How to Switch Brushes quickly in Photoshop?

[PiercetheIllusion]

This is one of my biggest problems and harshest workflow problems when I am painting in Photoshop.

Is there any way to actually change the brush you are using with key strokes or hotkeys instead of always opening up the brush menu and scrolling down the list? I have the brush menu on a hotkey but that isn't good enough ><

How about colors? Is there any way to switch colors with keystrokes? Like different darkness values or saturation or even a way to switch between saved colors in your swatch menu?

Even a plug-in or anything would be preferable.

Thanks :) hope there is a way.

[frog from itchy]

Yes, if you use the Tool Presets to define your favourite brushes, you can then define an action that selects the brush tool and then that particular brush preset and bind that action to a hot key.

Alternatively, in CS3 upwards I think you can also bind a specific brush to a hot key from the keyboard shortcuts dialog.

As for colours, you can use actions to select those as well, and then bind those actions to a key.

[PiercetheIllusion]

Got it thank you

[Creatinity]

I suggest you to read this interesting thread about brush organisation:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2046153

and also to read this thread I wrote a while ago about shortcutting whatever you want in photoshop (or any software for that matter)...
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=87290

in particular, you can assign shortcuts to modify the HSV or RGB of the current color... (there's actually a simpler method for PS if you are interested)...