Select View > Show > Smart Guides to toggle Smart Guides on or off. When enabled, a checkmark appears next to the Smart Guides option in the menu.
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Learn the basics
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Smart objects
- Smart Objects - overview and benefits
- Create embedded Smart Objects
- Create linked Smart Objects
- Update Linked Smart Objects
- View Linked Smart Object properties
- Embed Linked Smart Objects
- Package and locate linked Smart Objects
- Convert embedded Smart Objects to linked
- Filter the Layers panel by Smart Objects
- Duplicate an embedded Smart Object
- Edit the contents of a Smart Object
- Replace the contents of a Smart Object
- Convert Smart Objects to layers
- Rasterize Smart Objects
- Export the contents of an embedded Smart Object
- Reset Smart Object transforms
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Resize and adjust resolution
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Refine and modify selections
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- Create a selection around a selection border
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Repair and retouch
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Remove objects and fill space
- Remove background in your images
- Replace background with Generate Background
- Retouch tools overview
- Blend objects and people into any background with Harmonize
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Clean and restore images
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- Remove red eye in flash photos
- Define an image as a preset pattern
- Erase parts of an image with the Eraser tool
- Auto Erase with the Pencil tool
- Create smoother brush strokes using stroke smoothing
- Change pixels to transparent with the Background Eraser tool
- Remove similar pixels with the Magic Eraser tool
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Remove objects and fill space
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Adjust color
- Color profiles
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Apply painting techniques
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Brushes and presets
- Get started with brush presets
- Display the Brush Settings panel and brush options
- Create a brush tip from an image
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Draw shapes and paths
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Text and typography
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Effects and filters
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Artistic and stylize filters
- Reshape and distort images with Transform Warp
- Warp a Layer with Cylindrical Transform
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- Overview of Liquify filter
- Overview of distortion tools
- Use Liquify to distort an image
- Freeze or thaw areas
- Work with meshes
- Work with backdrops
- Reconstruct distortions
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- Neural filters
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Use grids and measurement guides
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Add video and animation
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Create animation frames
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- Choose a frame disposal method
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Create animation frames
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Automate tasks
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Save and export
- Save files
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Export files to different formats
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- Enhance animation frames
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- Export video files or image sequences
- Photoshop file formats overview
- File compression in Photoshop
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- Image file formats supported in Photoshop
- Export your work using the Quick Export as option
- Fine-tune export settings with Export As
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Share and collaborate
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App integrations
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Troubleshoot
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Work efficiently with Smart Guides
Last updated on
Oct 27, 2025
Enable Smart Guides to automatically align objects and measure distances between elements while designing in Adobe Photoshop.
Smart Guides help you align shapes, layers, and selections with precision in Photoshop. These temporary visual guides appear automatically when you create or move elements, making it easier to position items relative to each other.
Smart Guides are particularly useful when you need to create symmetrical layouts, align multiple objects, or maintain consistent spacing between elements. Unlike regular guides that you manually place, Smart Guides appear dynamically as you work, showing alignment opportunities and measurements in real-time.
Enable Smart Guides
Tip
You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+U (Windows) or Command+U (macOS).
Align objects using Smart Guides
Select the Move tool.
Select View > Snap for precise alignment.
Drag a layer, shape, or selection in your document to view pink Smart Guides when your element aligns with the edges, centers, or boundaries of other objects. Smart Guides will show the distance in pixels between objects as you move them.
Release the mouse to position your element in perfect alignment.
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