How to open a second layer in Photoshop. How to create a new layer. Using the Cut to New Layer and Copy to New Layer commands
Layer is the most important palette in Photoshop. Layers can be thought of as a stack of transparencies with image fragments printed on them. If you put them on top of each other, you get one single picture.
For example, on a quick fix I made a collage of several cliparts: the sky as a background; grass; bee; chamomile; . Each element is located on a separate layer, but together it looks like one whole:
In fact, the image was formed by projections of each layer, which can be shown schematically as follows:
That is, numbers 1 to 5 are those same layers. Each of them contains some element that has its own location. Mentally, collapsing these films, you will receive the final image. The Photoshop layers palette looks like this:
Note!
At the very bottom of the palette there is the lowest layer (No. 1), then No. 2 falls on it, and on it, respectively, No. 3 and so on. The topmost layer on the palette is the topmost layer in the document. This is a very simple and strict hierarchy.
The role of layers cannot be overestimated. This is a fundamental tool, without which Photoshop itself would not exist. In addition to the palette itself, an entire tab in the main menu of the program is dedicated to managing layers "Layers". When you open it, you will see a large number of teams, some of which form separate subcategories. Together, these are ways to create and manage Photoshop layers. This once again emphasizes the special importance of the instrument. But there is no need to be scared, in fact, there is nothing complicated here, everything is intuitive. And soon you will realize that this is so!
When this program did not yet exist, people used simple applications, such as Paint. Open it, it's pre-installed in your standard programs, if you are a Windows OS user, and try editing a photo! Something is not working out effectively, right? For such purposes, a single-layer editor is completely unsuitable.
Now, when it became possible to edit and create images on separate layers, it opened up completely new era on working with graphics. This is a truly great tool and when learning Photoshop, you simply need to learn how to use the layers palette correctly. This article contains all the information you need for a complete and comprehensive study of layers in Photoshop.
How to open the layers palette
By default, the Layers palette in Photoshop is open on the right side of the screen in . But if for some reason the layers palette disappears, you can display it again by running the command:
Window - Layers (hotkey F7)
The palette initially always has at least one layer. Remember that any open document in the program is always at least one layer. One cannot exist without the other.
The background is marked with a lock icon, which tells us that there is a limited range of actions with this layer. For example, you can't remove it, apply blending modes, or make it transparent. To exit this mode, double-click on the layer, a dialog box will appear in which, click OK. .
2. Ordinary layer
This is the standard layer that you will create 90 times out of 100, since it is where most of the image work is done. In scientific terms, this layer works with . And since everything consists of pixels, it turns out that any action with them will be carried out on this type of layer.
3. Text layer
Every time you add an inscription to a project using , Photoshop will create a text layer itself. This is a classic example, that is, it consists not of pixels, but of mathematical formulas. If these are two different types of images, then it is logical that when creating text, it cannot appear together with the pixel type. Here Photoshop does it automatically new layer.
4. Smart objects
The smart object on the palette is marked with a small file icon (marked with an arrow in the figure).
5. Adjustment layer
This is a separate caste of complex and powerful layers-settings. Each adjustment layer has its own separate palette with settings. Using them you can work with color correction, exposure, light and shadows, white balance, brightness, contrast and much more.
All adjustment layers are collected under the command of the same name in the layers tab of the main menu.
6. Fill layer
Allows you to fill a layer with a solid color, pattern, or gradient.
7. Shape Layer
Another representative vector type images - figures. Using , Photoshop automatically creates a new layer. The reason is still the same - you cannot combine two different types of images.
What are layers for?
So, you understand that layers are important, that they have many varieties. But why is all this needed, what exactly is the use of this tool, what are the layers for?
We can say that all work in Photoshop happens in one way or another on layers, so speaking of what they are needed for, the answer will be simple - for everything. To add at least some specificity, I will give examples of some basic actions.
1. You can add others to one image, combine them with each other, creating a so-called collage. .
For example, a palette of two pictures has already created a simple collage.
2. You can resize an object on a layer so that the other layers remain unchanged.
To do this, select the desired layer and use Ctrl+T to adjust the required size.
In the same example, you can reduce the size of the bee. Please note that the picture is from green background and the log remained the same size.
3. You can move the contents of the layer to any location.
Note
Outside work area document, there is also a space where you can also move the contents of the layer.
4. You can add opacity to the layer, which will create the effect of shining through the object.
For example, let's set the opacity to 50%. Notice on the bee that the contents of the underlying layer are now visible through it.
5. In Photoshop, there are layer blending modes. These modes force Photoshop to process pixels at the intersection of two layers differently.
There are many types of modes, each with its own pixel processing algorithm.
6. You can add an adjustment layer, which, for example, will change the entire color scheme compositions.
This is just a drop in the ocean that I could show as examples of using layers in Photoshop. I hope that at least this helped create a general idea of the instrument.
How to create a new layer
There is nothing easier than creating a new layer in Photoshop.
There are several ways to add ordinary ones, and some features for creating other types of layers.
Method 1
Press the button directly on the palette Create a new layer.
Method 2
Via menu command:
Layer - New - Layer...(hotkey Shift+Ctrl+N)
Method 3
Through the team New Layer in the palette menu (opens by clicking on the button in the upper right corner of the palette).
Method 4
When adding new images to an open document, be it by dragging and dropping from another tab, using Place commands, “copy-paste” or simply dragging a picture from the computer, then ALWAYS such a picture automatically creates a new layer for itself.
Features of creating layers of other types
1. When you use to add text to your project, Photoshop will automatically create its own layer for that text. As stated above, this is due to the nature of the two different types images: vector and raster. The same applies to shape-layer.
2. As for the fill layer and adjustment layer, they are also created automatically when the user selects the corresponding menu command:
- Open an image in Photoshop using the menu command: File - Open as smart object, the image will appear in a new tab with the corresponding icon on the layer thumbnail.
- Turn any ordinary layer into a smart object. To do this, click right click and select a team Convert to Smart Object.
PSD and layers
You should already know that Photoshop has its own special extension in which the program saves working projects - . In short, it allows you to restore layers when loading a project and continue working on them. The Internet is full of psd files for all occasions: ready-made text effects, collages, photo frames, layouts and the like. By purchasing such files, the user can independently correct the contents and save the image in a way that is beneficial to them, for example, inserting their own photo into a photo frame.
By default, Photoshop saves all files in PSD - pay attention to this point! To save an image, for example, in the usual Jpeg, you need to select this format from the drop-down list File type.
If you notice an error in the text, select it and press Ctrl + Enter. Thank you!
Working with layers in Adobe Photoshop
Sofya Skrylina, information technology teacher at the Academy vocational education(Saint Petersburg)
Layers are perhaps the most necessary remedy working with images in Photoshop, which makes it possible to split an image into parts and work with each of them independently of the rest. A layer can be compared to a transparent film placed over an image. Moreover, the transparency of the film is absolute: no number of layers will distort the image located on the lowest one. In this article, we will look at ways to split an image into layers, and also get acquainted with the types of layers and the features of their use.
Creating a Layer
A palette is used to work with image layers Layers(Layers). To create empty layer, click on the button clean slate. In this case, the layer will be created above the original one. If you click on the same button while holding down Ctrl key, the layer will be created under the original layer (Fig. 1).
Copying images to layers
There are several ways to place an image on another image's layer.
Using a tool Moving
You first need to place the tabs of both documents next to each other by selecting the mode Place everything vertically(Tile All Vertically) or Arrange everything in a grid(Tile All in Grid). Both commands are in the menu Window(Window) -> Arrange(Arrange). And then the instrument Moving(Move) drag an image from one window to another. To move a fragment, it must first be selected (Fig. 2).
As a result of these actions in the palette Layers(Layers) a new layer will be automatically added on which the copied fragment will be located.
Paste via clipboard
To create a layer, you can use the clipboard into which the image or part of it is placed by executing the command Editing(Edit) -> Copy(Copy) or the key combination Ctrl+C (in Mac OS - Command+C). But to paste a fragment from the clipboard, a whole set of commands is used, depending on what result you want to get.
Team Insert
This command returns an image from the clipboard to a new document layer, automatically aligning it to the center of the canvas. The command is in the menu Editing(Edit) and has the keyboard equivalent of Ctrl+V (in Mac OS - Command+V).
Paste Special Commands
Paste Special uses three commands located in the menu: Editing(Edit) -> Special insert (Paste Special).
Team Paste instead(Paste in Place) allows you to paste into the relative area of the image from which it was copied. In other words, if in the original document a fragment of an image is in the left corner, then when inserted it will be placed in the same corner of the target document.
So, in Fig. 3 A The Magic Mouse image is in the lower left corner of the document. If you select it, copy it to the clipboard, and then open another document and paste using the command Paste instead(Paste in Place), the image will be placed in the lower left corner open document. In Fig. 3 b the result of the insertion is presented. In the palette Layers(Layers) a new layer with a mouse image was automatically added (Fig. 3 V).
Team Insert Paste into allows you to paste the contents of the clipboard into a selected area on the image. So, in Fig. 4 A The following is an image of water copied to the clipboard. And in Fig. 4 b this image is pasted into the selected area of the glass part.
Pay attention to the mask that appears in the row of the layer with the image of water, which is automatically created to hide parts that extend beyond the selection - they are indicated in black (Fig. 4 V). This is a layer mask, it allows you to save the entire image on the layer without removing hidden parts.
Team Paste outside(Paste Outside) pastes the image from the buffer around the selected area, cutting off everything that falls into it. Therefore, in order to obtain the collage presented in Fig. 5, you must first select the image of the statue, and then paste a photo of the landscape from the clipboard using the command Paste outside(Paste Outside).
Rice. 5. Result of the Paste Outside command applied to the selected area of the statue
Using Commands Cut to new layer And Copy to new layer
These commands are used to place a portion of an image on a new layer. You need to select a fragment, and then right-click inside the selection and select the command from the context menu Copy to new layer(Layer via Copy) or Cut to new layer(Layer via Cut) - depending on whether you want to leave the original fragment on the original layer or not. In Fig. 6 A command selection shown Copy to new layer(Layer via Copy), and fig. 6 b shows the result of running this command. As a result of its execution, nothing seems to happen if you do not pay attention to the palette Layers(Layers). But the palette clearly shows us that the selected object is placed on a new transparent layer, which is located on upper level, and the original background layer remains unchanged.
Comment
Both commands will be contained in the context menu list only if one of the selection tools is active!
Both commands have keyboard equivalents. To copy, use the key combination Ctrl+J (in Mac OS - Command+J), and for cutting - Shift+Ctrl+J (in Mac OS - Shift+Command+J).
Using the command Place
Team Place(Place) is in the menu File(File) and is intended for embedding vector images, such as logos, diagrams, diagrams, etc., that were created in vector graphic editor. This command allows you to preserve the vector nature of the image, to which you can apply transformation commands without reducing its quality. Such objects are called smart objects; working with them was discussed in CompuArt No. 6’2012.
The layer on which the smart object is placed is indicated by an icon (Fig. 7), which tells you that you are working with a vector object.
Quickly place multiple images in one document
If you need to collect several photos in one document, you can use the command File(File) -> Scenarios(Scripts) ->→ Load files onto stack(Load Files into Stack). As a result, a dialog box appears in which you need to select image files by first clicking the button Review(Browse). Then the images of all selected files will be placed on separate layers of the new document.
Layer Masks
A mask is a halftone or full-color image that hides parts of the layer on which it is applied. For halftone masks black, white and gray colors indicate the transparency of the mask. Black color indicates opaque areas of the mask (the layer is not visible through them); white - completely transparent areas of the mask, and through the gray layer it is partially visible. This mask placed on top of a layer is called a layer mask. Please note that these designations are relative. If necessary, colors can be swapped. Then opaque areas will be shown in white, transparent areas in black. However, in order not to get confused with the notation yourself, it is better not to change the default.
Attention!
The mask is not applied to the background layer. Before creating a layer mask, you need to convert the background layer to a normal layer.
Photoshop allows you to work with several types of masks: raster, vector and clipping.
Raster layer masks
Raster masks are created based on the selected area. It is necessary to select a fragment of the image, then at the bottom of the palette Layers(Layers) click the add mask button. As a result, the part of the layer that is not included in the selection area will be hidden behind the mask (Fig. 8).
Once you create a layer mask in the palette Layers(Layers), its thumbnail will be displayed not only on the layer, but also in the palettes Channels(Channels) and Properties(Properties). The Properties palette provides access to additional settings mask parameters: density, feathering, edge refinement and mask color inversion. Moreover, the properties palette allows you to work not only with raster masks, which are created based on selection, but also with vector masks, created based on vector outline.
Vector layer masks
Creating a vector mask should begin by creating a contour using any vector tool, For example Free figure(Custom Shape). Moreover, you should draw the figure in the mode Circuit(Path)! After creating a vector shape, you must click the Mask button on the properties panel (Fig. 9).
Comment
Besides using the button Mask (Mask), you can, as in the case of a raster mask, click on the add mask button in the palette Layers (Layers), but with the Ctrl key pressed (in Mac OS - Command)!
Further customization of the mask occurs in the palette Properties(Properties) - fig. 10.
If desired, you can outline the outline, for example, with a brush, and place another layer under the layer with the mask (Fig. 11).
Clipping Masks
Unlike layer masks, a clipping mask is not created from a selection or vector path, but from an image on the layer. Then all layers above the clipping mask will be masked by this image. To create a clipping mask, you can run the command Create Clipping Mask(Create Clipping Mask) from the palette menu Layers(Layers) or press the key combination Alt+Ctrl+G (in Mac OS - Option+Command+G). You can also hover your mouse pointer while pressing Alt key(in Mac OS Option) to the border of the two layers, and when the pointer changes to a square with a curved arrow, click the mouse. In either case, a clipping group consisting of two layers will be created. The image of the bottom layer of this pair will turn into a clipping mask, and a designation in the form of a curved arrow will appear on the top layer. The bottom layer is also called the base layer of the clipping group. So, in Fig. Image 12 of the dress is a clipping mask for the top layer with a photo of yellow roses.
Types of layers
The most common and frequently used are ordinary layers, with which you can do almost anything: change the blending mode, apply layer effects to them, various options blocking, changing fill and opacity, making corrections, passing images through filters, etc. But we shouldn’t forget about other types of layers that make your work with Photoshop much more convenient.
Background
The background layer has special properties. This is the only layer that cannot contain transparent pixels and is always placed below other layers. If we compare ordinary layers to transparent films with images printed on them, then the background layer is the sheet of paper underlying them.
For the background layer, you cannot change the blending mode, opacity, or fill. No layer effects can be applied to it (while the layer is locked), and in addition, it cannot be moved with the tool Moving(Move).
All images you take with your camera or scan have a single background layer.
To access the properties of the background layer, you must convert it to a regular layer. Enough for this in the palette Layers(Layers) produce according to its line double click and click OK in the automatically opened window New Layer(New Layer). Then the lock icon will disappear from the layer row, and its name will change to Layer 0 provided that you have not specified a different name in the New Layer window.
To convert a regular layer back to a background layer, you need to run the command Layers Layer → New(New) → Convert to Back(Background From Layer).
Corrective
Adjustment layers are very convenient for experimenting with tonal and color correction Images. There are many tools, and it is certainly unknown which one will cope better in a given situation. Therefore, you can apply several correction options to an image, placing them on different adjustment layers, and then select the optimal result. You can always hide or delete an adjustment layer with an undesired result without making changes to the original image.
To create an adjustment layer, use the button in the form of a black and white circle on the palette Layers(Layers), which expands a list containing the names of corrections: Levels(Levels), Curves(Curves) Color balance(Color Balance), etc. The result is a palette Properties(Properties), in which the layer parameters are configured (Fig. 13).
By default, adjustment layers have masks that are associated with them. If you do not make any selection before creating an adjustment layer, the adjustment will be applied to the entire underlying layer. In this case the mask will be white. If you first select a fragment, a mask will be applied to the adjustment layer, which will allow you to correct parts of the underlying layer (Fig. 14).
Rice. 14. An example of using an adjustment layer. On the left is the original image.
An adjustment layer affects all layers underneath it. If you want to make adjustments to only one underlying layer without affecting the others, then you need to create a clipping group from the adjustment layer and the image being adjusted. The base layer should be the image layer.
Pouring
To apply color, gradient, or pattern to an object, you can use three layer effects: Color overlay(Color Overlay) Gradient overlay(Gradient Overlay) or Pattern overlay(Pattern Overlay). For these purposes, you can also select the object to be repainted, create a new layer, paint the selection area with a uniform color, gradient or pattern, and then determine the most suitable one for this case blending mode.
But you can do it differently: to repaint the object, create a fill layer. Like the adjustment layer, this layer is created with a transparent mask, by editing which you can protect the repainted object from the influence of the filling layer (Fig. 15).
Rice. 15. An example of using fill layers to repaint an object and apply texture. On the left is the original image.
To create a fill layer, you need to select the layer with the object to be repainted, and then click on the button. For the fill layer, the first three items in the drop-down list are applied.
Text
Four tools are used to add captions to an image: Horizontal text(Horizontal Type), Vertical text (Vertical Type) Horizontal mask text(Horizontal Type Mask) and Vertical text mask(Vertical Type Mask). But you can get by with just one tool. Horizontal text(Horizontal Type), because you can easily get vertical text from horizontal text by simply clicking a button on the tool’s property bar. And from the inscription, you can instantly go to the selection by clicking on the text layer thumbnail while pressing the Ctrl key (in Mac OS - Command).
After entering the text, you must confirm your entry, which can be done in several ways:
To edit a text layer you need to select a tool Horizontal text(Horizontal Type) and just click inside the label. The text layer is automatically activated, and an input cursor will appear inside the inscription (Fig. 16 A). There is another way to enter editing mode. To do this, just double-click on the text layer thumbnail in the palette Layers(Layers). In this case, the text will be highlighted, as in text editor(Fig. 16 b).
Rice. 16. Examples of entering text editing mode: a - click on the inscription in the document window with the Horizontal Text tool active; b - double-click on the text layer thumbnail in the Layers palette
Attention!
Double-click exactly on the thumbnail of the text layer. Otherwise, you will open the styles window or enter rename mode.
Besides the short Photoshop text allows you to work with block text consisting of several paragraphs. In addition, text can be entered inside a closed vector shape or path (Fig. 17).
The article was prepared based on materials from the book “Photoshop CS6. The most necessary" by Sofia Skrylina: http://www.bhv.ru/books/book.php?id=190413.
Let's talk about such an important concept in Photoshop as layers. What are layers in Photoshop, what are they for and how to work with them? Let's figure it out.
This topic is so vast that for convenience I have divided it into two parts. In this part we will look at the very concept of “Layers”, the “Layers” panel/palette and types of layers, and in the second - actions that can be performed with layers, and extensions that support layers.
Layers are a fundamental concept, without which it is impossible to imagine working in Photoshop. You can imagine them as a stack of films with varying degrees of transparency, each of which contains its own part of the image. Through transparent and translucent areas of the overlying layers, images located on the underlying layers are visible. And all together they form the document that you and I see on the monitor.
This breakdown into layers makes life very easy when adjusting individual parts of the document, if you need to move something, change the size, apply some effect, etc. the rest of the image can remain unchanged.
Layers panel/palette
It is convenient to work with layers in the panel/palette of the same name “Layers”, which, if it is not there, can be called up using the F7 key or Main Menu → Window → Layers. It looks like this:
We'll look at it in more detail in a separate lesson, but now we'll go over the essentials.
In the central area of the panel (number 2) there is a list of layers, looking at which you see the image in a “cross section”. There is a strict hierarchy here: at the top of the list are the top layers, at the bottom are the bottom ones. Gray selected active on this moment layer. The "eye" icon on the left side indicates the visibility of the layer. All layers are now visible.
In the upper area of the panel (number 1) there are:
- Filtering area (appeared in Photoshop versions CS6), which allows you to select layers according to various criteria: type, name, effect, mode, etc.
- A blend mode is the way underlying layers interact with the current layer. IN different modes the nature of the interaction is different. In Normal mode there is no interaction.
- “Opacity” of the layer and “Fill” (Fill) – adjusts the degree of the parameters of the same name.
- Locking and protecting layers (lock: (Lock)) – protects layers from unwanted changes.
In the lower area of the panel (number 3) there are buttons for managing layers: link layers, add a style and layer mask, create a new fill or adjustment layer, create a group of layers, create and delete a layer.
Types of layers
Image layers
These layers are made up of pixels. This is the most common layer. Layers of this type also include the Background layer, which appears when you first open the image. Although this is a raster layer, it has a number of limitations and is partially locked and is always located at the very bottom of the Layers panel/palette (there cannot be layers below it). I have already described it in more detail in the insert to one of the lessons.
Adjustment Layers
This type of layer is the second most frequently used. It has no pixels (you can't draw in it), just instructions for making adjustments to one or more underlying layers, but is extremely useful in image processing. There are many types of correction, such as converting an image to black and white. In this case, the layer being processed remains unchanged. An adjustment layer can always be turned off (or deleted) to return the underlying layers to their original appearance.
Creation methods:
Fill layers
Designed for filling with a solid color, gradient or pattern. Unlike adjustment layers, they do not affect the layers below them, but interact with them using layer masks and blending modes. You can also adjust the opacity and fill levels.
Creation methods:
Smart Object Layer
A smart object is essentially a container where you can place pixel or vector images, Raw files, other layers or entire Photoshop documents. In the future, when working with these layers, changes will affect only the container, leaving the contents unchanged.
At the same time, there are a number of restrictions when working with smart objects; in particular, you cannot make changes to the pixel data, i.e. you cannot draw, perform retouching, etc. The smart object must first be rasterized.
Creation methods:
Text layers
Text in Photoshop is vector, that is, it does not consist of pixels (unless it is specially rasterized) and is edited with special text tools that are very reminiscent of Word ones. If some parameter is still unclear, you can hover the cursor over it and wait until a hint appears.
The name of the layer is given automatically based on the entered text.
Shape layers
These are also vector layers that are created automatically when using the Shapes tool.
Next to the name of the tool, if you noticed, there is a letter U. This means that by pressing U, we go to the cell we need. And the combination Shift keys+ U cycles through all tools marked U. Using keyboard shortcuts greatly improves productivity!
Or the Pen tool ( Pen Tool) with Shape selected in the Options Bar.
For such shapes, you can change the color, size, stroke width, and other parameters without losing quality.
By default each new figure is automatically created on a new layer. If you need to create several shapes on one layer, then you need to select the appropriate value in the options bar.
3D layers
You can also work with 3D graphics in Photoshop. Convert text to 3D, create or import previously prepared 3D files. 3D models can be rotated, painted, and visualized. This topic is one of the most advanced and complex in Photoshop, so we won’t touch on it for now.
Video layers
Although this blog is dedicated to image processing, it is worth mentioning one more type of layers - these are video layers. Photoshop has a number of video editing capabilities. Videos opened in Photoshop automatically become video layers, with which you can do all the same actions as with regular layers.
Conclusion
IN this lesson we have considered what is a layer in photoshop, the basics of working with the Layers panel/palette, and also went over the types of layers. In the next tutorial, we'll look at basic layers and the file types that support them.
See you on the pages of the next lessons!
Sincerely, Marina Rubl.
Working with layers in Photoshop is an opportunity to change parts of a picture separately, to compose an image from disparate elements. Let's touch on the basics.
Each layer can be moved relative to each other, combined into groups, and adjusted. Moreover, each of them can be made transparent, translucent, or solid.
What are layers in Photoshop
Imagine looking through a stack of photographs. You rearrange them, but you can only see the top photo. These are continuous layers. Place a transparent file on the photo and the visibility will not change. Now draw a picture or write text on the file. It will feel like the picture or text is superimposed on the top photo. This is how it works in the editor transparent background. Sort the photos by value and place them in envelopes. For such sorting in Adobe Photoshop there is a “Group” function.
What are the layers?
Image. It is based on pixels. When a picture is opened in the editor, the palette (1) automatically displays it.
Filling.
Fills with a solid color, pattern or gradient. Text. Work with text layer
It's a little different in Photoshop. It contains no pixels. It appears in the palette (1) as soon as we get to work with the “Text” tool active. Vector layer. This
arbitrary figure, containing no pixels. It appears in the palette automatically when you use the tool. Inside the outline, the figure is filled with color.
Adjustment layer and layer mask.
Helps adjust the color saturation, darkness, or lighting of the images underneath them. The picture itself remains unchanged, and the adjustment layer tells the program what changes to apply to it.
Basic work with layers in Photoshop
Any action when working with layers in Photoshop can be performed in several ways: using the palette (1), tabs on the control panel (2), and hotkeys. If the desired palette is not on the right side of the editor, it is activated by going to “Window” - “Layers”. Congratulations to the future Photoshop master! In this article we will talk about the most
important point
in working with Photoshop - these are Layers! For a beginner, it can be difficult to grasp the essence of this concept, but upon closer examination, everything turns out to be primitively simple.
If your knowledge of layers is a bowl of vinaigrette, then this material is especially for you! If you feel quite “masterful” in this area, read it anyway, perhaps you will find something useful for yourself. What is a layer? The concept of "layer" in Photoshop program has exactly the same physical meaning, as in life, is a layer or layer that is
integral part
- something whole.
- Let's remember the cases where we encounter this concept in real life?
- We cover the walls with a layer of paint.
The Earth's atmosphere consists of several layers.
Sandwich: bread, butter, cheese... Now, in order to clearly see a “layer” in Photoshop, you must first learn how to create it. Create new document File - create.
(File - New) or
Ctrl+N
Now let's move on to creating a new layer: 1st way to create a layer:
Main menu - Layers - New - Layer…
(Layer - New - Layer…).
The following window appears:
Yes, you can enter a name, but leave the other parameters as in the picture. 2nd way to create a layer:.
In this window on the right, click on the icon marked in the picture below. A menu will open where you can select a command New layer...(New Layer...). Then wait for the window you are already familiar with to appear!
3rd way to create a layer:
In the window for working with layers there is the bottom panel, where is special button to create a new layer!
If you hold Alt and click on it, the familiar window will appear again. And if you just click on it, then the window will not appear in this case, but if you want to give the layer a name, then double-click on the word Layer 1:
4th way to create a layer:
Use a keyboard shortcut Shift+Ctrl+N
So, a square with a checkerboard appeared in the window for working with layers - this is a new layer.
- checkerboard signifies transparency.
It will not appear in any way on the working document.
In order to see a layer, you need to draw something on it.
Let's place the mouth of our future avatar on a new layer.
Let's see what we got?
So we drew the mouth on a separate transparent layer, which is proven by the image of a mouth on the layer thumbnail (a mouth on a checkerboard!)
On the document, the background behind the circle is blue because the previous blue layer shows through.
Note:
- this icon, to the left of the layer icon, shows us that the layer is visible
Try hiding the icon by clicking on it, for example, opposite the background layer, it will look like this:
There is a mouth. Let's draw the eyes!
Create a NEW layer again and draw eyes on it. Here's what we got:
Let's continue, now it's time for glasses! Create a NEW layer!
As you can see, my glasses partially block my eyes, because... The layer with the eyes is under the layer with the glasses.
All that's left to do is draw the eyebrows!
Create a NEW layer!
I hope you understand what layers are in Adobe program Photoshop, and also captured the process of creating a new layer. In this article about functions and commands for working with layers, you will learn how you can copy, lock, duplicate layers, and much more.
See you in the next lesson!
