How Layers Work

How Layers Work

Learn all about Layers and how they work. 

When to use

Because Photoshop is a layer-based program, you will almost always need to be familiar with how to work with layers. 

Instructions

Renaming and Unlocking Layers

• Begin by opening one of the photos from the resources folder by going to the File Menu and choosing 'Open' before navigating to the image.
• You'll notice that you have a single, locked, layer called 'Background' in the Layers Panel.
• To unlock this layer we can either click and drag it down to the New Layer Icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel, or double-click the 'Background' layer.
• In this instance, we will double-click on the layer.
• This will open the New Layer Dialog Box where we can rename our layer. 
• Call this layer 'Mountains' and click 'OK' to apply the changes.
• You will notice that your layer has now been renamed and unlocked. 
• If you want to lock this layer again, you can do so by clicking on the small lock icon above the layer. 

Duplicating Layers

• Select your unlocked 'Mountains' layer in the Layers Panel.
• Drag the layer down to the New Layer Icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel.
• Doing this will create a copy of your layer on top of the original. 
• Press Command/Ctrl+Z to Undo this.
• This time, select the unlocked 'Mountains' layer and use the keyboard shortcut Command/Ctrl+J to duplicate the layer. 
• Press Command/Ctrl+Z once again to Undo the duplication of the layer.

Adding New Layers

• Instead of clicking and dragging the 'Mountains' layer to duplicate it, simply click on the New Layer Icon to add a new layer on top of your original layer.
• You can also use the keyboard shortcut Command/Ctrl+Alt/Option+Shift+N to create a New Layer.
• Press 'D' on the keyboard to reset your default foreground and background colors, and then select your empty layer.
• Press Alt/Option+Delete on the keyboard to fill this empty layer with your foreground color. 
• You can instead fill this empty layer with your background color by using the keyboard shortcut Command/Ctrl+Delete.
• These are both useful keyboard shortcuts that will do the same thing as filling your layer with color using the Paint Bucket Tool (G).

Other Useful Tips For Working With Layers

• You should now have your main 'Mountains' layer and a new layer above it filled with solid black.
• Double-click on the layer name of your solid color layer to rename it something like 'Solid Black'.
• To toggle the visibility of this top layer, simply click on the small eyeball icon to the left of your layer name.
• You can also re-order your layers by clicking and dragging one above the other in your Layers Panel.
• Let's drag the 'Mountains' layer above the 'Solid Black' layer.
• Use the 'Opacity' slider to reduce the opacity of the 'Mountains' layer.
• If you turn the visibility of your 'Solid Black' layer off, you should now see the gray and white transparency grid through your photo.
• After that, turn the visibility of the 'Solid Black' layer back on, and increase the opacity of your 'Mountains' layer back to 100%.

Grouping Your Layers

• Select your 'Mountains' layer, and then hold the Shift Key and select the 'Solid Black' layer so both layers are selected at the same time.
• Choose the 'Create a new group' option at the bottom of the Layers Panel to place both layers into a new group folder.
• You can also use the keyboard shortcut Command/Ctrl+G to do this. 
• You can now double-click on the 'Group 1' text and rename your folder to something like 'Mountain Group'. 
• Just like with individual layers, you can toggle the visibility of group folders by clicking on the eyeball icon to the left of the group name, and you can also control the opacity and fill of the folder.

Using Color Labels With Layers

• Select your newly created group folder and either right-click or hold the Control Key and click on the eyeball icon to reveal a dropdown menu.
• From this menu, you can choose a color that you'd like to use for your layers or folders.
• Choose any color that you like, and notice that the folder as well as the two layers inside of the folder now have that color label applied to them.

Hints & tips

• Unlock a Background layer by double-clicking on it.
• Press Command/Ctrl+J to duplicate a layer.
• Press Command/Ctrl+Alt/Option+Shift+N to create a new layer. 
• Fill a layer with your foreground color by pressing Alt/Option+Delete on the keyboard.
• Fill a layer with your background color by pressing Command/Ctrl+Delete on the keyboard.
• If at any point you make a mistake, you can always undo it by pressing Command/Ctrl+Z.
• You can use the number keys on your keyboard to increase or decrease a layer's opacity by increments of 10.
• You can also manually type in a number like '25' to change the opacity of a layer to 25%.
• You can easily group your layers by selecting them and then clicking on the 'Create a new group' option at the bottom of the Layers Panel, or by using the keyboard shortcut Command/Ctrl+G.
• You can apply color labels to your layers and folders by holding the Control Key and clicking on the eyeball icon to reveal a dropdown menu.
• To toggle the visibility of a layer, click on the eyeball icon to the left of the layer or group folder name.
• To delete a layer or an entire group, select the layer and click on the Trash Bin Icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel.