Layer Basics in Adobe Photoshop CC (2015 release)

This excerpt references lesson files, which are available with the purchased book.

Lesson overview
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do the following:

• Organize artwork on layers.
• Create, view, hide, and select layers.
• Rearrange layers to change the stacking order of artwork.
• Apply blending modes to layers.
• Resize and rotate layers.
• Apply a gradient to a layer.
• Apply a filter to a layer.
• Add text and layer effects to a layer.
• Add an adjustment layer.
• Save a copy of the file with the layers flattened.

This lesson will take less than an hour to complete. Download the Lesson04 project files from the Lesson & Update Files tab on your Account page at www.peachpit.com, if you haven’t already done so. As you work on this lesson, you’ll preserve the start files. If you need to restore the start files, download them from your Account page.

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Pineapple and flower photography © Image Source, www.imagesource.com

PROJECT: TRAVEL POSTCARD

In Photoshop, you can isolate different parts of an image on layers. Each layer can then be edited as discrete artwork, giving you tremendous flexibility as you compose and revise an image.

About layers

Every Photoshop file contains one or more layers. New files are generally created with a background layer, which contains a color or an image that shows through the transparent areas of subsequent layers. All new layers in an image are transparent until you add text or artwork (pixel values).

Working with layers is analogous to placing portions of a drawing on clear sheets of film, such as those viewed with an overhead projector: Individual sheets may be edited, repositioned, and deleted without affecting the other sheets. When the sheets are stacked, the entire composition is visible.

Getting started

You’ll start the lesson by viewing an image of the final composition.

1. Start Photoshop, and then immediately hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS) to restore the default preferences. (See “Restoring default preferences” on page 4.)
2. When prompted, click Yes to delete the Adobe Photoshop Settings file.
3. Choose File > Browse In Bridge to open Adobe Bridge.
4. In the Favorites panel, click the Lessons folder. Then double-click the Lesson04 folder in the Content panel to see its contents.
5. Study the 04End.psd file. Move the thumbnail slider to the right if you want to see the image in more detail.

NOTE

If Bridge isn’t installed, you’ll be prompted to install it. For more information, see page 3.

This layered composite represents a postcard. You will create it in this lesson as you learn how to create, edit, and manage layers.

6. Double-click the 04Start.psd file to open it in Photoshop.
7. Choose File > Save As, rename the file 04Working.psd, and click Save. Click OK if you see the Photoshop Format Options dialog box.

Saving another version of the start file frees you to make changes without worrying about overwriting the original.

Using the Layers panel

The Layers panel lists all the layers in an image, displaying the layer names and thumbnails of the content on each layer. You can use the Layers panel to hide, view, reposition, delete, rename, and merge layers. The layer thumbnails are automatically updated as you edit the layers.

1. If the Layers panel is not visible in the work area, choose Window > Layers.

The Layers panel lists five layers for the 04Working.psd file (from top to bottom): Postage, HAWAII, Flower, Pineapple, and Background.

2. Select the Background layer to make it active (if it’s not already selected). Notice the layer thumbnail and the icons shown for the Background layer:
   
   • The lock icon () indicates that the layer is protected.
   • The eye icon () indicates that the layer is visible in the image window. If you click the eye, the image window no longer displays that layer.

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The first task for this project is to add a photo of the beach to the postcard. First, you’ll open the beach image in Photoshop.

TIP

Use the context menu to hide or resize the layer thumbnail. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) a thumbnail in the Layers panel to open the context menu, and then choose a thumbnail size.

3. In Photoshop, choose File > Open, navigate to the Lesson04 folder, and then double-click the Beach.psd file to open it.
   
   

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The Layers panel changes to display the layer information for the active Beach.psd file. Notice that only one layer appears in the Beach.psd image: Layer 1, not Background. (For more information, see the sidebar “About the background layer.”)

About the background layer

When you create a new image with a white or colored background, the bottom layer in the Layers panel is named Background. An image can have only one background layer. You cannot change the stacking order of a background layer, its blending mode, or its opacity. You can, however, convert a background layer to a regular layer.
When you create a new image with transparent content, the image doesn’t have a background layer. The bottom layer isn’t constrained like the background layer; you can move it anywhere in the Layers panel, and change its opacity and blending mode.
To convert a background layer into a regular layer:

1. Click the lock icon next to the layer name.
2. Rename the layer.

To convert a regular layer into a background layer:

1. Select a layer in the Layers panel.
2. Choose Layer > New > Background From Layer.

Renaming and copying a layer

To add content to an image and simultaneously create a new layer for it, drag an object or layer from one file into the image window of another file. Whether you drag from the image window of the original file or from its Layers panel, only the active layer is reproduced in the destination file.

You’ll drag the Beach.psd image onto the 04Working.psd file. Before you begin, make sure that both the 04Working.psd and Beach.psd files are open, and that the Beach.psd file is selected.

First, you’ll give Layer 1 a more descriptive name.

1. In the Layers panel, double-click the name Layer 1, type Beach, and then press Enter or Return. Keep the layer selected.
   
   

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2. Choose Window > Arrange > 2-Up Vertical. Photoshop displays both of the open image files. Select the Beach.psd image so that it is the active file.
3. Select the Move tool (), and use it to drag the Beach.psd image onto the 04Working.psd image window.
   
   

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If you hold down Shift as you drag an image from one file into another, the dragged image automatically centers itself in the target image window.

The Beach layer now appears in the 04Working.psd file image window and its Layers panel, between the Background and Pineapple layers. Photoshop always adds new layers directly above the selected layer; you selected the Background layer earlier.

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4. Close the Beach.psd file without saving changes to it.

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Need images for a project like this one? In Photoshop, choose File > Search Adobe Stock to download low-resolution placeholder images from the Adobe Stock online photo library at no extra charge. If you purchase the images, Photoshop replaces the placeholders with high-resolution images.

Viewing individual layers

The 04Working.psd file now contains six layers. Some of the layers are visible and some are hidden. The eye icon () next to a layer thumbnail in the Layers panel indicates that the layer is visible.

1. Click the eye icon () next to the Pineapple layer to hide the image of the pineapple.
   
   

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You can hide or show a layer by clicking this icon or clicking in its column—also called the Show/Hide Visibility column.

2. Click again in the Show/Hide Visibility column to display the pineapple.

Adding a border to a layer

Now you’ll add a white border around the Beach layer to create the impression that it’s an old photograph.

1. Select the Beach layer. (To select the layer, click the layer name in the Layers panel.)

The layer is highlighted, indicating that it is active. Changes you make in the image window affect the active layer.

2. To make the opaque areas on this layer more obvious, hide all layers except the Beach layer: Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you click the eye icon () next to the Beach layer.
   
   

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The white background and other objects in the image disappear, leaving only the beach image against a checkerboard background. The checkerboard indicates transparent areas of the active layer.

3. Choose Layer > Layer Style > Stroke.

The Layer Style dialog box opens. Now you’ll select the options for the white stroke around the beach image.

4. Specify the following settings:
   
   • Size: 5 px
   • Position: Inside
   • Blend Mode: Normal
   • Opacity: 100%
   • Color: White (Click the Color box, and select white in the Color Picker.)
   

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5. Click OK. A white border appears around the beach photo.
   
   

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   Rearranging layers

   The order in which the layers of an image are organized is called the stacking order. The stacking order determines how the image is viewed—you can change the order to make certain parts of the image appear in front of or behind other layers.

   You’ll rearrange the layers so that the beach image is in front of another image that is currently hidden in the file.

   1. Make the Postage, HAWAII, Flower, Pineapple, and Background layers visible by clicking the Show/Hide Visibility column next to their layer names.
      
      

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   The beach image is almost entirely blocked by images on other layers.

   2. In the Layers panel, drag the Beach layer up so that it is positioned between the Pineapple and Flower layers—when you’ve positioned it correctly, you’ll see a thick line between the layers in the panel—and then release the mouse button.
      
      

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   The Beach layer moves up one level in the stacking order, and the beach image appears on top of the pineapple and background images, but under the postage, flower, and the word “HAWAII.”

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   You can also control the stacking order of layered images by selecting them in the Layers panel and choosing Layer > Arrange, and then choosing Bring To Front, Bring Forward, Send To Back, or Send Backward.

   Changing the opacity of a layer

   You can reduce the opacity of any layer to reveal the layers below it. In this case, the postmark is too dark on the flower. You’ll edit the opacity of the Postage layer to let the flower and other images show through.

   1. Select the Postage layer, and then click the arrow next to the Opacity field to display the Opacity slider. Drag the slider to 25%. You can also type 25 in the Opacity box or scrub the Opacity label.
      
      

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   The Postage layer becomes partially transparent, so you can see the other layers underneath. Notice that the change in opacity affects only the image area of the Postage layer. The Pineapple, Beach, Flower, and HAWAII layers remain opaque.

   2. Choose File > Save to save your work.

   Duplicating a layer and changing the blending mode

   You can apply different blending modes to a layer. Blending modes affect how the color pixels on one layer blend with pixels on the layers underneath. First you’ll use blending modes to increase the intensity of the image on the Pineapple layer so that it doesn’t look so dull. Then you’ll change the blending mode on the Postage layer. (Currently, the blending mode for both layers is Normal.)

   1. Click the eye icons next to the HAWAII, Flower, and Beach layers to hide them.
   2. Right-click or Control-click the Pineapple layer, and choose Duplicate Layer from the context menu. (Make sure you click the layer name, not its thumbnail, or you’ll see the wrong context menu.) Click OK in the Duplicate Layer dialog box.
      
      

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   A layer called “Pineapple copy” appears above the Pineapple layer in the Layers panel.

   Blending modes

   Blending modes affect how the color pixels on one layer blend with pixels on the layers beneath them. The default blending mode, Normal, hides pixels beneath the top layer unless the top layer is partially or completely transparent. Each of the other blending modes let you control the way the pixels in the layers interact with each other.
   Often, the best way to see how a blending mode affects your image is simply to try it. You can easily experiment with different blending modes in the Layers panel, applying one after another to compare the effects. As you begin experimenting, keep in mind how different groups of blending modes affect an image. Generally, if you want to:
   

   • Darken your image, try Darken, Multiply, Color Burn, or Linear Burn.
   • Lighten your image, try Lighten, Screen, Color Dodge, or Linear Dodge.
   • Increase the contrast in the image, try Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light, Vivid Light, Linear Light, Pin Light, or Hard Mix.
   • Change the actual color values of the image, try Hue, Saturation, Color, or Luminosity.
   • Create an inversion effect, try Difference or Exclusion.

   The following blending modes often come in handy, and can be a good place to start your experimentation:
   

   • Multiply does just what the name implies: it multiplies the color in the underlying colors with the color in the top layer.
   • Lighten replaces pixels in the underlying layers with those in the top layer whenever the pixels in the top layer are lighter.
   • Overlay multiplies either the colors or the inverse of the colors, depending on the colors in the underlying layers. Patterns or colors overlay the existing pixels while preserving the highlights and shadows of the underlying layers.
   • Luminosity replaces only the luminance of the underlying colors with that of the top layer.
   • Difference subtracts darker colors from lighter ones.

   

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   3. With the Pineapple copy layer selected, choose Overlay from the Blending Modes menu in the Layers panel.
      
      

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   The Overlay blending mode blends the Pineapple copy layer with the Pineapple layer beneath it to create a vibrant, more colorful pineapple with deeper shadows and brighter highlights.

   4. Select the Postage layer, and choose Multiply from the Blending Modes menu.
      
      

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   The Multiply blending mode multiplies the colors in the underlying layers with the color in the top layer. In this case, the postmark becomes a little stronger.

   5. Choose File > Save to save your work.

   Resizing and rotating layers

   You can resize and transform layers.

   1. Click the Visibility column on the Beach layer to make the layer visible.
   2. Select the Beach layer in the Layers panel, and choose Edit > Free Transform.

   A Transform bounding box appears around the beach image. The bounding box has handles on each corner and each side.

   First, you’ll resize and angle the layer.

   3. Press Shift as you drag a corner handle inward to scale the beach photo down by about 50%. (Watch the Width and Height percentages in the options bar.)
   4. With the bounding box still active, position the pointer just outside one of the corner handles until it becomes a curved double arrow. Drag clockwise to rotate the beach image approximately 15 degrees. You can also enter 15 in the Set Rotation box in the options bar.
      
      

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   5. Click the Commit Transform button () in the options bar.
   6. Make the Flower layer visible. Then, select the Move tool (), and drag the beach photo so that its corner is tucked neatly beneath the flower, as in the illustration.
   7. Choose File > Save.
      
      

   Using a filter to create artwork

   Next, you’ll create a new layer with no artwork on it. (Adding empty layers to a file is comparable to adding blank sheets of film to a stack of images.) You’ll use this layer to add-looking clouds to the sky with a Photoshop filter.

   1. In the Layers panel, select the Background layer to make it active, and then click the Create A New Layer button () at the bottom of the Layers panel.

   A new layer, named Layer 1, appears between the Background and Pineapple layers. The layer has no content, so it has no effect on the image.

   NOTE

   You can also create a new layer by choosing Layer > New > Layer, or by choosing New Layer from the Layers panel menu.

   2. Double-click the name Layer 1, type Clouds, and press Enter or Return to rename the layer.
      
      

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   3. In the Tools panel, click the foreground color swatch, select a sky blue color from the Color Picker, and click OK. We selected a color with the following values: R=48, G=138, B=174. The Background Color remains white.
      
      
   4. With the Clouds layer still active, choose Filter > Render > Clouds.
      
      

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   Realistic-looking clouds appear behind the image.

   5. Choose File > Save.

   Dragging to add a new layer

   You can add a layer to an image by dragging an image file from the desktop, Bridge, or Explorer (Windows) or the Finder (Mac OS). You’ll add another flower to the postcard now.

   1. If Photoshop fills your monitor, reduce the size of the Photoshop window:
      
      • In Windows, click the Restore button () in the upper right corner, and then drag the lower right corner of the Photoshop window to make it smaller.
      • In Mac OS, click the green Maximize/Restore button () in the upper left corner of the image window.
   2. In Photoshop, select the Pineapple copy layer in the Layers panel to make it the active layer.
   3. In Explorer (Windows) or the Finder (Mac OS), navigate to the Lessons folder you downloaded from the peachpit.com website. Then navigate to the Lesson04 folder.
   4. Select Flower2.psd, and drag it from Explorer or the Finder onto your image.
      
      

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   The Flower2 layer appears in the Layers panel, directly above the Pineapple copy layer. Photoshop places the image as a Smart Object, which is a layer you can edit without making permanent changes. You’ll work more extensively with Smart Objects in Lesson 8.

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   You can drag images from a Bridge window to Photoshop as easily as you can drag from the Windows or Mac desktop.

   5. Position the Flower2 layer in the lower left corner of the postcard, so that about half of the top flower is visible.
      
      

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   6. Click the Commit Transform button () in the options bar to accept the layer.

   Adding text

   Now you’re ready to create some type using the Horizontal Type tool, which places the text on its own type layer. You’ll then edit the text and apply a special effect.

   1. Make the HAWAII layer visible. You’ll add text just below this layer, and apply special effects to both layers.
   2. Choose Select > Deselect Layers, so that no layers are selected.
   3. In the Tools panel, select the Horizontal Type tool (). Then, choose Window > Character to open the Character panel. Do the following in the Character panel:
      
      • Select a serif font (we used Birch Std; if you use a different font, adjust other settings accordingly).
      • Select a font style (we used Regular).
      • Select a large font size (we used 36 points).
      • Select a large tracking value () (we used 250).
      • Click the color swatch, select a shade of grassy green in the Color Picker, and click OK to close the Color Picker.
      • Click the Faux Bold button ().
      • Click the All Caps button ().
      • Select Crisp from the Anti-aliasing menu ().
      
   4. Click just below the “H” in the word “HAWAII,” and type Island Paradise. Then click the Commit Any Current Edits button () in the options bar.

   The Layers panel now includes a layer named Island Paradise with a “T” thumbnail, indicating that it is a type layer. This layer is at the top of the layer stack.

   

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   The text appears where you clicked, which probably isn’t exactly where you want it to be positioned.

   NOTE

   If you make a mistake when you click to set the type, simply click away from the type and repeat step 4.

   5. Select the Move tool (), and drag the “Island Paradise” text so that it is centered below “HAWAII.”