Amazing Photoshop Elements: Layers

Everyone always seems mystified by Photoshop's layers features.

While layers are very complex, I believe that they are often viewed as being more complicated than they actually are.

A layer is simply a picture or transparent layer placed on top of another picture. Think of it as placing clear plastic wrap on top of a photo. By creating a layer, you prevent any damage or change to the base photo.

Here is a quick list of terms that will help you figure it all out:

Layer Pallette: You can see all of your stacked layers in the Layers Pallette.

Choose the layer that you want to work with by clicking on it.

You can delete a layer by clicking on it once then clicking on the little trash can icon.

Create a new layer by clicking on the little triangle at the top (it points to the right) and choose new layer. You often want to create a new layer when you want experiment without harming the photo.

You can also duplicate a layer, and group layers using the little triangle mentioned above. 

Background: This is the base photo you are working with. You can't change your background layer unless you double-click on it and rename it.

Opacity: You can adjust the opacity (see-through-ness) of a photo by moving the opacity up and down in percentage. This will make the layer more transparent. 0 percent opacity is totally invisible.

Copy & Paste: There are several ways of creating a layer, but you will always create a new layer whenever you copy a photo, or selection of a photo, and paste it into another photo. You can also copy and paste layers in the same photo. 

Text Layer: You can also create a new layer by using your text tool. Any time you use your text tool, it will create a new layer. This allows you to move the text around on the photo.

Styles and Effects: In Elements 1 & 2 you can double-click at the far right of any layer in the layer pallette. Elements 3 & 4 actually have a pallette dedicated to effects and styles. Effects and styles are used to add effects such as beveling and drop shadows to layers.

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