Have you ever zoomed in super far on an image in Photoshop? If you have, you’ve probably seen that random pixel grid that Photoshop adds by default.
Hello! I’m Cara and in my work as a professional photographer, sometimes I have to be very precise. This means I might be zooming in on my photos to 1200% or even more for perfect accuracy.
However, when you get this close, a pixel grid shows up which can be helpful or distracting depending on your task. Thus, it’s handy to know how to turn it on or off as needed. Let me show you how!
Note: the screenshots below are taken from Photoshop CC for Windows, Mac or other versions can look slightly different.
Table of Contents
Turning On/Off the Pixel Grid
Not 100% sure what I’m talking about? Check out an example with this photo I took in Papasidero, Italy.
Watch what happens when I zoom in to 1600%. Notice how this grid of white lines appears?
To get rid of it, go to View, hover over Show, and choose Pixel Grid. A checkmark next to the feature indicates that is it active.
Here’s what happens when I turn it off. The lines between each pixel disappear and the image appears cleaner.
Why is the Pixel Grid a Problem?
The pixel grid can be helpful in certain situations. For example, when you’re trying to align something or need to easily see each individual pixel.
But sometimes the pixel grid is distracting. The white lines can throw the colors off and make them appear lighter because of the added white.
Being able to turn on or off the pixel grid fixes this problem. When you need it, you can have the pixel grid on. When it is distracting, simply turn it off.
Turning On/Off the Grid
There’s one other type of grid that can appear in Photoshop. This one is not on by default and it’s less likely you’ll run across it by accident.
However, this grid can be super helpful for aligning images and layers and it’s quick to turn on and off.
Press Ctrl + ‘ (apostrophe) or Command + ‘ on your keyboard. You’ll see this grid appear. With spaces so close together, you’ll virtually always have a line right where you need it.
To get rid of the grid, simply press Ctrl + ‘ or Command + ‘ again.
If you can’t remember the shortcut, go to View and hover over Show. You can turn the grid on or off from here. Plus, the shortcut is listed to refresh your memory.
That’s it! Turning on or off these two types of grids is super simple.
Curious to learn about other helpful features in Photoshop? Check out our tutorial on how to turn off (or on) snapping in Photoshop!
About Cara Koch