Layers in Photoshop are an essential part of image editing and the creation of artwork. They allow you to combine multiple images, add text and special effects as well as vector graphics without affecting the rest of the file.
They also give you non-destructive editing which means that you can undo any changes at any time. This is particularly important when working on posters, flyers or any type of visual document or graphic.
Background layer
Photoshop layers are one of the most useful tools for working on images. They allow you to swap out elements, change color, tones and lighting, add text, and much more independently of the original image.
Layers also allow you to group and hide layers. You can see these options at the bottom of the Layers panel.
There are two different types of layers in Photoshop: Content layers and adjustment layers. Both can be hidden or shown, but Content layers have a more noticeable effect on the image.
If you want to hide a layer, simply select it in the Layers panel and click the eye icon on its name. You can also right-click it and choose “Hide.”
Background layers are the base of your work in Photoshop. Without a background layer, your entire document would be a transparent box. However, you cannot edit the opacity of a background layer or hide it, so you should use it sparingly.
You can also create a new layer by selecting the Background layer and clicking New > Background From Layer. A dialog box appears, allowing you to name the layer and set its opacity and blending mode.
When you’re creating a composite photo in Photoshop, you may want to elminate the background so that your subject will stand out against it. You can accomplish this by painting the background layer white, then moving it underneath your masked layer in the Layers panel.
Text layer
The text layer is a great way to add information or details to an image. It’s one of the easiest to work with in Photoshop, and can be customized to your preferences. It also has several options to change its appearance, such as Stroke, Bevel & Emboss, and Overlays.
To use the text tool, select it from the Tools panel or press T. Then click anywhere in the document to place the text cursor and start typing.
You can type on an existing text layer, or create a new one by clicking the Create New Layer icon in the Layers panel. Be sure to commit your changes by pressing ESC or the checkmark in the upper bar.
If you want to reposition text on a layer, click it in the layers panel and choose the Move Tool from the Tools panel. From the alignment options, choose to align vertically or horizontally.
Then, drag the selected text onto the new layer to move it. Be sure to drag the text within a bounding box that you define with Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS).
In addition to moving text on a layer, you can also change its color. To do this, select the text layer and open the Character panel (Window menu, Character).
The Character panel lets you make changes to how letters and words look, including font size and kerning. It also has a Color box, which opens the Color picker. You can also underline text, which works by simply clicking on the Underline option in the panel. You can even delete the underline by clicking on it again to toggle it off. You can also change the color of individual letters by clicking on their names in the Character panel and then choosing a different color.
Shape layer
If you’re a designer who needs to add different shapes in your work without losing quality, you may want to learn about the shape layer in Photoshop. It’s an essential tool for creating a wide variety of shapes, and it’s easy to use.
To create a shape, select the Custom Shape tool (or click the shape icon in the Options bar) and draw on the canvas. This automatically creates a new shape layer in the Layers panel. You can resize and position the shape, and constrain its proportions while you’re drawing it.
You can also change the color of a shape by clicking the Fill and Stroke boxes, then selecting a new color. You can even copy and paste the stroke color and width of one shape layer into another.
Besides being handy when you need to change the colors of multiple shape layers, this method is also useful for creating patterns. The shape layers are vectors, so you can copy and paste them as a pattern with very little effort.
For example, let’s say that you have a photo of an armadillo and want to create a custom shape out of it. You can make the armadillo’s head and shoulders into a rectangle, then use the Elliptical Marquee tool to create a selection around its shape.
When you’re done, go back to the main document window and hide the area outside the shape using a layer mask. This enables you to change the shape at any time later on.
When you’re ready to move on, delete the original shape layer and replace it with the one that you created in this step. If you want to keep the shape layer, just right-click or Control/Command+click on it in the Layers panel and select Duplicate.
Color layer
If you’ve just started using Photoshop, it’s important to get a feel for what layers can do. They’re the foundation of Adobe Photoshop and can make all the difference to your design, artwork, and photo editing.
Layers are a great way to add colors, effects, text, and graphics to your original image without messing with its pixels. It’s a non-destructive method of editing that will save you time and headaches down the road.
A color layer in Photoshop is a special type of adjustment layer that will change the hue, saturation, and brightness of an object in your image. You can create a new color layer by clicking on the half-filled circle adjustment icon in the bottom of the Layers panel.
This will open a window that allows you to select the color to be used for your layer. The color picker is a good way to sample a color from your image, but you can also use the Eyedropper tool.
The Color blend mode is another technique you can use to change the colors in your image. It’s perfect for creating a background layer or filling in the areas of your picture that have transparency.
When you change a layer’s blend mode to Color, only the hues and saturation of the color will be blended in with the layers below it. You can also change the layer’s blend mode to Black and White.
You can also remove a layer’s adjustment effect or fill by painting a mask. The layer mask can be painted with gray, and the extent to which the effect or fill is removed depends on the gray tones you choose.
Gradient layer
The gradient layer in Photoshop is a powerful tool that allows you to apply color and fade images. You can use it to create any type of fading effect that you can imagine. Whether you’re trying to fade an image to transparency, or blending a different color into the background, a gradient can do it all!
The best way to apply a gradient is by creating a new layer and using the gradient tool. This gives you the flexibility to work with the gradient and customize it more creatively than if it were directly applied to the active layer.
There are many different types of gradients in Photoshop including linear, radial, angle, reflected, and diamond-style gradients. Each one has a variety of settings that allow you to edit the gradient in ways that will give you what you need.
Once you’ve created a gradient, it’s easy to make changes to the colors and the smoothness of the transition between each color. The smoothness can be changed to any level, and you can also move the midpoints of each color around to change how they appear in the gradient.
For example, you can move the midpoints of the right-to-left colors to make them more dominant. This can be a great way to make your gradient more visible and dimensional.
There are also a lot of presets that you can use in Photoshop, which can be helpful if you’re not sure what your desired results will look like. However, sometimes you may want to make your own custom gradients.
