrl+Z	Undo the last edit on this image
⌘⇧Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z	Redo
⌘⌥Z / Ctrl+Alt+Z	Turn the last edit off or on

Crop editor

Shortcut	Action
⌘= / Ctrl+= · ⌘- / Ctrl+-	Zoom in / out by 1.25× (the same Zoom In / Out keys as everywhere else)
⌘0 / Ctrl+0	Zoom to fit
Middle-click drag	Pan
Left-click drag outside the crop box	Pan (when zoomed)

Brush editor (Mask refinement / Brush mask)

Action	Result
Left-click and drag	Paint into the mask (add or erase, depending on the mode)
Shift + left-click	Flip add/erase for that stroke
O	Overlay on or off: the magenta mask, or your adjustments applied through it. See Seeing your adjustments while you paint
[ / ]	Smaller / larger brush. The Size readout follows
{ / }	Less / more Feather (the soft edge outside the brush)
, / .	Less / more Strength, in 5% steps
0-9	Set Strength. One digit is ×10% (0 = 100%). Type two quickly for an exact value (3 7 → 37%)
⌘ / Ctrl + scroll	Brush size. Scroll up to enlarge
⌘⇧ / Ctrl+Shift + scroll	Brush Feather. Scroll up for softer
⌥⌘ / Alt+Ctrl + scroll	Brush Strength. Scroll up for stronger
Right-click drag	Pan (when zoomed)
Space + left-drag	Pan. You can change this key
Scroll	Zoom at the pointer
Pinch	Zoom
Z or Space	Switch between Fit and the zoom you were at, the same as in Retouch
Click the zoom readout	Pick a zoom level: Fit, or 25% to 300%. See the zoom readout
Double-click	Zoom to fit

Spot Correct editor

Action	Result
⇧Q / Shift+Q	Switch between Heal and Clone (Lightroom’s key)
Click (Heal)	Repair a spot
Left-click and drag (Heal)	Paint an area to repair. It’s repaired when you let go
⌥-click / Alt-click (Clone)	Set the clone source. If ⌥ / Alt is your pan key, a click sets the source and a drag pans
Left-click and drag (Clone)	Paint from the clone source
[ / ]	Smaller / larger brush. The Brush readout follows
⌘ / Ctrl + scroll	Brush size. Scroll up to enlarge
{ / } (Clone)	Less / more Feather
⌘⇧ / Ctrl+Shift + scroll (Clone)	Feather. Scroll up for softer
0-9	Set Strength. One digit is ×10% (0 = 100%). Type two quickly for an exact value
, / .	Strength down / up
⌥⌘ / Alt+Ctrl + scroll	Strength. Scroll up for stronger
⌘= / Ctrl+= · ⌘- / Ctrl+-	Zoom in / out a step
Z or Space	Switch between Fit and the zoom you were at, the same as in Retouch
Click the zoom readout	Pick a zoom level: Fit, or 25% to 300%. See the zoom readout
Scroll, pinch and pan	The same as elsewhere

Feather does nothing in Heal. Strength works in both modes.

The Defringe editor has the same controls, zoom keys included, except Feather and Strength.

Retouch editor

Action	Result
Left-click and drag (right pane)	Paint from the source frame into the result
Shift-click twice (right pane)	Paint a straight line. The first click marks one end and the second paints to it. A band shows the line until then. Letting go of Shift cancels it, and so does holding S
[ / ]	Smaller / larger brush. The Size readout follows
{ / }	Less / more Feather (the soft edge outside the brush)
, / .	Less / more Strength, in 5% steps
0-9	Set Strength. One digit is ×10% (0 = 100%). Type two quickly for an exact value (3 7 → 37%)
← / →	Previous / next source frame
⇧← / ⇧→	Select a run of frames for a slab
⇧ / Shift + scroll	Step through the source frames, over either pane
Click a filmstrip thumbnail	Go to that source frame
⇧O / Shift+O	Step Paint through All, Subject and Background. See Paint on Subject or Background
O	Show or hide, in magenta, the part Paint applies to. Does nothing on All
F	Find focus: jump to the frame that’s in focus at the dot in the middle of the brush. Over background, it picks the frame of the nearest sharp edge. If nothing nearby has detail, it says so. The line under the source pane says which answer you got. See Find focus
S (hold)	Show the selected source frame in the result pane. Let go to return. While holding it, step through frames to compare them full size. Painting pauses, and a half-drawn Shift-click line is canceled
⌘ / Ctrl + scroll	Brush size. Scroll up to enlarge
⌘⇧ / Ctrl+Shift + scroll	Feather. Scroll up for softer
⌥⌘ / Alt+Ctrl + scroll	Strength. Scroll up for stronger
Space + drag	Pan both panes together. You can change this key to ⌥ / Alt, Shift or ⌘ / Ctrl. If you pick Shift, Shift-click draws lines on the right pane, so pan there with right-drag, or add ⌘ / Ctrl or ⌥ / Alt to the Shift-drag
Scroll / Pinch	Zoom at the pointer (both panes)
⌘= / Ctrl+= · ⌘- / Ctrl+-	Zoom in / out a step (both panes)
Z or Space	When zoomed in, go to Fit. Press again to go back to the same spot and zoom. At Fit with nothing to go back to, go to 100%. Space switches when you let go, so Space + drag still pans
Click the zoom readout	Pick a zoom level for that pane: Fit, or 25% to 300%. See the zoom readout
Double-click	Zoom to fit
Double-click the pane divider	Hide the source pane for a full-width result. Double-click again to bring it back
⌘Z / Ctrl+Z	Undo the last stroke
⌘⇧Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z	Redo
⌘⌥Z / Ctrl+Alt+Z	Turn the last stroke off or on (like Photoshop’s “Toggle Last State”)
Esc	Leave Retouch. If you’ve painted anything, Macro Studio asks whether to apply or discard it. In full screen, the first Esc only leaves full screen

File menu

Item	Shortcut
Open Folder…	⌘O / Ctrl+O
Open Files…	⌘⇧O / Ctrl+Shift+O
Autostack a Folder…	—
Save…	⌘S / Ctrl+S, and also ⌘⇧E / Ctrl+Shift+E
Enter License Key…	—
Preferences…	⌘, / Ctrl+,
Check for Updates…	—
About Macro Studio	—
Quit	⌘Q / Ctrl+Q

View menu

Item	Shortcut
Library	L
Editor	E
Full Screen	⌘⇧F / Ctrl+Shift+F

Integrations menu

Only on macOS and Windows.

Item	Shortcut
Install Lightroom Plug-in…	—
Install Bridge Plug-in…	—
Install Capture One Plug-in…	—
Set up ON1 Photo RAW integration	—
Set up DxO PhotoLab integration	—

Help menu

Item	Shortcut
Quick Start…	—

Share Feedback menu

📢 Share Feedback is a menu of its own, not part of Help:

Item	What it does
Feature Requests…	Opens the public feature-request board in your browser
Send Feedback…	Opens your email app with a message to support
Report a Translation Issue…	Opens your email app with a message about a wrong or missing translation
Send Log Files…	Zips your recent debug logs and uploads them. See Getting Help for exactly what’s included
Send this Stack to Us…	Offers to send this stack’s frames to support, so a problem you’re seeing can be reproduced

Mouse and trackpad

Gesture	Effect
Scroll wheel	Zoom in the canvas, scroll in lists
Two-finger trackpad scroll	The same as the scroll wheel
Pinch	Zoom in the canvas
Right-click	A menu (what’s in it depends on where you click)
Drag thumbnails	Move them to a folder

Customizing shortcuts

You can change every command shortcut in Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts, grouped as in the list below. Only a few keys are fixed (see below).

Group	Action	Default
Views	Library	L
Views	Editor	E
Views	Full Screen	⌘⇧F / Ctrl+Shift+F
File	Open Folder	⌘O / Ctrl+O
File	Refresh Folders	⌘R / Ctrl+R
File	Save	⌘S / Ctrl+S (also ⌘⇧E / Ctrl+Shift+E)
Library	Set First frame	F
Library	Set Last frame	L (see the note below)
Library	Select All frames	A (also ⌘A / Ctrl+A)
Library	Deselect All frames	⌘D / Ctrl+D
Library	Add / remove frame from selection	D
Library	Stack	S
Ratings	Remove rating / Rate 1 to 5 stars	0 / 1 to 5
Zoom	Toggle Fit / 100%	Z or Space. Space toggles when you let go, so holding it while you scroll doesn’t toggle. In Retouch, Spot Correct, Defringe and the Brush editor it goes back to the zoom you were at instead of 100%
Zoom	Zoom In	⌘= / Ctrl+=
Zoom	Zoom Out	⌘- / Ctrl+-
Compare	Compare	C
Compare	Swap compare panels	X
Compare	Set compare panel B	B
Compare	Before / After	\
Editor	Crop	R
Editor	Retouch	T
Editor	Defringe	D
Editor	Preview in brush (Retouch)	P
Editor	Match tone (Retouch)	M
Editor	Show source frame (hold) (Retouch)	S
Editor	Find focus (Retouch)	F
Editor	Show Paint mask (Retouch)	O
Editor	Paint: All / Subject / Background (Retouch)	⇧O / Shift+O
Editor	Adjustments (Retouch / Spot Correct / Defringe)	A
Editor	Spot Correct	Q
Editor	Heal / Clone (Spot Correct)	⇧Q / Shift+Q
Edit	Undo	⌘Z / Ctrl+Z
Edit	Redo	⌘⇧Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z
Edit	Toggle last edit	⌘⌥Z / Ctrl+Alt+Z
Masks	Brush mask	K
Masks	Linear gradient mask	M
Masks	Radial gradient mask	⇧M / Shift+M
Masks	Toggle mask overlay	O
Brush	Brush size down / up	[ / ]
Brush	Feather smaller / larger	{ / }
Brush	Strength down / up	, / .

Why some keys appear twice

Six keys do different things in different places. The places never overlap, so one key press only does one thing:

Key	Here	And here
A	Select All frames (Library)	Adjustments (inside Retouch, Spot Correct or Defringe)
D	Add / remove a frame from the selection (Library)	Defringe (Editor)
F	Set First frame (Library)	Find focus (inside Retouch)
M	Match tone (inside Retouch)	Linear gradient mask (elsewhere in the Editor)
O	Show the Subject mask (inside Retouch)	Toggle mask overlay (elsewhere in the Editor)
S	Stack (Library)	Show source frame, held (inside Retouch)

M and S match Lightroom’s keys. Each meaning is its own shortcut, so you can change one without touching the other.

Library and Set Last frame share L

By default, L does two jobs. From the Editor, it switches to the Library. In the Library with frames loaded, it sets the Last frame, and the Set Last button shows [L].

They’re two separate actions, so you can move either one. Give Set Last frame another key (⇧L works well) and L only switches to the Library. Move Library instead and Set Last frame keeps L. This is the only pair that can share a key: no other action can take L while the Library switch has it.

To change a shortcut, click its field and press the keys you want. It works right away, and buttons that show the key (like Crop [R]) update too. A new key replaces the default. Reset puts the default back (for Save, both of its keys). A key another shortcut already uses is refused, with a note.

To find a shortcut, type in the search box. You can search by action (mask, crop), by section (library) or by key. Cmd+S and Ctrl+S both find Save on any system, and on a Mac ⌘S works too. Keys match whole, so Ctrl+S doesn’t also find every Ctrl+Shift shortcut. A changed action can still be found by its old key. Rows you just changed stay on screen, even if they no longer match, until your next edit or a new search.

To fold a section, click its heading, or use Expand all / Collapse all. A search shows matches inside folded sections, and folding is off while you search. Clear the search and your folds come back. Esc clears the search, or closes the window if the search is already empty.

Reset can move other shortcuts. Say you moved Crop off R, then gave R to another action. Resetting Crop takes R back, and that other action goes back to its own default. A note names everything that moved, and the key each one gave up. The list can be longer than you expect: one reset can take back two keys (Save has two), and an action that moves can bump another one in turn. This way no key ever does two things at once. Reset All to Defaults never needs to move anything.

If the bracket keys are awkward on your keyboard, move the brush shortcuts. Shift plus a letter works well, because ⇧S / Shift+S and S count as two different shortcuts.

Everywhere the app shows a key (button labels, tooltips, the hint strip under the Retouch canvas, the compare footers and the green first-run hint in the Library), it shows your key, not the default.

Shortcuts that can’t be remapped

A few keys are fixed:

• ⌘, / Ctrl+, (Preferences) and ⌘Q / Ctrl+Q (Quit). macOS puts these in the app menu and controls their keys.
• Esc (leave full screen, cancel, clear selection), Return / Enter (edit image, apply crop), the arrow keys (navigation) and ⌘⌫ / Ctrl+Backspace (move selected frames to the Trash). These stay fixed so you always have a way to cancel out of a tool.
• 6-9, which set brush Strength in a brush tool. 0-5 set Strength in the Editor too, and set star ratings in the Library. Each only works on its own screen, so they never clash. The six rating keys can be changed, and have their own rows in Preferences. The Strength keys can’t.

You can’t give another action a digit by mistake where one of these would catch it first.

Wheel gestures, per screen

Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts → Mouse gestures sets what a scroll does on each screen. Each screen lists only what it can do, so Crop has no brush rows.

Screen	What you can map
Image preview (Library, the Editor result view, compare panels)	Zoom, Step frames
Crop	Zoom
Masking	Zoom, Brush size, Brush feather, Brush strength
Spot Correct and Defringe	Zoom, Brush size, Brush feather, Brush strength
Retouch	Zoom, Brush size, Brush feather, Brush strength, Step frames

In Spot Correct, Brush strength works in both modes and Brush feather only in Clone. Neither does anything in Defringe, which shares Spot Correct’s rows but has no such sliders.

Each row offers Scroll, ⌘ + scroll, ⇧ + scroll, ⌥ + scroll, Space + scroll, combinations of two keys, and Off. Off removes that action’s scroll gesture, and the gesture goes back to doing what a plain scroll does on that screen.

Space + scroll works alongside hold-to-pan: hold Space and drag to pan, or hold Space and scroll to run what you mapped. This works whichever pan key you choose.

Picking a gesture another action already uses swaps them, on that screen only. For example, if Brush size in Masking is on ⌘ + scroll and you move it to Scroll, Zoom takes ⌘ + scroll.

Changes apply right away. Reset All to Defaults resets these rows along with the keys. The hints under the Retouch and Spot Correct canvases always show your own gestures and keys. The last row, Hold to pan the canvas, applies to every editor at once.

Scroll direction and scroll sensitivity are in Preferences → Mouse & Scrolling. See Mouse & Scrolling.

Tips

• Hover any button to see its tooltip. Most show the shortcut in brackets, like [S] or [C].
• Buttons gray out when their shortcut wouldn’t do anything. For example, Stack needs at least 2 frames selected, and until then S does nothing.

See also

• Library overview: where Library shortcuts apply.
• Editor overview: where Editor shortcuts apply.
• Preferences: change shortcuts and the pan key.