Layers
Color Correction

 

PHOTOSHOP LAYERS

 

 

PhotoShop was originally designed to replace the manual job of photo retouching and manipulation. When pictures were manually edited, if you wanted to put a hat on someones head in the photo lab, you had to cut out a picture of a hat, and manually paste it on a clear piece of plastic. Next you would lay that clear piece of plastic on top of the original photo of your hatless person, and youd move the plastic layer around until you had everything just the way you wanted it. If you were going to add text to your image, the text would go on another plastic layer. You might end up with a whole bunch of layers before you were done.

 

PhotoShop uses layers, too. Anytime you paste something into the image, youve just added another layer that can be moved and affected independently of the rest of the image. Layers give you the ability to change your mind and experiment without fear.

 

Layers can sometimes present a problem for beginners, if the beginner forgets they exist. If there are many different layers, you must tell PhotoShop which one youre trying to work with when you do something, otherwise it wouldnt know which layer youre trying to move, color, copy, or delete.

 

If you remember the simple web design course rule that you must choose a layer selected to affect it, youll do just fine with PhotoShop.

 

Working With Layers

Anytime you paste anything into an image, youll get a new layer. Youll be able to move and manipulate the layer separately from the others.

 

  1. Open "rgb Balloons.psd"
  2. Select the red and blue balloon, copy and paste it.
    (EDIT-> COPY, EDIT-> PASTE

    You probably wont see it pop in. Its directly on top of the old balloon.

 

  1. Open your Layers Palette
    (if your Layers Palette is not on the screen, click: WINDOW-> SHOW LAYERS)

 

You should see two layers! One is named "Layer 1" the other is named "Background"

 

  1. Select the move tool from the tool box.
  2. Make sure "Layer 1" is activated (blue) on the layers palette. If Layer 1 is not active (blue), simply click to activate the layer.
  3. Move the Balloon in the original image.


 

  1. Activate the "Background" layer on the layers palette.



  1. Try to move the Balloon in the original image again. What happens?
    The Background moved, right?

 

Whatever layer is active is the layer you will effect!

Now, were going to copy the yellow balloon and paste it, but you must first make sure that the layer that holds the yellow balloon is active, otherwise you wouldnt be able to cut anything from it!

 

  1. Make sure the "Background" layer is the active layer.
    Use the Lasso (or other selection tools) to select the yellow balloon.
  2. Copy and paste the yellow balloon.

    If you get the following evil message, it means that you tried to copy from a clear part of a layer. Youve got the wrong layer selected.




Otherwise
How many layers do you have now?

 

  1. Practice moving selecting and moving layers. Remember to use the move tool when moving layers.

 

It is important to note that you can make as many layers as you feel like. Go Crazy.

 

 

Layer Palette Options

You can change the layer palette in a number of different ways to make it easier for you to work with.

 

Naming Layers

Right now youve got "Layer 1", "Layer 2", and "Background". Not the worlds most intuitive names, eh?

 

To rename a layer:

  1. Right-Click (windows) or Ctrl-Click (mac) the layer you wish to rename.
  2. Choose LAYER PROPERTIES from the pop-up menu.
  3. Rename the layer.
  4. Click OK

 

Youll notice that the layers name appears next to it in the Layers Palette.


You really, really, really want to name all of your layers. When you have a whole bunch of them youll be happy you did. On top of that, when you turn over your original artwork to your clients itll be seen as unprofessional if you dont name your layers.

 

Renaming the Background Layer

The background layer can often be stubborn. There are editing tasks that it wont let you perform because it wants to stay in the background. If you rename the background layer, then its not the background layer anymore, is it? Its usually a good idea to rename your background layer

 

Changing the Thumbnail Size on the Layers Palette

Sometimes its hard to see which layer youre activating on. That picture next to the layer name is pretty small.

Luckily you can make it bigger.

  1. Click the Palette arrow on the Layers Palette



  1. Choose Palette Options
    You can choose between small, medium, or large thumbnails. Personally, I like the medium one, although monitor size can be a consideration.

 

Affecting Layers With the Layer Palette

There is still much layer work to be done, young Jedi

 

  1. Move the red balloon so it is halfway on, halfway off of the copied yellow balloon.
    Remember, youll have to activate the Red Balloon layer and use the move tool .

 

Changing Layer Order

The red balloon is pretty obviously on top of the yellow balloon, no? Lets change the stacking order. Its easy.

 

  1. On the Layers Palette, click and hold the Red Balloon Layer.
  2. Drag the Red Balloon Layer below the yellow balloon layer.

 

The yellow balloon should now be on top!

 

Isnt that cool?

Remember, you can have as many layers as you want to have. If you want to drag a layer beneath the Background Layer, youll have to rename "Background" to something else (by double clicking it).

 

Hiding Layers

Sometimes youll just want to get a pesky layer out of the way so you can have a clear view of the layer beneath it. Easy nuff.

To make a layer invisible:

  1. Click on the eyeball next to a layer on the Layers Palette to remove it

 

The layer is still there; it is just invisible. Notice that PhotoShop will allow you to activate a layer when it is invisible. You cant do anything to a layer when it is invisible, so take care not to activate it.

 

  1. Click again to put the eyeball back.
  2. Experiment changing the visibility of the layers.

 

Changing a Layers Transparency

You can change layers so theyre see-through. This allows you to place textures over items and to produce cool visual effects. When you adjust the transparency of an object, you are adjusting its opacity. If something is opaque, you cant see through it. So, if something is 50% opaque, you can see through it half-way!

 

To adjust a layers opacity:

  1. Make sure the desired layer is active.
  2. On the layers palette, slide the Opacity slider

 

 

Effecting More Than One Layer At The Same Time

Lets say it took you ten minutes to perfectly position a hat on someones head. Now youve changed your mind about where the person should be in your image, so you need to move them. The person and the hat are on different layers. After moving the person, do you have to go through the whole process of positioning the hat again?

Nope.

You can link the Hat Layer to the Person Layer. When you move the Person Layer, the hat will go with it. A linked layer can be affected at the same time as the layer its linked to. You can move, transform, paint, or edit both layers.

 

To link a layer to another layer:

1.      Activate the main layer that you want to edit.

2.      In the Layer that you want linked, click in the small empty box next to the eyeball.

 

Youll see a chain appear in the box, signifying that the layer is linked to the active layer.

 

3.      If you edit the active layer, you will also be able to edit the linked layer.

4.      Try linking and moving layers in "rgb balloons.psd".
If you dont have any layers, make some!

 

Dont forget to take the link out if you dont want the layers linked anymore!

 

Permanently Merging Layers
If youre totally sure you wont want to effect layers separately anymore, you can merge them together. Two layers will become one.

To merge layers:

1.      Click the Palette arrow on the Layers Palette

 

You have three different merge options to choose from:

Merge Down: Merges the active layer into the layer beneath it.

Merge Visible: Merges any visible layers (layers with )

Flatten Image: Merges all layers

 

Adding and Removing Layers

You can add blank layers, copy current layers, or throw layers away. All of tese options are found under the palette arrow on the layers Palette.

 

Dont worry about the adjustment layer right now. Well mess with it later.

 

Layer Effects

Layer effects will blow your freakin doors off.

You can automatically apply shadows to layers. You can make everything on a layer glow. You can give a layer 3-D effects and a bunch of other stuff. Layer effects can be applied to the whole layer, or to part of a layer by selecting with the lasso or other selection tool.

  1. On "rgb balloons.psd" make sure you have a Background Layer, a Red Balloon Layer, and a Yellow Balloon Layer. If you dont make them!
  2. Activate the Yellow Balloon Layer
  3. Click LAYER-> LAYER STYLE-> DROP SHADOW

 

The Layer Style window should open. Notice that on the left side the Drop Shadow option is selected and checked. You only need to check an effect to apply it, but if you want to see all of that effects options, you must make it active (blue highlighted)

 

You must have a check in the apply box before the layer gets its shadow.

 

  1. Adjust the Opacity, angle, distance, and blur to effect the shadow.

 

Other Layer Effects

Inner Shadow: Casts a shadow on an object.

 

Outer Glow: Makes an image glow!

 

Inner Glow: Makes the inside edge of a layer glow.

 

Bevel and Emboss

Bevel and Emboss has a number of different choices inside of it. Click on "Style" to set the type of effect.

Outer Bevel: Applies a 3-D effect to the outside of the image.

Inner Bevel: Applies a 3-D effect to the inside of the image.

Emboss: Creates a see-through puffiness around the layer.

Pillow Emboss: Makes the layer appear sunken into the layer beneath it.

 

Text

Of course youll want to add text to your images.

In PhotoShop, text comes in as a totally separate layer. You can apply any layer and transform effects to text. Because PhotoShop generates images, you can use whatever fonts you feel like.

Adding Text

To add text, youll use the Type Tool on the toolbox.

 

  1. Select the Type Tool and click in your image where you want text to appear.
    The Type Tool Options will appear at the top of the screen.

 

 

 

In the Advanced Palettes, you can change more sophisticated typographical settings.

Leading: Space between lines
Tracking: Space between letters
Baseline: Imaginary line words sit on. Higher the baseline, higher the words.
Anti-Alias: Anti-alias smoothes out curves. Anti-alias looks great on large text, but doesnt look good on smaller text, or normal size text to be displayed on a monitor. On smaller or electronic text, smoothing can tend to erase parts of the letters.

 

Editing Placed Text

When you place text, you will get a new layer. Move that layer as normal.

If you want to edit or change the text, double click on the "T" in the layers palette.

 

Applying Effects to Text

You can apply effects to text as normal (LAYER-> LAYER STYLE).

 

 

Vertical Text

You can make vertical text by choosing the vertical type tool on the Text Options Palette.

 

Text Shaped Selections

How about some cool text that looks like:

 

Heres how the above image was created: I took an image of clouds and made a selection in the shape of the word "Cloud". Then I copied the selected area and pasted in a white background. I applied an "inner bevel" Layer Effect to the new layer.

I could have used the lasso tool to make the selection, but I didnt. I used a special tool that makes selections in the shape of letters, the Type Mask Tool, found on the Type Options bar at the top of the screen.

 

Dont worry about the weird name. The Type Mask tool makes selections in the shape of letters. Youll use it just like the text tool, but it doesnt make text, it makes selections! You can then copy and paste or apply effects, filters, and color changes to anything in the selection.

 

To use the Type Mask Tool:

  1. On the Tool Palette, click the text tool.
  2. On the options bar, choose the Type Mask Option
  3. IMPORTANT STEP: On the Layers Palette, activate the layer you want to use.
  4. Click and type in your image. The image will turn red except for the text area.

  1. When youre ready, choose a selection tool (lasso, magic wand) from the Tool Palette. Use the selection tool to drag your new selection where you want it.
  2. Copy and paste your selection wherever you want it!

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