Special Edition Using Adobe Creative Suite 2

IN THIS CHAPTER

Working with Layers 124

Understanding the Layers Palette 125

Aligning and Distributing Layers 127

Using Layer Styles 128

Understanding Layer Blending Options, Opacity and Transparency 135

Working with Photoshop's Specialty Layers 138

Transforming Layers 141

Using Layer Comps 142

Using layersalong with understanding how layers work with each otheris what makes Photoshop such a powerful tool for the digital imagist. Everything else you do in Photoshop is affected by what you do on specific layers.

This chapter looks at how to create and manage layers within a Photoshop document, as well as how to control the visibility of a layer's contents. This is done through opacity changes, layer masks, and clipping masks, which enable you to isolate specific areas to be hidden or revealed. This chapter also looks at how to use layer styles and layer comps to add special effects to layers and experiment with layer combinations.