UNDERSTANDING LAYERS
What are layers, and what do they do? Layers are like sheets that can be stacked on top of another. They are essential features of Photoshop. Layers are where you can manage images; you can place one on top of another, add color, blend them, merge them, take some away from each other, and do many more things. How these layers are stacked will play a significant role in how your work will look. You can alter the Opacity of a layer to make other layers more visible.
The Layers panel is situated on the right side of the window. You just have to click "Layers" to access it. Suppose, for any reason; you were unable to find the Layers panel when you open PhotoShop. In that case, you can get access to it by clicking the Window menu and then selecting Layers. Once it is clicked, the panel will be displayed on the screen.
ADDING A NEW LAYER
Adding a new layer can be done differently, but the more comfortable and most commonly used method is by pressing Ctrl + Shift + N for Windows or Command + Shift + N for macOS. You will see a pop-up with different options for the new layer you are creating. The options can be changed anytime. But if you are okay with it, give the layer a name, and click OK. This will automatically create a layer on top of the existing layer in your Photoshop.
Creating a new layer can also be done by simply clicking "Create a new layer" on the Layers panel.
Once the layer has been completed, you can now add objects to it without making any changes to the background.
TYPES OF LAYERS AND HOW TO ADD THEM
The more you utilize layers, the more you might want to look into Photoshop's different layers. In this section, we will be analyzing some critical types of layers and how to create them.
DUPLICATING A LAYER
Sometimes, you might need to duplicate a layer to create some form of effect. To do this, simply choose the layer, click the Layers panel menu > Duplicate Layer.
There will be a pop up to ask for a name for the new layer. By default, Photoshop can give the new layer the original layer's name, followed by "copy."
It is also possible to duplicate the layer into any other open document or even into a new Photoshop document by selecting from the Documents box.
SHOWING OR HIDING A LAYER
It is possible to toggle between the layers' visibilities by merely clicking the eye icon next to the layer in the Layers panel. The visible eye means the layer is visible. Once you click on the eye and it disappears, the layer automatically becomes invisible.
ARRANGING LAYERS
Layers can be placed just the way you want them. This means you can shift how the layers have been ordered by simply clicking on the layer you want to move and dragging it to the new destination. You will see a fade-like effect which indicates where the layer will now be located. Once the mouse is released, the rearrangement of the layer is complete.
LOCKING OR UNLOCKING A LAYER
By default, every new layer is unlocked when created, and only the background is locked. If you wish to lock a layer in the Layers panel, select the layer and click on the lock icon visible above the Layers list in the Layers panel. You can also click on the same padlock icon to unlock the layer.
It is okay to lock a layer, especially when you want to avoid moving an object from such layer by mistake when you are on a project. However, the background layer is always locked by default. And can be opened by double-clicking the layer in the Layers panel. You then get a pop-up, and the layer name will be set to "Layer 0." Click OK, and the background layer will automatically appear unlocked with the new name as "Layer 0."
DELETING A LAYER
To remove a layer in Photoshop is relatively easy. Just click the layer, hold and drag it to the trash icon located in the panel's lower right corner.
It is also possible to delete the layer by selecting it in the Layers panel and clicking "Delete Layer" from the menu. You will get a pop-up to confirm if you want to delete the layer. Once you click Ok, the layer will be deleted.
ALIGNING LAYERS
This feature enables users to take many images and combine them into one perfect image by aligning them and masking out the parts you do not want. To align your layers, do the following:
You can check for any lens problems that need to be corrected and click OK. Photoshop aligns the layers, and you are done.
CHANGING THE OPACITY AND FILL
Simply you can say that Opacity is the level of transparency of a layer. Sometimes, you might need to suppress the background layer and focus more on the image subject. All you have to do is select the layer you want to adjust and click the drop-down arrow or input in a value. The lower the opacity, the more transparent it becomes.
You can also change the opacity of an entire group of layers by merely selecting the group and altering its opacity value.
We also have the Fill directly below the Opacity. Fill is slightly similar to Opacity, but it directly affects the layer content without affecting the layer style opacity. However, changing the layer's fill will be the same as adjusting its Opacity as long as you have not applied Layer styles.
Opacity of the text layer at 100%
Opacity of the text layer at 50%
LAYER MASKS
A layer mask will allow you to alter some parts of the layer's visibility without permanently deleting other parts of the same layer. To add a mask that shows or hide the whole layer, do the following:
If you wish to add a layer mask that will hide parts of the layer, do these:
You can edit the layer transparency by creating a mask through these steps:
To enable or disable a layer mask, do one of these:
You can also apply or delete a mask by doing the following:
BLENDING MODES
This is also one of the ways you can manipulate the color pattern on your image. This feature is located in the Layers panel, and it controls how pixels in images are affected by editing and painting tools. They affect how one layer reacts with another, and you can get more beautiful pictures applying one of the blending modes.
Normal is the default blending mode. Now, the real color of your image is the image itself. You can add a blended color by introducing another color by an editing or painting tool, and the result color is the final result of the blend. Note that you can scroll over many options in the Blend Mode menu to see how they fit the images because Photoshop gives a live preview on the canvas. There are about twenty-six different color blending modes, and examples are Dissolve, Normal, Multiply, Darken, Lighten, Difference, Linear Dodge (Add), Saturation, Hue, Luminosity, Color, Darker color, Lighter color, and amongst other blending modes. To use blending mode, do these:
Before
After painting
After applying Color burn blending mode
Now, practice with some images of yours applying different blending modes.