Adobe Photoshop Elements

About layers

You create and manage layers using the Layers palette and the Layers menu. Layers give you the freedom to rearrange your image, adjust its color and brightness, apply special effects, edit, and add new elements to your image. With layers, all these things can be done without making permanent changes to your original image and without affecting other layers.

When you create, import, or scan an image in Photoshop Elements, the image consists of a single layer. If you're retouching the image, you can edit the original layer to make permanent changes. Alternatively, you can leave the original layer intact as a backup, and retouch a duplicate copy of the layer, or use adjustment layers to fine-tune your image.

The power of layers is that they enable you to work on one element of your image without disturbing the others, and without making tedious selections. Until you combine, or merge, the layers, each layer remains independent. This means you can experiment freely with different compositions without making permanent changes to your overall image. In addition, special features such as adjustment layers, fill layers, and layer styles let you create sophisticated effects.

A good way to think of layers is as sheets of transparent glass stacked one on top of the other. Where there is no image on a layer, you can see through to the layers below. Behind all of the layers is the Background layer. In the following illustration, each animal and the map are on separate layers. The map of Africa is the Background layer. Depending on how you stack and position the layers, the composition changes.


Transparent areas on a layer let you see through to the layers below.

You can also create sophisticated visual effects with layers. Grouped layers use a base layer to define the image boundaries of a layer group, and you can use layers to create a Web animation. In addition, the Layer Styles palette lets you apply special visual effects to a layer. (See About layer styles.)

In addition to pixel-based image layers, there are several other layer types. Fill layers are filled with a color gradient, solid color, or pattern. You can fill the entire image area or just a selected area. You can fine-tune the color, brightness, saturation of your image using Adjustment layers. Type layers and Shape layers let you create crisp vector-based text and shapes. When you're ready to paint on these four layer types or apply special effects to them, you must convert them to regular pixel-based image layers by simplifying them.

Using the Layers palette

When you open Photoshop Elements for the first time, the Layers palette appears in the palette well. (See Using the palette well.) You can drag the palette out of the palette well to keep it on display.

Using the Layers palette, you can control whether a layer is visible and whether Photoshop Elements displays a preview, or thumbnail, of a layer. Turning off thumbnails or reducing their size can save space in your work area and reduce memory usage.

Note: Only visible layers are printed.

To display the Layers palette:

Choose Window > Layers.

To show or hide a layer in the document window:

Do one of the following:

• In the Layers palette, click the eye icon next to a layer to hide that layer. Click in the leftmost column again to redisplay the layer.
• Drag through the eye column to show or hide multiple layers.
• To display just one layer, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the eye icon for that layer. Alt/Option-click in the eye column again to redisplay all the layers.

Multiple hidden layers

To change the display of layer thumbnails:

1. Choose Palette Options from the Layers palette More menu.
2. Select a size or select None to hide the thumbnails, and then click OK.

To change the transparency display:

1. Choose Edit > Preferences > Transparency or Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Transparency (Mac OS X).
2. For Grid Size, choose a pattern size. By default, the transparent areas of a document appear as a checkerboard pattern. If you choose None, transparent areas in the layer appear white.
3. For Grid Colors, choose an option:
   • Light, Medium, or Dark to specify a gray pattern.
   • Any other color from the list to display the checkerboard in that color.
   • Custom to choose a color that does not appear in the list. Then click either of the color selection boxes to specify a custom color in the Color Picker.
4. Click OK.

About layers in the Layers palette

Except in the case of adjustment layers and some changes to linked layers, changes to an image affect only the selected or active layer, which appears highlighted in the Layers palette. To make a layer active, you can select a layer in the Layers palette. (See Selecting layers.) You can accomplish many tasks--such as creating, hiding, linking, locking, and deleting a layer--using the icons in the Layers palette. You can access additional commands and options in the Layers menu and in the More menu in the Layers palette.

The Layers palette uses icons to provide information about layers. The leftmost column in the palette displays an eye icon next to visible layers and no eye icon next to hidden layers.

The second column from the left shows a paintbrush icon or layer mask icon next to the active layer; layers without either of these icons can't be modified. It also shows a link icon for layers that are linked to the active layer.

The right column lists the layer's name and may display additional icons. By default, this column also shows a thumbnail image of the layer which is updated as you edit the layer. You can change the thumbnail size or choose not to show thumbnails in the Layers palette by changing the Layers palette options.



Layers palette
A. Layer lock options (from left to right): Transparency, All
B. Show/Hide layer
C. Indicates active layer
D. Link/Unlink
E. Layer thumbnail
F. More menu
G. Highlighted layer is active layer
H. Locked layer
I. Create a new fill or adjustment layer
J. Create a new layer
K. Delete a layer

 

Selecting layers

If your image has multiple layers, you must select what layer you want to work on. Any changes you make to the image affect only the active layer, except for changes made with adjustment layers, and some changes to linked layers. You select a layer to make it active, and only one layer can be active at a time.

If you don't see the desired results when you use a tool or apply a command, you may not have the correct layer selected. Check the Layers palette to make sure the desired layer is highlighted.

To select a layer:

Do one of the following:

• In the Layers palette, select a layer's thumbnail or name to make it active.
• Select the move tool, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) in the image, and choose the layer you want from the context menu. The context menu lists all the layers that contain pixels under the current pointer location, and all adjustment layers.

To select layers interactively as you use the move tool in the document window, select Auto Select Layer in the Move tool options bar. When this option is selected, the move tool selects the topmost layer containing opaque pixels under the pointer.

About layer styles

Layer styles allow you to apply visual effects--such as drop shadows and bevels--to a layer. The boundaries of the effect are automatically updated when you edit that layer. For example, if you apply a drop shadow style to a text layer, the shadow changes automatically when you edit the text.

Layer styles are cumulative, which means that you can create a complex effect by applying multiple styles to a layer. You can also change a layer's style settings to adjust the final effect.

Simplifying type layers

Simplifying a type layer converts it to a regular, bitmap layer. Simplifying a type layer is necessary when you want to paint on type or apply filters to it. Once you simplify a type layer, you can no longer edit its text.

To simplify a type layer:

1. Select a type layer in the Layers palette.
2. Choose Layer > Simplify Layer.

   In the Layers palette, the layer thumbnail changes from the type icon to a thumbnail of the simplified text.