We seem to have struck a chord last week with digital photograpy, based on the volume of responses.  So we picked a few to share, and you can read them below in Reader Feedback.

In the 'old days', before a mouse, or graphical user interface (GUI) existed, menu's had shortcuts to reduce keyboard strokes.  Those shortcuts used the CTRL and ALT key in combination with a letter, or letters.  In fact, you probably use some of those keyboard shortcuts: CTRL+X for Cut, CTRL+C for Copy, and CTRL+V for Paste.  That shorthand means holding down the Control key while pressing a letter.  If you have any version of MS Word, go to the Navigation bar and look under Edit, and you will see those three shortcuts still exist for Cut, Copy and Paste.  In fact, they exist in most programs that have an Edit feature.  Other shortcuts, such as applying font attributes include CTRL+B for Bold, CTRL+I for Italic and CTRL+U for Underline.  Those shortcuts can be faster to use with a laptop on a crowded airline snack tray, than trying to scroll back and forth with a touch pad. 

Why do menus have a letter underlined, like Edit?  Assume you had a document open in MS Word and wanted to find the word Lagniappe.  Type ALT+EF, that's the shortcut for Edit Find and the Find window opens up.  Then type Lagniappe - voilà, the first occurence of Lagniappe is found.

The ALT+"x" sequence allows you to string together many steps as if you had typed, or clicked on each one.  It's also a helpful short-hand way of sending instructions to someone else.  The ALT key does not need to be held down while pressing the other keys.  ALT+FS for File Save, or ALT+FA for File Save As.  Notice the underlined letter is not always the first letter.

Now that you have been exposed to shortcuts, I'm sure you will find many others that apply to your work.

And in case you were wondering, Lagniappe is a common word in the Gulf states, and especially Louisianna, frequently associated with food and restaurants.  It has Creole origins, and the meaning is generally "...an extra or unexpected gift or benefit.”  We hope that's what you got this week.