Build your first shortcut.
This guide describes the current development interface. Public installation and activation will open with a verified release.
1. Choose an adjustment.
Open ToneKeys Settings and select Functions. Search for Exposure, then choose Add increase or Add decrease. A listed function with an unavailable explanation cannot control Lightroom yet.
2. Record and review.
Choose Record shortcut, press a single key or your preferred combination, then release all keys. Set the signed Exposure step in EV and choose Apply. For example, you could assign Control–Option–E to +0.10 and Control–Option–D to −0.10. These are examples to configure, not a promise of preinstalled mappings.
Recording pauses adjustments. If the key matches a known Lightroom shortcut, a small notice explains its original action. You can choose Apply and override to let ToneKeys take priority when control is available. A duplicate mapping inside ToneKeys must be corrected before saving. Cancel keeps the previous mapping.
The reference covers known Lightroom shortcuts, so no match does not guarantee that a key is free of system, custom or other plugin conflicts. When ToneKeys is paused or a text field is being edited, the key can still perform its original Lightroom action.
3. Choose a keyboard layout.
Select Keyboard / Cheatsheet and choose MacBook / Magic Keyboard or Magic + Numeric, each in US or UK. The window adjusts to the selected layout. Use the modifier layer to find the matching combination. Select a key and choose Edit selected key, or use its Edit key accessibility action.
The function list and keyboard share one profile. Bindings outside the visible layout remain listed below the keyboard. Undo and Redo include layout changes; exporting saves the complete profile.
4. Check Lightroom before using a mapping.
ToneKeys needs a valid local license, working keyboard capture, a connected plugin and an editable target before it can become Ready. The current Exposure path requires a single supported RAW photo in Develop, outside text editing and unsupported contexts.
When control is unavailable, a shortcut can pass through to Lightroom and trigger its own behavior. While a number field is selected, this can change or clear the selected text. Leave the field before expecting a ToneKeys adjustment.
Help and the HUD
Change Help shortcut in Settings to choose the Cheatsheet combination. The default is Control–Option–F1. Help cannot use the same combination as an adjustment; choose a free combination before saving. The hold-to-show and mouse-hold-to-edit paths are still undergoing physical input testing.
Use Show adjustment HUD to enable feedback. A normal adjustment shows the action and amount, such as Exposure −0.1 EV. It does not show Requested, Applied or the final absolute value. If a result is uncertain, inspect the photograph before trying again; an uncertain result is not a confirmed failed adjustment.