An introduction to layers
If you are working on a big project in Photoshop, it is important that you have a good understanding of how layers work in the program.
The layers window should by default, be located in your palette window on the right of the screen (If it isn't, simply press F7). As we can see on the right, all images that are in our document window are located in this area. The 'T' represents a text layer and image layers are represented by the actual image itself. Also notice, that effects for specific layers are listed too, such as a shadow effect. If you want to adjust a certain image, whether it be with an effect or simply wishing to change it's scale, clicking the layer in the window will allow you to easily select the layer you wish to adjust.
However, the window is more than simply a list. The order that each image is in, is the order that each layer is on top of one another in the document itself. The layer on top of the list will therefore cover all those below it, the one below that will be on top of those below that, and so on. |
To move a layer up or down simply drag the layer in the layers window to the desired position (Advanced users: If the layer is already selected you can also press Ctrl+[ to move a layer down or Ctrl+] to move it up).
Top tips
- If you have recently removed the background of an image, then placing a new image a layer below will give you a new background image.
- To create a new layer from scratch (For example, using the brush tool to create a new layer) simply select the LAYER tab and then NEW and LAYER...
- You can re-name your layers (rather than settle for 'Layer 1', 'Layer 2', etc) by right clicking the layer in the layer window and selecting LAYER PROPERTIES, and changing the name. You can also colour-code the layer in this window to make your layer window even more organised.
- Clicking the eye on the left of the layer in the window (see below), will toggle the visibility of the layer - which is useful if you wish to edit different layers when you have many in your document.