Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers. Creating Images in Layers. Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 1 of 22.

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1 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 1 of 22 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers In This Chapter Creating Images in Layers Creating and Managing Layers Troubeshooting Photoshop at Work: Creating Layer Effects Creating Images in Layers The basic ayer is ike a transparency, or a cear sheet, which you ay over your image so you can add image eements without affecting other ayers (such as the background). Each sheet can be fied competey or partiay, and it can be of varying opacity, effectivey aowing the user to combine image eements in the stack, where the topmost ayers obscure what is beow (depending on the content and opacity). Layers aow you abundant fexibiity in creating and arranging independent image eements in a singe image. This is invauabe for image corrections and combining eements from different images, or essentiay for use with any image ateration you might be considering. Background Layers Background ayers are somewhat different from other ayers in that they are competey opaque and cannot be reordered in the image. There is aso ony one background in any image, and it can ony be the ayer at the bottom of the stack. In a way, it can be considered the soid canvas behind the transparent ayers that ie above. Backgrounds can be converted into ayers, images can have no background, and backgrounds can be reestabished. To convert the background into a ayer, simpy doube-cick it and it wi convert to a ayer (the defaut name is ayer 0), and the New Layer diaog box wi open to aow you to choose options. To restore a background if you have converted the background to a ayer, either fatten the image or seect New Background from the Layers menu. Layers have functions that hep you work with and bend the eements you are using for an image, and they are integra to creating compex images. These functions incude Layer Modes Opacity Bend If Cipping Groups (or Layer Groups) fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

2 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 2 of 22 Layer Masks Layer Styes Layer Sets A can be used in different ways and combinations to accompish specific ayer-oriented tasks. Layers can be grouped in Sets, ocked in pace, and Layer Styes can be stored so that settings you use often for ayers can be recaed and appied to ayers in other images. The sum of a these parts is an amost imitess contro over the means of combining and atering content. Each of these eements wi be discussed in context as we progress through this chapter. Impementation and contro of ayers are mosty handed via the Layers paette (see Figure 3.1) and the Layer menu. Detais for the functions are summarized in Tabe 3.1. Figure 3.1 The Layers paette is one of the most used and usefu paettes, neaty containing quite a store of functions and information at a gance, yet it is remarkaby tidy considering a that is on it. Be sure it is paced in an easiy accessibe spot in your workspace. Tabe 3.1 Layers Paette Features Layers Paette Features View On/Off Active Layer Thumbnai Linked Mode Appy Effects Menu Layer Set Foder What It Does Turns visibiity for the ayer on or off. Layers must be visibe (On) to work on the content. Indicates the ayer that wi be affected by painting appications. Shows the content of the individua ayer. Can show a inking between ayers (when it appears in the paette coumn where the paintbrush icon for the active ayer is ocated), or inking between a ayer and its mask or cipping path (when it appears between the thumbnai and Mask or Path). Aows the user to make a seection for the ayer bending. Aows the user to choose specific predefined effects that are appied across the content of the ayer. Opens the appropriate Layer Effect diaog box when the Effect is seected. Provides a means for grouping ayers so fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

3 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 3 of 22 Create Layer Set Adjustment Layer Menu New Layer Deete Layer Layer Mask Layer Effects Togge Expand/Compress View Lock A Lock Movement Lock image pixes Lock Transparency Opacity Resize Paette to Fit Content Layers Paette Pop-Up they can be arranged in the image or transferred between images. Might be in expanded and condensed views so the content of the set is either visibe or hidden. Creates a Layer Set foder that can be popuated with ayers. Creates an Adjustment ayer as per the seection made on the ist. Opens the appropriate diaog box when the seection is made. Creates a new ayer or dupicates a ayer dragged to it with copy appended to the origina ayer name. The new ayer is created above the od. Removes the Active ayer from the image. Acts as a mask, backing out areas of the ayer from view. Affects the image ony when inked to the ayer content. Indicates that Effects have been appied to the ayer. If in expanded view, the Effects are isted beow the ayer. An arrow that when cicked wi change state from expanded (pointing down) to condensed (pointing right) and vice versa. When checked, this ocks the ayer, and keeps the user from either moving the content of the ayer or changing ayer information. When checked, keeps the user from moving or repositioning content of the ayer. Keeps ayer pixe information from changing. Keeps ayer transparency intact. Changes the opacity of the ayer. Resizes the Paette to an optima size for the current content of the Paette. Opens the Layers Paette Pop-Up menu, which contains additiona ayer functions. Creating and Managing Layers Worrying about any of the settings and features having to do with ayer information is reay wasted fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

4 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 4 of 22 effort if you are working with ony one ayer. If there isn t more than one ayer, there is no opportunity for ayer interaction, so ayer contros wi be inoperative. There are innumerabe opportunities to take advantage of ayers and their contros but you have to create additiona ayers to take advantage of that opportunity. At times you wi have to create ayers and sometimes they wi be created for you. Understanding the reationship between how to create, contro, and activate ayers is imperative for proper image editing and deveopment. Creating Layers A number of user actions wi create a new ayer. These incude Pressing (Shift Cmd N) [Shift+Ctr+N] Cicking the New Layer button on the Layers paette Pasting a copied image area (either within the same image or in other images) Dupicating a ayer with the Dupicate function (on the Layers paette or the Layers menu) Dragging a ayer to the New Layer button Dragging a ayer from another image Entering type by cicking the Type too on the image Creating a New Fi Layer (Layer, New Fi Layer) Creating a New Adjustment Layer (Layer, New Adjustment Layer) Rendering Layer effects (Layer, Layer Stye, Create Layer) Creating a new bank ayer with either of the first two actions in the preceding ist wi pace a new ayer above the currenty active ayer, and wi open the New Layer diaog box (see Figure 3.2). Figure 3.2 In the New Layer diaog box, you get to choose options for the ayer you are creating, incuding the ayer name, grouping the new ayer with the previous, seecting a Coor coding for the ayer in the paette, choosing a Mode, and setting Opacity. Layers can be created from seections or by dupicating ayers using the keyboard shortcuts seen in Tabe 3.2. Tabe 3.2 Shortcuts for Layer Creation fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

5 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 5 of 22 Action Macintosh Windows Shortcut Requirements Create a new bank ayer Create a new bank ayer and open the New Layer diaog box Create a new ayer from a seection (As Copy/Paste) Create a new ayer from a seection (As Cut/Paste) Create a new ayer from a seection and open the New Layer diaog box (As Copy/Paste) Create a new ayer from a seection and open the New Layer diaog box (As Cut/Paste) Dupicate Layer (Shift Cmd Option-N) (Shift Cmd N) [Shift+Ctr+ An open image. At+N] [Shift+Ctr+N] An open image. (Cmd-J) [Ctr+J] Requires an active seection appied to a ayer that has pixe content (is not bank). (Shift Cmd J) (Cmd Option-J) (Shift Cmd Option-J) (Cmd Option- Arrow) [Shift+Ctr+J] [Ctr+At+J] [Shift+Ctr+ At+J] [Ctr+At+ Arrow] Requires an active seection appied to a ayer that has pixe content (is not bank). Requires an active seection appied to a ayer that has pixe content (is not bank). Requires an active seection appied to a ayer that has pixe content (is not bank). Requires an active ayer with pixe content (is not bank). You wi want to create a new ayer every time there is image information you need to isoate from other portions of the image. Isoation is usefu for managing image and eement bending, as we as aiding in certain types of corrections. Layers provide unique opportunities to induge compex image arrangement and interaction. Layering Too Appications When doing just about any correction to an image, you wi want to use additiona ayers to aow you severa options. If making the correction to a separate ayer, you can quicky compare the changes by togging the view for the changes off and on (before and after), and you wi have unprecedented options for bending, merging, smoothing, and otherwise optimizing the incorporation of what you have done in the correction. If you don't think the changes are optima, you can store the changes and dupicate them to yet another ayer to see whether you can improve on them and you can appy ayered fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

6 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 6 of 22 changes to the changes! Considering this versatiity, the one-shot correct-it-a-in-oneayer approach is not recommended. If you create a ayer and have troube appying new toos and effects, there can be severa things going wrong. See "Getting a Layer to Work" in the Troubeshooting section at the end of this chapter. Merging Layers On the other side of ayer creation is Layer Merge. Merging is putting together information from two different ayers so that the ayer information is no onger separate. Merging can be used to combine ayers that need not be separate, such as severa text appications over an image to which you wi want to appy the same effects. In this case you wi have to render the type before merging, but merging wi hep you manage effects and conserve memory. Note - Layers are tremendousy fexibe and add a ot of possibiity to manipuating images; however, they aso require a significant amount of memory to maintain. Keeping ayers to a minimum by combining Layers via Merge whenever it wi not affect your abiity to work on the image can free up memory and maintain a more efficient working environment. There are a number of options for merging ayers and a appear on the contextuay sensitive Merge section of the Layer Menu. The menu adjusts options to those that are most probabe considering the ayer that is currenty active. The seection by the program is based on a hierarchy of what Merge variations are possibe, approximatey in the order that foows (from most ikey to be superceded): Merge Down Merges the currenty active ayer into the ayer immediatey beow. Both the active ayer and the ayer immediatey beow must be visibe. Merge Group Merges a the ayers in a cipping group. The bottommost ayer of the group must be active. Merge Linked Merges a inked ayers provided the inked ayers are a visibe and not part of a cipping group (a parts of any group must be part of the ink). Merge Visibe Merges a visibe ayers. The active ayer must be a visibe ayer. Fatten Image Is essentiay the utimate Merge in that it wi combine a ayers into a singe ayer. A warning wi be issued when the function is invoked if any ayers are hidden etting the user know that a hidden ayers wi be discarded during the fattening. Activating Layers Active ayers are reay the ayers that wi be targeted to accept the changes you impement in the course of working with the image. Simpy stated, an active ayer is the one that is highighted in the fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

7 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 7 of 22 Layers paette. The area of the Layers paette that contains the ayer description wi be in the highighted coor, and the Paintbrush icon wi be to the eft of the ayer thumbnai. This ayer wi accept appication of any toos or functions invoked. To activate a ayer to work on, simpy cick it in the Layers paette. Layers can aso be activated using keystrokes. This wi move up and down through the visibe ayers or jump to ayers at the top and bottom of the stack. Combinations of these keystrokes can hep you quicky navigate between ayers when working on an image. See Tabe 3.3 for a isting of the keystrokes. Tabe 3.3 Keystroke Layer Navigation Layer Seected Mac PC Layer above currenty active Option [ At+[ ayer (aso jumps bottom to top) Layer beow currenty active Option-] At+] ayer (aso jumps top to bottom) Topmost ayer in the paette Shift Option ] Shift+At+] Bottommost ayer in the Shift Option [ Shift+At+[ paette Topmost visibe ayer under the cursor (cick on image) Ctr Cmd-Option- Cick At+Right-cick After a ayer is activated, changes can be made to the image content using any of Photoshop's toos that affect pixe information, so ong as the too or function is avaiabe. Layer information can be moved within the ayer, both by arranging ayer order and by horizonta and vertica positioning of the ayer information. Positioning can be independent from or in unison with other Linked Layers, Cipping Groups, or Layer Sets. Linked Layers Linking is a means of managing ayer content by grouping and inking the content of seected ayers. Linked ayers wi be affected by ayer content movements in the image pane and Transformations appied to any ayer in that group, but wi not be affected by movement of the ayer in the Layers paette. The Layers wi move in unison and wi not have to be reaigned or moved individuay to maintain aignment with one another. Linking ayers provides noncontiguous contro of ayers that spans Layer Sets, Cipping Groups, and visibiity. To ink a ayer to another ayer, make one of the ayers that wi be inked the active ayer. This wi automaticay pace the paintbrush icon in the box immediatey to the eft of the thumbnai. Next, cick the ink indicator box on the Layers paette immediatey to the eft of the ayer you woud ike to ink it to. A Link icon wi appear in the box where you cicked, indicating that the ayer is inked to the active ayer. Items inked together wi aways appear as inked to one another: Anytime one of the ayers in the Linked group is seected as active, the Paintbrush icon wi appear next to it showing it is the active fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

8 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 8 of 22 ayer, and the other inks in the group wi dispay the ink icon. These inks appear in the grouping regardess of which ayer is active or the order they were created in. In other words, if you ink Layers 2 and 3 to Layer 1, Layer 1 wi have the Paintbrush icon at the time of inking, and 2 and 3 wi have Link icons. When you seect Layer 2 as the active ayer, the Paintbrush icon wi appear next to it, and the Link icon wi appear next to Layers 1 and 3. These inks wi remain in effect unti they are removed. A movements within the image pane and transformations wi affect a inked ayers equay. Any number of ayers can be inked in whatever order (contiguousy or noncontiguousy within the stack), and inks can be terminated and activated at wi. To remove a ink, simpy cick the Link icon when another ayer in the inked group is active. This wi remove the ink ony from the ayer from which the icon was removed. A quick means of inking a series of contiguous ayers is to hod the Shift key down whie hoding down the mouse button and dragging the pointer over the ink boxes. To unink by cicking and dragging, hod down the (Option) [At] key. Aigning Layer Content Pixe content in inked ayers can be aigned and distributed using the Aign and Distribute commands on the Layer menu or the aignment buttons on the Move too options. Two or more ayers have to be inked to use the Aign feature and three or more must be inked to use the distribute feature (see Figure 3.3). Figure 3.3 Layer content can be arranged quicky by inking the items you want to aign and cicking the appropriate button on the Movement Options bar for aignment or distribution. Layer Sets Layer Sets are a brand-new feature in Photoshop 6 (see Figure 3.4). They are a means of grouping coections of ayers that need to be maintained in a particuar order. This provides a means for easy movement of the group (between images or in the ayer order). Layer Sets aso aow for the contents of the Sets to be coapsed and expanded in the Layers paette view. Viewing and hiding in no way affects the content of the set. Figure 3.4 The coapsed Layer Set makes it easier to view the remaining ayers. This can be moved as a group within the image and without, deeted as a group, or viewed by expanding. Layer Sets can be Masked or cipped as a group by appying a Mask and/or Layer Cipping Path to the Set. The content of the Sets must contain contiguous ayers, unike inked ayers, but can contain inked ayers and Cipping Groups. Sets are a higher eve of order and cannot be used as part of a Cipping Group. Creating Layer Sets To create a Layer Set, you can either create the foder for the set and then drag ayers into it, or ink fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

9 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 9 of 22 the ayers that you want in the set and choose New Set From Linked from the Layers paette pop-up menu. Dragging the ayers to a set you create is cumsier than inking the ayers and then creating the set if the ayers aready exist because you have to drag individua ayers in one at a time. Layers dragged into a Set foder stack from the top down uness dragged to a specific spot: Each ayer you drag in gets added to the bottom of the stack if you just drag it to the foder. This is counter to the way ayers generay work, which is from the bottom up. You can rearrange the ayers after they are in the foder or you can drag them one at a time to the spot in which they beong in the order. If you use New Set From Linked, the Linked Layers wi retain the ayer order they had when the Set was created. To create an empty set, cick the New Set icon at the bottom of the Layers paette. Using Layer Sets with Channes Another use for Layer Sets, and a rather unique feature for ayers, is that the effects of ayer Sets can be targeted to specific channes. For exampe, if working in CMYK, you can create a Layer Set that wi affect ony the cyan and back channes whie not affecting the content of the yeow and magenta channes even if there are yeow and magenta components in the ayers used for the Layer Set. To Target a specific Channe, highight a Layer Set that you have aready created and choose Layer Properties from the Layer Menu or Layers paette pop-up. The Layer Set Properties screen wi appear (see Figure 3.5). Simpy uncheck the boxes by the primaries that you do not want the changes to appy to. Figure 3.5 This feature can be handy for some coor changes where the coor change is content specific, such as redeye. In the case of redeye, imiting the coor change to the red Channe in RGB or the yeow and magenta in CMYK might hep you make a coor change targeted to the red whie maintaining other coor integrity. Cipping Groups Cipping Groups use the bottommost ayer in a group as a mask and appy the content of the ayers above (within the group) to the image based on the order of the ayers. The base ayer of a Cipping Group cips the other ayers in the group based on its transparency. Cipping Groups define a resut based on what are essentiay substacks of ayers. Where an image is the resut of a the stacked visibe ayers on the background, Cipping Groups use the base of the group as the background. The grouped ayers use the bottom ayer as a cipping path or mask for the grouped ayers above it based on its areas of transparency. Unike the background of the image, however, Cipping Groups can appear anywhere in the ayer order. Using a Cipping Group is ike using a Layer Mask or Layer Cipping Path. In fact, Layer Masks, Cipping Groups, and Layer Cipping Paths a essentiay do the same thing, athough they each do it a itte differenty. To create a Cipping Group: 1. Create or open an image with at east two ayers in a stack (in addition to the background if you have one). fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

10 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 10 of 22 Note - The bottom ayer shoud probaby have some transparent or semitransparent areas. 2. Make the upper ayer of the two you are using for the Cipping Group active. 3. Group the ayers by pressing (Cmd-G) [Ctr+G]; the ower ayer s transparency cips the information from the upper ayer (see Figure 3.6). Figure 3.6 In this series of images, the top ayer is paced on the second ayer. When they are grouped, the resut is that the base ayer of the Cipping Group cookie-cuts the image ying above it. The area of the image above that fas to where the base ayer is 100% opaque stays, whie the rest fas away. Note - If you seect the grouping command from the Layers menu, it is caed Group With Previous. The top ayer in the pairing wi have its content confined by the opacity of the ower ayer. Another method for appying a Cipping Group is to ink the ayers. When one of the Linked ayers is seected, Group Linked can be seected from the Layers menu (actuay the same command as Group With Previous; its name changes to fit the context). Layer Masks A Layer Mask, ike a Cipping Group, heps redefine the content of the ayer. The masks bock out ayer information, somewhat ike pacing a stenci on the ayer. One notabe difference between a mask in Photoshop and a stenci is that a mask can be semiopaque. To appy a Layer Mask: 1. Create a seection of the area you woud ike to mask. As an aternative, a seection can be oaded from one you have aready created or another Channe can be oaded as a Mask. 2. After the seection is active, choose either Revea Seection or Hide Seection from Layer, Add a Layer Mask menu. Revea seection wi create a Mask for the ayer that masks the unseected portion of the image, reveaing the seected area; Hide Seection wi mask the seected area of the image. Masked areas appear back in the ayer Mask. Figure 3.7 shows the resut of appying a Layer Mask. Figure 3.7 The Layer Mask in this case was oaded from a seection adjusted to fit the subject s eye area. Note the effect of the inner ring in the seection on the resut. When the mask is appied to the ayer, it bocks out everything outside the seected area, reveaing the back background of the image. To edit a Layer Mask, highight the ayer that contains the mask you want to edit in the Layers fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

11 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 11 of 22 foating paette by cicking once on the ayer. The mask wi appear in the Channes paette and can be edited just ike any other channe at this point; it wi not appear in the Channes paette when the ayer containing the mask is not highighted. You can aso edit the channe by cicking the thumbnai in the Layers paette. This wi not show you the mask you are editing but wi aow you to view the effects of the changes as you edit the mask. In either case, when the mask is active, the Layer Mask icon wi appear to the eft of ayer in the Layers paette rather than the Paintbrush icon. Layer Cipping Paths A Layer Cipping Path is a resoution-independent means of appying a shaped cipping area to an image ayer. The Cipping Path is appied with vectors rather than a pixe-based mask, so the resut can be sharper in some instances. The difference between appying a Cipping Path and a Mask is simiar to the difference between bitmapped and PostScript fonts. The imitation to a Layer Cipping Path is that the border is absoute; the path denotes a sharp break between incusion and excusion of image information. There is no means of bending as there is with a Layer Mask. However, Layer Masks and Layer Cipping Paths are not mutuay excusive: They can be used together and can, in fact, be made from the same seection. To appy a Layer Cipping Path, you wi need to create an active path. After the path is created, it can be appied to the ayer in a way very simiar to the appication of a Layer Mask. Simpy seect Current Path from the Add Layer Cipping Path submenu on the Layers menu. This wi create a Layer Cipping Path from the currenty active path. Everything inside the area of the path wi be reveaed whie everything outside the path wi be cipped. Figure 3.8 shows the resut of appying a Cipping Path to a ayer. Cipping Paths can be used in combination with Cipping Groups and Layer Masks in any configuration. When used in combination Layer Masks show up immediatey to the right of the ayer thumbnai, and Cipping Paths show up to the right of the Layer Mask. Cipping Paths, Layer Masks, and Cipping Groups can a use Layer Styes as we, which create effects based on the resut of the masking(s). Figure 3.9 shows a combination of the previous exampes used for Cipping Groups, Layer Masks, and Cipping Paths. You can try your hand at imitating these resuts in the "Photoshop at Work" section at the end of this chapter. Figure 3.8 When a Path is active in an image, the outine wi show. After the path is appied here, it bocks out the image area outside the path ony in the ayer it is appied to uness that ayer is the base of a Cipping Group. Figure 3.9 The origina image from these exampes was of a somewhat red-faced Ben Frankin imitator. The red face and bue eyes seemed aready to be waxing patriotic, and needed ony a itte further manipuation with the hep of cipping and masking to ook ike a wacky patriot. Various cipping and masking effects are at work here to define the stripes and star. Simpe Bending Modes Layers have severa basic bending functions incuding Layer Modes, Layer Opacity, and Preserve settings. These settings can be used to contro the intensity and type of interaction between ayer information. A are found at the top of the Layers paette just above the stack. fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

12 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 12 of 22 A Layer Mode defines how the content of the ayer wi be appied to the eements in ayers beow. These Modes are pretty much the same as modes for appication of painting toos, but the mode appies to the entire ayer as an overay. Layer Mode is most often used as Norma, but can be used in other modes both for specia purposes and specia effects. Tabe 3.4 gives some detais on the Layer Mode types. Rankings in the Frequency of Use coumn of Very Often, Often, Sometimes, Rarey, and Amost Never are based on photographic reproduction and appication. For a appications, Layer opacity can be controed by pressing a number key where 10 times the number is the opacity the ayer wi assume. Typing the exact opacity desired quicky wi change the opacity to that number. Tabe 3.4 Layer Mode Types, Effects, Uses, and Shortcuts Bend Mode Effect Use Frequency of Use Norma Dissove Takes on the coor/tone of the pixes in the upper ayer. Takes on the coor/ tone of the pixes in the upper ayer, but dithers seection between upper and ower ayer based on the strength of the opacity. The greater the opacity, the more seection is weighted to the upper ayer. Norma use; unbended resut. Specia effects; method for adding noise; rough, gritty bending. Quick Key Very Often (Shift Option N) [Shift+At+N] Amost Never (Shift Option I) [Shift+At+I] Mutipy Darkens the Used for Often (Shift Option M) fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

13 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 13 of 22 Screen Overay Soft Light Hard Light resut by increasing the darkness of the ower ayer based on the darkness of the upper ayer. No portion of the image can get ighter. Brightens the vaues of the ower ayer based on the ight- ness of the upper ayer. No portion of the image can get darker. Mutipies (darkens) the dark coors and screens (ightens) the ight. Mutipies (darkens) the dark coors and screens (ightens) the ight. Soft appication of the upper ayer. Mutipies (darkens) the dark coors and screens (ightens) the ight. shadow effects. Used for highight effects. Work with contrast and image bends. Work with contrast and ghosted image overays. Work with contrast and image overays. Often [Shift+At+M] (Shift Option S) [Shift+At+S] Sometimes (Shift Option O) [Shift+At+O] Rarey Rarey (Shift Option F) [Shift+At+F] (Shift Option H) [Shift+At+H] Coor Dodge Dodges Washing out, Rarey (Shift Option D) fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

14 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 14 of 22 Coor Burn Darken Lighten Difference (ightens) coor of underying ayer with upper ayer, brightening the resut. No portion of the image gets darker. Burns in (darkens) coor of underying ayer with the upper ayer, darkening the resut. No portion of the image gets ighter. Chooses the darker coor vaues for each pixe in comparing the two ayers. No portion of the image gets ighter. Chooses the ighter coor vaues for each pixe in comparing the two ayers. No portion of the image gets darker. Reacts to difference between ater pixe vaues: Large difference yieds a bright resut; sma difference overexposing, highighting. Underexposing, darkening. Some dust correction appications, shadowing, darkening. Some dust correction appications, ightening, highighting. Rarey Specia effects. Amost Never [Shift+At+D] (Shift Option B) [Shift+At+B] Sometimes (Shift Option K) [Shift+At+K] Sometimes (Shift Option G) [Shift+At+G] (Shift Option E) [Shift+At+E] fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

15 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 15 of 22 Excusion Hue Saturation Coor yieds a dark resut (no difference yieds back). Uses darkness of ower ayer to excude the Difference effect (described previousy). If the bottom ayer pixe is dark, there is itte change in the upper ayer; if the bottom ayer is back, there is no change; the ighter the ower ayer, the more intense the Difference effect. Changes hue of the ower ayer to the upper whie eaving Saturation and Luminosity. Changes Saturation of the ower ayer to the upper whie eaving Hue and Luminosity. Changes the Hue and Saturation of the ower ayer to the upper whie eaving the Luminosity. Specia effects. Amost Never Coor changes and correction. Coor changes and correction. Coor changes and correction. Rarey Amost Never (Shift Option X) [Shift+At+X] (Shift Option U) [Shift+At+U] (Shift Option T) [Shift+At+T] Sometimes (Shift Option C) [Shift+At+C] fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

16 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 16 of 22 Luminosity Changes Luminosity of the ower ayer to the upper whie eaving Saturation and Luminosity. Coor changes and correction. Amost Never (Shift Option Y) [Shift+At+Y] Note - Aso see images 5.51 to 5.66 in Chapter 5 for a simpe back-and-white demonstration of how bending modes work. Layer Opacity determines the amount the current ayer wi obscure or affect the image information in ayers beow. An opacity of 100% means that the image information in the ayer wi interact competey with information beow. A ower percentage means the effect and/or coverage wi be ess intense. Settings for ocking transparency and pixe content affect appication of toos to the current ayer depending on the opacity and content of each pixe in the ayer. If neither is checked, images can be freey edited. If the transparency is ocked, the ayer wi preserve current opacity for each pixe no matter what too or effect is appied, but the content (coor and tone) can change. If the pixe content is preserved (coor, tone, and opacity), the ayer wi retain the information in the image essentiay ocking pixe vaues and disaowing any appication of fiters or toos that change content. It is important to note that pixe information within the ayer can be partiay transparent, as it might have been appied to the ayer with a too that used partia opacity. In other words, if back was appied to a 50% opaque ayer with 50% opacity, the resut woud be 25% opacity. Athough you wi probaby most often use an opacity of 100%, you might find a number of reasons to reduce opacity in bending images and eements. This wi affect the appication of other toos if the ayer transparency is ocked. Note - Athough there is no difference in the resut in the image if appying a 50% opaque too to a 50% opaque ayer, appying a 100% opaque too to a 25% opaque ayer, or appying a 25% opaque too to a 100% opaque ayer, the resut in the ayer itsef is different. The choice as to how to set opacities can be important and can be noticeabe if dupicating the channes, appying additiona changes via cipping groups. Layer Bending Options and Layer Styes Layer Bending Options and Layer Styes are grouped effects for the ayer controed through the Layer Styes paette and diaog box. Layer Styes are reay saved sets of Layer Bending Options. Seecting Bending Options from either the Layers paette pop-up or the Layer menu (under the Layer Styes submenu) wi open the Layer Styes diaog box. The Layer Stye diaog box is a one-stop management area for what were Layer Effects and bending modes (see Figure 3.10). fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

17 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 17 of 22 The Layer Styes diaog box actuay aows you access to a the foowing and then some: Layer Styes, Genera Bending, Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Outer Gow, Inner Gow, Beve & Emboss, Contour & Texture, Satin, Overay and Stroke. I say "and then some" as there are numerous subeffects that can be appied using patterns, fis, gradients, curves, and so on. See Tabe 3.5 for a isting of the effects and the features each supports. These effects wi be examined further in ater chapters as the effects are appied. Figure 3.10 To view the paettes/diaog boxes for each of the Effects, cick the name of the effect. To appy the effect, cick the check box. To shut the effect off, cick the check box again so that the check is removed. Tabe 3.5 Layer Stye Effects Effect What It Does Features Genera Bending Defines how the current ayer wi bend with ayers beow. Drop Shadow Inner Shadow Outer Gow Defines drop-shadow effects behind ayer content based on transparency of the ayer. Defines shadow effects on the inside edge and above ayer content as if the ayer were the base of a Cipping Group. Defines gow around and beow ayer content based on opacity. Genera Settings: Mode setting, Opacity Advanced Settings: Fi Opacity, Channes, Knockout, Bend Group, and Bend If settings Structure: Bend Mode, Opacity, Ange, Distance, Spread, Size Quaity: Contour, Noise, Knockout Dropshadow Structure: Bend Mode, Opacity, Ange, Distance, Choke, Size Quaity: Contour, Noise Structure: Bend Mode, Opacity, Noise, Soid Coor/Bend Eements: Technique, Spread, Size Inner Gow Quaity: Contour, Range, Jitter Defines Gow effects Structure: Bend Mode, fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

18 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 18 of 22 on the inside edge and above ayer content as if the ayer were the base of a Cipping Group. Opacity, Noise, Soid Coor/Bend Eements: Technique, Source, Choke, Size. Beve & Emboss Creates beveed effect inside or outside the edge of the opaque area of the ayer (depending on settings). Quaity: Contour, Range, Jitter Structure: Stye, Technique, Depth, Direction, Size, Soften Shading: Ange Atitude, Goss Contour & Texture Satin Overay Stroke Aows contro of Beve Contour and appication of textures over the beveed area. Appies an Overay to the image using a coor, gradient, or pattern. Strokes the edge of the image area where it turns from opaque to transparent either outside, on center, or inside the edge. Contour, Highight Mode, Opacity, Shadow Mode, Opacity Contour: Contour, Range Texture: Pattern, Scae, Depth, Invert, Link with Layer Structure: Bend Mode, Opacity, Ange, Distance, Size, Contour Coor Fi: Bend Mode, Opacity Gradient Fi: Bend Mode, Opacity, Gradient, Stye, Ange, Scae Pattern Fi: Bend Mode, Opacity, Pattern, Scae Structure: Size, Position, Bend Mode, Opacity Fi: Coor, Gradient, Pattern The preview box to the right on the Layer Styes paette aows you to view how the effects woud ook on a sma square. The current effects can be saved for ater use as Layer Styes by cicking the New button. This wi aow you to choose a descriptive name for the new stye and seect options for what to save from the current stye set. To reca the stye you saved, a you have to do is open the Bending Options and seect the stye from the stye menu. To view the saved Styes, cick Layer fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

19 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 19 of 22 Styes on the menu to the eft. This wi revea a the Styes that are currenty oaded. From this view, you can oad more Styes and manage sets. You can aso change the stye views by seecting the desired view from the Layer Styes pop-up menu. See Figure Figure 3.11 Layer Styes can be viewed either with or without previews, with or without descriptions, and in varying thumbnai sizes. I find viewing the thumbnai and descriptions together hepfu. Adjustment and Fi Layers Adjustment and Fi ayers aow the user to appy Photoshop functions as ayers. This provides an advantage in that the appication of the function does not actuay change the image information. The ayer can be appied to the images ater or discarded without stepping back in the History. Fi and Adjustment ayers are actuay appied and managed through four separate menu items. Seecting New Fi Layer or New Adjustment Layer from the Layers menu adds a new ayer to the image above the currenty active ayer. Upon seection, the New Layer diaog box wi open to aow seection of the ayer name, grouping (with previous), coor code, mode, and opacity. When the New Layer diaog box is cosed, the diaog box for the adjustment or fi function opens and the ayer wi be created. The ayers are automaticay assigned a mask and appear with an icon that is unique to the function seected. The mask can be turned into a ayer cipping path by simpy drawing a path or ayer mask by using pixe-editing toos to change the channe information. A compete ist of the icons appears in Figure Figure 3.12 The icons here represent the thumbnais that are created to identify the ayer types. After the ayers are created, the ayer content can be edited or changed. Change Layer Content enabes you to change the function currenty assigned to the ayer. For exampe, if Leves are assigned to the ayer and you woud ike to change it to Curves, seect Curves from the Change Layer Content menu. To adjust the settings for the function currenty assigned to the ayer, choose Layer Content Options from the Layers menu, or doube-cick the function icon in the Layers paette. Either of those actions wi open the diaog box for the function with the current settings. The Bend If Layer Function The Bend If function aows the user to create conditions in which image information wi bend between ayers. The siders aow the user to target specific areas to bend from and to in consideration of coor and tone. With measurements, appication of coor changes, repairs, and so on can be based on tonaity. This is usefu for coorizing images, targeting too appication, bending back detais ost in corrections, and a number of other appications. This might be infrequenty used, but it is a powerfu and exacting too. Used in combination with new Layer options and in tune with the new interface for contro of Layer Styes, this can more easiy be targeted to your needs than in previous versions of Photoshop. Troubeshooting fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

20 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 20 of 22 Getting a Layer to Work Occasionay, I wi run into a probem where the ayer I am working with wi not accept the changes I am making. Is this a bug in the program or is something ese going wrong? With a the versatiity that Photoshop offers, sometimes there are some unexpected resuts athough the true surprises and bugs are few and far between. In this case there are severa ways Photoshop might be keeping you from appying what you'd ike, and a are vaid reasons (not bugs). Hopefuy, most of these probems can be taken care of by Photoshop error messages. These are not crash messages, but contextuay sensitive, hepfu notes that et you know what might be going wrong. For exampe, if you try appying a History brush to an image's eighth ayer and the Snapshot you are painting from had seven ayers, you wi not be abe to appy the History Brush. The Can't Appy icon wi appear instead. If you attempt to appy anyway, you wi get the message "Coud not use the History Brush because the History State does not contain a corresponding ayer." In other words, if you see the pointer icon turn into the Can't Appy icon, try appying it anyway. The resut might be a hepfu message that tes you why you can't appy the too. Reasons why difficuty in appying toos might be occurring might stem from opacity or mode seections for the toos you are using to Layer Opacities, pixe and transparency ocks, inappropriate appication of coor modes, samping mistakes (the Stamping too), and such. Reay, you probaby need to check ony a few things: Layer Opacity, Too Opacity, Layer Mode, Too Mode, Image Mode, Layer Masking, Layer Cipping Paths, Cipping Groups, Seection, Pixe Lock, and Transparency Lock. You wi note this can be summarized as Opacities, Modes, Masking, Seection, and Locks. Opacity Any setting for opacity that is too ow might keep you from seeing the resut. This is especiay true if there are mutipe opacity settings at work. For exampe, it is possibe to appy a 10% opaque too to a 10% opaque Layer and end up with a 1% appication of the origina coor. If that coor is ess than 50% gray in intensity, it might not show up at a. Modes There are two types of Mode to be concerned with, Image Mode and appication Mode. Image Modes are the coor spaces you are working in, and appication Modes appy to the Mode of too and Layer appication. Image Modes wi need to be compatibe and in most cases this means the same. If you are attempting to stamp CMYK information into an RGB image, you probaby wi have a mismatch and experience some probems. On the appication Mode side, if you are using a Lighten mode and are attempting to appy a back to an image, nothing wi happen. Seecting an appropriate Mode (such as Darken) wi hep get the resuts you need. Masking If you use Masking in the form of Layer Masks, Layer Cipping Paths, or Cipping Groups, you might actuay make vaid appication of toos that you simpy can't see because it is being masked. Be sure you are not painting to a ayer that has either a Cipping Path or Mask appied, and be sure it is not in a Cipping Group. Seection Seections can sometimes hide in an image: you might be too cose to see the seection which is oaded over another part of the image, seections might not encompass any pixes at more than 50%, or you might have hidden the seection and forgotten. In any case, you can shut off the seection by pressing (Cmd D) [Ctr+D]. After the Seection is disabed, you fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

21 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 21 of 22 wi be abe to appy the too as desired. Locks This is probaby the owest possibiity, as you have to set the Locks fairy consciousy (whereas too settings can carry over from session to session and are easier to forget). However, if you turn on the Pixe Lock, you wi not be abe to change existing Pixes in a ayer. Be sure the ayer you are working on has the Pixe Lock off (unchecked). With a this checked, there are sti other vaid things that can go wrong, such as having a Channe active and painting to that instead of the ayer you think you are working on. If you are reay in a quandary and have checked everything, open a brand-new image and try doing what you want to do there. If it works, rebuid the image a ayer at a time to find the probem. If it doesn't work, you might want to re-evauate what you are trying to do. Photoshop at Work: Creating Layer Effects If you have read the whoe chapter, you probaby saw it coming: The exercise for this chapter is to recreate the wacky patriot. Page 3 of the PDF workbook (downoad the workbook at the Web site has the origina cropped version of the feow that was used for the image. This exercise wi require creating new ayers, a Layer Mask, a Cipping Group, a Layer Cipping Path, and appying at east one ayer effect. With a that done, you wi have a pretty good idea of how ayers work and you' know how to hande them. This series of events coud be handed differenty to create the same effects, but this series exercises as many options as possibe. 1. Open the image Page 3 in the PDF workbook as an RGB image. 2. Be sure you can see the Channes, Layers, and Path paettes. This image wi have a singe ayer, two apha channes, and a Path. 3. Dupicate the origina ayer (Layer, Dupicate Layer). 4. Desaturate the dupicate ayer (Shift Cmd U) [Shift+Ctr+U]. 5. Create a new ayer (Layer, New Layer). 6. Move the ayer created in Step 5 beow the Dupicate created in Steps 3 and 4. Use (Option Cmd [) [Ctr+At+[] to move the ayer down one eve. 7. Load Apha 1 as a Seection (Shift Cmd Cick Apha 1) [Shift+Ctr+Cick Apha 1]. 8. Fi the seection with the foreground coor (Edit, Fi). The Foreground coor reay doesn't matter, but it shoud be 100% Opaque. 9. Cick the Link box next to the Desaturated ayer created in Steps 3 and Choose Group Linked from the Layer menu (Layer, Group Linked). The resut shoud be that the dupicate created in Step 3 is cipped by the ayer fied with the foreground in Step 5. The face wi show with aternating stripes of white and red. fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01

22 Chapter 3: Creating Images in Layers Page 22 of Create a new ayer (Layer, New Layer). 12. Move the ayer created in Step 12 to the top of the ayer stack. Use (Shift-Option Cmd ]) [Shift+Ctr+At+]] to move the ayer. 13. Fi the new ayer with bue. To do this, doube-cick the foreground coor, seect a bue; then choose the Paint Bucket too (K) and cick it over the image. The new ayer shoud be fied with bue and obscure the rest of the image. 14. Load Apha 2 as a Seection (Shift Cmd Cick Apha 2) [Shift+Ctr+Cick Apha 2]. 15. Change the seection to a Mask by choosing Layer, Add Layer Mask, Revea Seection. This shoud mask out the bue over the eye and revea the image beow. 16. Cick the Path in the Paths paette to activate it. 17. Add the Layer Cipping Path by choosing Layer, Add Layer Cipping Path. This shoud cip the outside of the bue into a star shape, reveaing the rest of the face outside the star area. 18. Appy a Beve to the star by choosing Bending Options (which opens the Layer Styes), and cick the Beve and Emboss effect on the menu at the eft of the diaog box. Increase the depth of the effect as desired. At this point you wi have something very cose to the resut shown earier, but in fu coor redwhite-and-bue. Try variations by atering the effects for Step 18, and changing the shape of the Mask, fi ayer content, and cipping path. Copyright Macmian USA. A rights reserved. fie://j:\macmiancomputerpubishing\chapters\ir614.htm 3/22/01