Coming from Photoshop: what carries over, what is different
A migration guide for people who know Photoshop and are trying a browser editor. The habits that work unchanged, the ones with a new name, the things that are not there, and the three shortcuts the browser forces you to relearn.
Beginner4 min readUpdated 27 September 2026Editor
On this page
What works the way you expect
| Photoshop habit | In the Editor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Layers panel, groups, opacity, blend modes | The same | Colour labels, lock, hide, rename, merge and stamp visible (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E) all present. See Layers. |
| Layer mask, Alt-click to view, Shift-click to disable | The same | Layer, Layer mask, Add mask. Vector masks and quick mask (Q) too. See Masks. |
| Clipping mask | Ctrl+Alt+G | Press again to release. |
| Adjustment layers | Curves, Levels, Hue/Saturation, Colour balance, Black and white and the rest, as layers | From the Layers panel button or Image, Adjustments. See Adjustment layers. |
| Selections, feather, Select subject, Select and mask | The same, Ctrl+Alt+R for Select and mask | Marquee, lasso, polygonal lasso, magic wand, object select. See Selections. |
| Free transform | Ctrl+T | Skew, distort, perspective and warp in the Edit menu. |
| Layer styles | Drop shadow, inner shadow, glows, stroke, colour and gradient overlay, bevel | See Layer styles. |
| Tool keys | The same letters: V M L W C I J B S E G O P A T U H Z | Shift plus the key cycles the family, as in Photoshop. |
| Type with Character and Paragraph panels | The same | Any Google Font by name, or a font file from your computer (.ttf, .otf, .woff, .woff2). Fonts installed on the computer are not listed; add the file. Text on a path. See Type. |
| Filters | Filter gallery, applied as editable filter layers | Fade, mask and stack them. See Filters in the Editor. |
| Artboards | Boards | See Boards. |
| History panel and before/after | History panel; hold \ for the before view | See History and undo. |
| Open a PSD | File, Open (Ctrl+O) | Layers, groups, masks, text, adjustments and styles come through, with a report of anything changed. See Edit a PSD without Photoshop. |
What is different by design
- Where the files are. Designs are saved in the browser on this device (Ctrl+S), or to a .void file on disk (Ctrl+Shift+S). There is no cloud library and no account needed. Back up by exporting or saving to disk. See Saving and your files.
- RGB only. Every export is RGB. Printers convert with their own profile; the print files say RGB on them. See Designing for print.
- PSD in, not out. PSDs open with their layers; the Editor does not write PSD. Deliver PNG, JPG, WebP or PDF, and keep a .void file for the layers.
- Image-based PDF. The PDF export renders the page at 300 dpi as an image. Fine for flyers and posters; not selectable text.
- Imports are capped at 4096 px on the longest side, to keep the browser responsive. Enough for A4 at 300 dpi and A3 at about 248 dpi.
What is not there
- Smart objects. Layers are pixels, text, shapes, adjustments or filters. A smart object in a PSD arrives as pixels.
- Actions and scripting. Repeatable work is done with templates, the brand kit, and Resize to every format instead.
- Third-party plugins and Camera Raw. Adjustment layers and the 58 effects are what there is.
- Colour management and soft proofing. Ask the printer for a proof.
The shortcuts that change, and why
- Ctrl+Alt+N
- New design. The browser keeps Ctrl+N for a new window
- Ctrl+Alt+W
- Close the design. The browser keeps Ctrl+W for the tab
- Ctrl+E
- Export as (PNG, JPG, WebP, PDF). Photoshop's Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S is not needed
- Ctrl+Alt+I and Ctrl+Alt+C
- Image size and Canvas size, as in Photoshop
- Ctrl+K
- Search every action by name. Faster than remembering where a command lives
- ?
- The shortcut sheet, with a search box
Everything else is on Every keyboard shortcut in Voidcanvas. Mac users press Cmd wherever this says Ctrl.
First hour: a suggested order
- Open one of your own PSDs with Ctrl+O and read the Opened report. That tells you, for your files, what carried over.
- Take the Editor tour to see where the panels are. The layout follows Photoshop on purpose.
- Press Ctrl+K and type the name of any command you cannot find. If it exists, it is there.
- Do a job you know: a mask, a curves fix, a type layer with a stroke, an export. Then the Coming from Photoshop route covers the rest in order.
Is it a free Photoshop alternative?
For layered image editing, retouching, type, effects and print and screen export, yes, in the browser with no account. It is not a replacement for CMYK prepress, smart objects, actions or Camera Raw.
Can I keep using my PSD files?
You can open them, with layers, masks, text, adjustments and styles carried over as far as the format allows and a report of anything changed. You cannot save back to PSD; keep a .void file for the layers and deliver PNG, JPG, WebP or PDF.
Do my shortcuts still work?
The tool keys and most Ctrl shortcuts are the same. New, Close and Export differ because the browser owns Ctrl+N and Ctrl+W; they are Ctrl+Alt+N, Ctrl+Alt+W and Ctrl+E.