P: Allow for keyboard shortcut customization

[Guest]

Customizable keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom would be great. I just find it so confusing that crop and brush tools and things like that have such odd keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom. I understand that changing that all now would be awful for many existing users, but being able to override them like I can in Photoshop would be helpful. Doesn't anyone else out there find they use to wrong keyboard shortcuts in the wrong program?

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

For P, U and X, have you tried using the ~/` key to toggle flagged/unflagged?  It's right next to the X key.

[KevenA]

That's my Z key. I'm in the non-US keyboard boat as well. 🙂 

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

Next one along?  

[KevenA]

I've found a way to make all (I am 97% sure of this) custom keyboard shortcuts work for Lightroom on OS X. It is a big work-around, but it works!

1. Use 'App Shortcuts' in 'System Preferences' → 'Keyboard' → 'Shortcuts' to create keyboard shortcuts. Follow the instructions on this page if you don't know how to do this: http://www.computer-darkroom.com/lr2_keyboard/lightroom-keyboard.htm

2. Since you always need to add modifier keys with the 'App Shortcuts' feature, to create single-character shortcuts, you will need an application. There are probably different applications that can do this, both free and paid, but I use BetterTouchTool (which is paid, but it is awesome for a multitude of differnet things—screen-snapping being only one of them).

- First, assign a shortcut in 'App Shortcuts'
- Add Lightroom in the keyboard shortcuts section in BetterTouchTool (or any other application that does the same thing)
- Add the 'App Shortcuts' shortcut and then assign a single-key shortcut to it. 

For example, assigning  'Shift+Cmd+Y' to 'Flagged' in 'App Shortcuts' (since you might need P for somthing else). Then, adding this in BetterTouchTool and assigning 'C' to it (but first changing the 'C' shortcut in Lightroom, which is the 'Compare' function, using 'App Shortcuts', to avoid shortcut conflicts). With this, Pressing 'C' toggles 'Shift+Cmd+Y', which in turn flags a picture in Lightroom.

If there is already an assigned keyboard shortcut in Lightroom (and you won't need it for another function), you can use either 'App Shortcuts' or BetterTouchTool and skip the other. 'App Shortcuts' will require a modifier key though, so BetterTouchTool would be a better option.

3. Make sure there are no shortcut conflicts!

That's it. It's quite a lot of work initially, but for Mac users (and graphics tablet users on OS X), it means not having to impatiently wait for Adobe to implement this feature, and therefore enjoying increased ease of working with Lightroom.

EDIT: Everything I've written is still correct, but there is one small problem. Assigning single-character keys to functions/commands will also be the case modify keys when typing text. 

[KevenA]

Shift key. 😄 
Victoria, see my comment below! 

[chrisoaten]

Mate, that is WAY too much *** about. Especially if Apple changes the implementation of shortcuts in an OS update or Adobe *** about with command names, as they did with the implementation in the latest Photoshop release with "Select and Mask" replacing "Refine Edge/Mask". 

I appreciate you sharing your efforts. Perhaps it will stand as an example to Adobe to pull their finger out and get on with implementing a decent customisation solution for its supposedly valued clients.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I completely agree. Bad enough we had to create a shortcut in Apple to get a simple Save As back. I'm not mucking about with creating all those kbsc. A very interesting set of steps that only convinces me it's high time Adobe Lightroom (and Bridge) fixed this. They can borrow the code from the guy down the hall. <g>

[KevenA]

It might initially be a lot of work, but as a Wacom tablet user, instead of having to use a tablet, a pen, a mouse AND a keyboard, this is worth it. I also don't have to rely and wait on Adobe to implement this feature.

I'll probably be buying an external numpad keyboard in a few days (I had to use the keyboard numpad anyway—for opacity, flow and other things—but it is about a foot away). I'm still don't know if numpad numbers are recognized differently from normal number keys, but either way, I'll be assigning useful functions to the numbers—alone and/or combined with different modifiers—which gives me quite a lot to work with. This means not having to switch over to the keyboard and mouse every few minutes, which is much better.

[chrisoaten]

Horses for courses, bud.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I use a Belgian keyboard and none of the shortcuts with a [ or ] don't work as these require me to already press Alt Gr. Increadible that this isn't fixed yet, customization of shortcuts would be the solution for me.

[johnrellis]

Which commands in particular are you referring to, and for which language is LR configured (French, German, Dutch, English)?  

Most (perhaps all) of the uses of [ and ] in English keyboard shortcuts have been replaced with other keys in other languages. For example, in French, to decrease or increase the size of the spot and adjustment brushes, use "," or ";".   Many of these shortcuts are not documented.

(By the way, I fully agree that it would be better if LR allowed shortcuts to be more easily customized.)

[stylish_mindset15A7]

I use a Swiss German Keyboard and I have the same problems. I am a german speaker, so my Lightroom runs German language. But Swiss German Keyboard Layout differs heavily from German layout, so not even resizing a brush can be done via keyboard - I believe this is poor, as there are millions of copys in the world, still no proper localisation is done for paying customers in smaller countries. Thanks for finally solving this!

[sm40605965]

Dear Adobe,

I've been using Lightroom and Photoshop for years now, and paying quite a lot for this, and I have the following issues:
- In Photoshop, I cannot use many shortcuts unless I remap them manually
- Worse, in Lightroom I cannot use the shortcuts. Period. You don't even allow me to go through the hassle of remapping them.

Unless I'm mistaken, we AZERTY users don't get a discount even though you are providing us with an extremely degraded software.

This is unacceptable. It has been unacceptable for years.

DO SOMETHING

[Nick_13]

Productivity in Photoshop is so greatly improved by customisable keyboard shortcuts, Lightroom would likewise be vastly improved (and Adobe - this would be a sales feature !!).  Hurry up Adobe, please

[Diko.bg]

Yep, Keyboard Tamer for LR is there. But it's definitely a donationware. If you don't "donate" you get to modify ONLY one shortcut. That by all IT software definitions is called TRIAL. Once limitations are present it is no longer a payment of free will. 😕 

[Diko.bg]

Actually indeed the The Keyboard Tamer has it all made available. But limited to one modification if not paid.

[Yves-CH]

OK but in QWERTZ swiss french keyboard, it's no possible to use [ and ], it's key combination of alt + 5 or alt + 6, ; , it's shift + ,, ? it's shif +? this shortcuts are not acceptable in base of a day work !! Please use the system same in PS customizable shortcuts ais the solution !!!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

This is not a bug actually, it's a lack of functionality in Lightroom, please help million of users to do something simple like, for instance, to reduce or expand a stack of pics with one touch.

please, help us!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

What the heck? Since Lightroom 2015.8 users of non-English keyboards can't use these one-key shortcuts:

• Before/After
• Deselect Active Photo
• Toggle Flag
• Show Filter Bar
  

Reason is explained by John. R. Ellis here: https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics/lightroom-translatedstrings-lr-en-us-txt-not-...

Those functions have one-key shortcuts for keys that do not exist on non-English keyboards and since Lightroom 2015.8 keyboard shortcuts can't be remapped to one-key shortcuts in Lightroom running on Mac.

Those actions can have two-or-more-key shortcuts made via macOS Preferences, but no one-key shortcut can be made. So Mac people using non-English keyboards can't have access to essential functions via their keyboards as people using English keyboards can.

It's been months. Fix this, Adobe.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

It would be great to have some options for customizable hot keys in Lightroom. 

A couple personal favorites would be hotkeys for the Target Adjustment Tools available in the Tone Curve, Hue/Saturation/Luminance and B&W adjustment panels. 

(Editing away in the Develop module)
Presses Tone Curve Target Adjustment hotkey
Target Adjusts away
Quickly moves on to next photo 

[iank82564794]

it would appear that i am not alone in this request. i have always found customised keyboard
shortcuts very useful, i use them in photoshop. why then has lightroom got no option for this?
it makes no sense have it in other adobe programs, but not this one. 

[scbirch1]

I would like to request that keyboard shortcuts be made available when working in the Lightroom Library Grid mode - instead of having to click with the mouse and go over to the quick develop panel - i would like to be able to use keyboard shortcuts to do batch adjustments to images (such as the one stop of exposure increase, add contrast - basically all the settings in quick develop should be keyboard shortcuts to increase or decrease but able to do so on multiple images selected at once - the way you can from the develop module, except without needed to option click to sync the images.)

My goal is to be able to do batch adjustments from the keyboard quickly to  multiple images from the library module using the same keyboard shortcuts that work in the develop module. The grid mode is an easier way to see multiple images and do basic corrections quickly when working with thousands of images. 

Also would like to see custom keyboard shortcut functionality for all of Lightroom modules, to create users own preference of keyboard hotkeys for editing

[scbirch1]

Can we get a keyboard shortcut to quickly apply a level (with option click availability to constrain crop) an image in the develop module. I cannot find a keyboard shortcut to level and it's time consuming to mouse click every time for an image.

Also, when will there be customizable keyboard shortcuts for lightroom?

[chrisoaten]

Hear, hear. Programmable/customisable keyboard shortcuts would be even better. Why let Adobe's code monkeys tell you which shortcuts you have to use? Define your own. Work YOUR way. 
I can't believe this thread is now six years old and STILL we wait for Adobe to respond to user requests for shortcuts

[sm40605965]

Please Adobe, do this. My Wacom is unusable because your shortcuts are designed ONLY for QWERTY, and unusable on non-US keyboard. What a shame...