Here is the complete brief for the Photoshop beginners about “how to use layers in Photoshop”
The layer panel
The layers panel in Photoshop gives you complete access to the individual layers to create, design, and re-design the layers you are using to edit an image. The layers panel also enables you to have all the features to manipulate and design the layers simply.
Creating a new layer
It is necessary need to create or add a new layer to edit the image or achieve a certain effect or appearance on that image. The following may require creating or adding a layer in Photoshop layer panel:
There is about two ways to get it done –
Find the upper right corner of the layer panel and click on the resulting menu shown as “new layer”.
Or you can simply find the “new layer” option located at the bottom of the Layers panel.
Duplicating a layer
You can also create a duplicate layer to get another layer to have an existing effect. Then click on the right of the mouse and there you will find an option called “duplicate layer” from the resulting menu. Here you will find an option to add the layer on the same image or another image, to add the layer to the same image you may simply give it a name and select “Okay”
If you need to add the layer in a different image, type the title of that document titled as “destination” and renames the title and then clicks “Okay”
Alternating the layers’ positions on the image
At the time of working on any image, you will find all the layers in the layers panel arranged to their default position. If you want to change the layer position you can just click on the layer which you won’t change the position then drag it to the other one to replace the position.
Hiding or deleting a layer
Sometimes you may need to hide the layer and you may want to observe the image without the layer or you can delete the layers if it is unwanted. To make a layer invisible, you will find before every layer an icon like an Eye. Just click on the icon and see the result as it is invisible and again if you click on the icon the layer will be visible as before. To delete a layer you just drag the layer along you want to delete and put it on the delete icon shown below of the layer panel.
Changing the name of the layer
You can also change the name of your layer. Sometimes you may need to change the layer’s name to make it specified or make it easy to find which work you did in which layer.
Changing a layer’s mode
If you want you can change the layer mode to change or manipulate the appearance. To change the mode you please go to the labeled opacity on the layer menu and then click on the labeled named as “normal” on the left side of the opacity tab. There will open a drop-down menu with lots of menu modes to choose from, then just one of the menu you desired and enjoy the effect.
Changing a layer’s color
Sometimes you may need to change the layer color/background color go get to see the proper result after edited any image to judge the desired quality.
To change the layer color- at first, you have to go to the specific layer and click on the left button of your mouse there you will find several options and among them, there is an option and there you will find the several color sorted by name or by color highlighted- simply click on the preferred color to change the layer’s color.
Adjusting a layer’s transparency
A layer on an image does not have to be opaque – it can be partially transparent to make the layer beneath it visible, even if only partially. To increase a layer’s transparency or opacity, simply adjust the opacity percentage from the layer’s panel – it is located just above the layers.
