How To Use Adobe Photoshop CS2

Part 10. Working with Layers

Task

1 How to Create and Move Layers 202

2 How to Link Layers 204

3 How to Create Clipping Masks 206

4 How to Create Layer Groups 208

5 How to Create Smart Objects 210

6 How to Transform Layers 212

7 How to Create Adjustment Layers 214

8 How to Add a Layer Mask 216

9 How to Merge and Flatten Layers 218

10 How to Create Layer Comps 220

Layers deliver flexibility, color control, and silhouetting options that factor into most intermediate to advanced image-editing tasks. It's hard to imagine doing any sort of image montage or text integration without taking advantage of layersin some cases, it's just impossible.

Layers isolate parts of an image in a separate, um…layer that you can edit and modify without altering the other layers around it. Think of layered sheets of acetate stacked on top of each other. Viewed from the top, they flatten out and show an entire scene, yet they keep the elements separate from each other.

You can reposition layers in the stack to control how different components overlap with each other. You also can hide layers from view or display them with varying levels of transparency.

A feature first introduced in Photoshop CS is the Layer Comps command, which allows you to create and save specific layer configurationsrecording layer order, transparency, and other parameters. When you have a file with 50 layers and you start lowering the transparency on 1 layer and adding a layer effect on another, it can get pretty hard to remember how to go back to where you started. Layer Comps enable flexible experimentation by preserving specific states of layer configurations (including where you started) for easy recall at any time.

The tasks in this part explore the essentials involved in creating and combining layers, building the foundation for professional image compositing. •