New layers

First and foremost, in Photoshop, we have a number of different types of layers. You have ‘normal’ layers, you have text layers, you have adjustment layers, shape layers, video layers. All are discussed in this course.  Let me first start with a ‘normal’ layer.To create a regular new layer, we have a number of ways.

A first way is the “Layers” button in the menu bar, choose “New” and clicking on “Layer” (1).

This opens a dialog where you can give a name to the new layer, a color for the background if you choose and also determine the mode and Opacity. But more on that later.

Click the OK button.

A second way is by clicking the “Create a New Layer” (2) at the bottom of the “Layers” panel.

The first thing you do is to decide where you want to add the layer. As I told, a layer is added above the selected layer.

Then enter any of the above actions. My choice is clicking the “Create a New Layer” (2) at the bottom of the “Layers” panel. This goes much faster.

If you want to make use of the “New Layer” dialog, hold the Alt key on your keyboard while you click this button.

As an example I will add a layer above the “Chocolate” layer, so I select the text layer “Chocolate” (1), and click the “Create a New Layer” button (2).

This places the new layer (3) above the “Chocolate” layer and what particularly interests me in this example, is it is under the “Girl” layer (4). Because I want to give a background to the head of the girl.

This can, of course, be done in different ways, this is one of them.

With the new layer selected, I select the “Elliptical Marquee” tool (5) in the toolbar and draw a marquee around the head of the girl (6).

Then I click the “Refine Edge” button in the options bar (7).

This opens the dialog where I set the “Feather”, for example to 15. This you had already seen in Lesson 37.

Close the dialog box when you’re done.

Then I choose a color as foreground color in the tool bar, use the “Eyedropper” tool and click a color in the photo that I want to use as wallpaper.

Now that the foreground color is set, I click the “Edit” button in the menu and I choose “Fill” in the drop-down menu.

In the dialog that appears, I click the “OK” button.

To remove the marquee click the shortcut Ctrl + D on your keyboard.

The head of the girl now has a “beautiful” background (8).

Informative:  A marquee is not bound to a layer.If you have a marquee filled with a fill color, fill color will be applied to the selected layer, not on the marquee.

Tip 1:

To add a layer UNDER a selected layer, hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard pressed while you click the “Create a New Layer” button.

Tip 2:

If you want to quickly set a foreground color to a layer, click the “backspace button” on your keyboard while you hold the Alt key pressed.

Duplicate Layer

To duplicate a layer, right click the layer and choose “Duplicate Layer” in the drop-down menu.

In the dialog that appears, give the layer a name and click the OK button.

If you wish to select multiple layers to duplicate, first select all the layer, right-click on the selected and you choose “Duplicate Layer”.

When you duplicate multiple layers, Photoshop gives the names for these by adding “copy 1”, “copy 2”, etc, to the layer name.

When you duplicate a layer, the contents of this new duplicated layer are in the exact same location as the layer you have duplicated.

Tip 1:

It is faster when you hold the Alt key on your keyboard pressed and you click and drag with the “Move” tool.

Tip 2:

If you want to duplicate one or more layers into another image, first open all images. Then select the layer you wish to duplicate, you click the button for “Layer” in the menu bar and choose “Duplicate Layer”.

In the “Duplicate” dialog, you give the layer a name.

You select the target by clicking the downward pointing arrow next to the “Document” box. And you choose the target file in the list.

Click OK.

If you want to create a new file for this layer, choose “New” in the “Duplicate Layer” dialog.

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