How to Use Hand Tool in Photoshop CC [2023]

If you want to save your time and energy on photo editing tasks, you should know how to use the hand tool in Photoshop cc. The main reason is that the hand tool in Photoshop helps you move around the picture quickly. This tool is very useful and frequently used by professional photo editors like clipping path service providers.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn about how to use hand tool in Photoshop by following step-by-step guidelines. So, start reading now till the end of this blog post.

How to Use Hand Tool in Photoshop CC? [Step-by-Step Guidelines]

There are some quick ways to activate the hand tool in Photoshop CC. Before going into the tutorial, it’s better to upgrade your Photoshop version. In this step-by-step tutorial, I’ve used the latest version of Photoshop 2023. So, let’s get started! Happy reading!

Step 1:

First of all, go to the toolbar which is located on the left side of your Photoshop interface. Then you’ll find the icon that shows a hand. Now, click on the “Hand Tool.”

Alternatively, you can also press “H” (Hand tool Photoshop shortcut) on your keyboard to activate the hand tool in Photoshop CC.

When you want to see a different part of your picture in Photoshop workspace, you can use the hand tool in Photoshop. It lets you move your picture around on the screen. You can use the Hand Tool for a short time by pressing the spacebar on your keyboard. Then you can drag your picture file to where you want it. When you let go of the spacebar, the “Hand Tool” will stop working.

Step 2:

When you activate the Hand Tool in Photoshop, you will see some new options on the top bar. Hence, you can easily change how the “Hand Tool” works with these options. Sometimes you may have more than one picture open in Photoshop CC. If you want to move all of them at the same time, you can click on the box that shows “Scroll All Windows.” Then you can use the “Hand Tool” to move all your pictures together.

Step 3:

If you want to see the picture file bigger on your Photoshop workspace, you can use the Zoom tool in Photoshop to do that. There are different ways to zoom in on your picture.

One way is to click on the button that shows 100%. This will make your picture as big as it can be on the screen.Another way is to use some keys on your keyboard. If you’ve a Windows computer, you can press Control and + together. If you’ve a Mac computer, you can press Command and + together. This will make your picture bigger by a certain amount. You can press these keys more than once to make your picture even bigger.

For example, if you press them once, your picture will be 25% bigger. If you press them twice, your picture will be 50% bigger. You can continue the task until you’re satisfied with the picture position.

Step 4:

When you open a picture in Photoshop, it will fit the screen. This is how your picture normally looks. But you can change how your picture looks by using the zoom tools. If you want to go back to the normal view, you can use the “Fit Screen” button. You can also use some keys on your keyboard.

For Windows computers, you need to press “Control and 0” together. For Mac computers, you have to press “Command and 0” together. This will make your picture fit the screen again.

Step 5:

Now, to fill the screen with your picture in Photoshop, you can use the “Fill Screen” button. You can also zoom in or out with the Zoom tools. To go back to the normal view, press “Control and 0” (for Windows) or “Command and 0” (for Mac).

Step 6:

Now let’s see how the Hand Tool can help you with other tools. The Hand Tool lets you move around the picture easily. For example, you want to draw the cup in the picture below with the Pen Tool. Here, you need to select the “Pen Tool” (P) first from the left-side toolbar options.

Step 7:

With the Pen Tool, you can draw the object by clicking on different points around it. This will make a line that follows the shape of the object. Just look at the line that I did below.

Also Read: How to add drop shadow in Photoshop CC

Step 8:

It’s hard to see the document more clearly when it is far away. Therefore, you need good eyes to do that. In this case, the hand tool in Photoshop plays a vital role. Simply use the “Hand Tool” to make your work easier. Press “H” on your keyboard to turn on the Hand Tool.

Step 9:

After that, go to the above toolbar options and then click the button that displays 100%.

Step 10:

Now, the object’s edges will look clearer when you do this. You can use the tool to move the picture around. Click and hold on to the picture with the tool and drag it to where you want to change something.

Step 11:

Finally, you can activate the Pen Tool (P) again to draw the object’s edge more accurately. That’s it!

Final Notes

In a nutshell, you need to see the picture clearly to change it. If you can’t see it well, you might make mistakes. But the hand tool in Photoshop can help you with that. Moreover, the Hand Tool lets you move the picture when you make it bigger. This helps you to see any part of the picture better by putting it in the middle of the screen. This makes it faster and stress-free for you to change the picture without making errors.

We hope you’ve learned some new things from this Photoshop tutorial. Have any questions? Please comment below.
Happy hand tool in Adobe Photoshop!