Layer copy

If you want to copy a layer into another image, select the layer, click the shortcut Ctrl + C on your keyboard, select the other image and click the shortcut Ctrl + V.
This is the “normal” way of copying and pasting and this places the layer in the middle of the image.
If you want to maintain the position of the layer in the second picture, do the following:
click and drag the layer you wish to copy in the second image with the Shift key pressed. Release the mouse button and then release the Shift key.

The only requirement for this of course is that the two images must have the same dimensions.

If you want to copy multiple layers in another image you just do the same, just select and drag over multiple layers in the new image.

Align Layers

To align various layers, first select the layers in the “Layers” pane and you select the “move” tool in the tool bar and then click the desired alignment in the options bar.

The discussion of all these different alignment buttons seems useless.

The same buttons, at least the first six, are also found under the “Layer” in the menu bar, when we select “Align”.

We use the next six buttons when we want to distribute the layers evenly over the image.
A tip perhaps.
When you have several layers, for example to distribute evenly horizontally across the image, place the first layer you want at the far left, then insert the layer you want at the far right. Then select all the layers you want to align and click the button “Distribute Horizontal Centers”.

If you prefer to align the layers manually, you can use the “Smart Guides” option.

What this does is, it places the guides as you drag and you can rely these for the position of the contents of other layers.

In this way, if you know the content of a layer is perfectly aligned with the contents of another layer.

The “Smart Guides” is not enabled by default.
To turn it on click the “View” button in the menu bar, choose “View” in the drop-down menu and click the option “Smart Guides”.

Transparency

Each layer you make in Photoshop is always provided with a transparent background and is typically displayed in a grid of white and gray cubes. If you, for some reason, prefer to see other colors, you can change it.
Click on the “Edit” button in the menu bar, choose “Preferences” from the drop-down menu and click the “Transparency & Gamut”.

This opens the dialog “Preferences” tab, where the “Transparency & Gamut” is selected.

All the options in this dialog seem so obvious to me that I think this needs no further explanation. But I still want you to know that you can set the colors and the grid size of these to have transparent background. If you click the OK button, then the grid in the open image will adjust immediately. The grid in the thumbnails of “Layers” pane will only adjust after you save the image, then close the image and open the image again.

If you have content on a transparent layer, you can select the content in a fairly simple way.
Just click the thumbnail of the layer in the “Layers” while the Ctrl key on your keyboard pressed. This will automatically select all the contents of the layer (1).

If you want to lock the transparency of a layer so that you do not change it inadvertently, select the layer and click the “Lock transparent pixels” button (2) in the top of the “Layers” panel.

Please note, this will only protect the transparent portion of the layer, not the contents.

If you want to remove the lock, click again on the “Lock transparent pixels” button.

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