Layer Impact vs. Layer Styles

Layer effects ensure that, by the addition of dimension, lighting and texture, the content of a layer can visually be joined together or separated from other layers.
For example, by the addition of a shadow to a layer, the content of this layer is placed visually above the underlying layers. This way you create depth in the picture.

The layer effect that you add to a layer, is applied to all the content of the layer.
You have the ability to add multiple effects to a layer.
If you have added multiple effects to a layer, we are talking about a layer style.
So the difference between a layer impact and layer style, is nothing more than the number of layer effects that are applied to a layer.

 

Add / Remove Layer Impact

To add a layer effect to a layer, select the layer and click the “Add a Layer Style” button (1) in the bottom of the “Layers” panel.
This opens a drop-down menu (2) with different layer effects. Layer effects, that are already applied to a layer, have a checkmark (3) in this drop-down menu.

Choose an effect from the drop-down menu, then the “Layer Style” dialog opens.
This dialog box is divided into three parts.
On the left we find the different styles (1), where the effect you chose is selected.
In the middle we find the options for the selected effect in the left column (2).
On the right we have a number of buttons, plus the check box “Preview” and an example (3), these seem obvious to me.

If you wish to add a second effect to the contents of the layer, select it in the left column (1). If you want to add an effect after the “Layer Style” dialog box is closed, double-click the layer in the “layers” panel. This will open the dialog again.

New in CS5 are the buttons “Make default” and “Reset to Defaults” (5).
The first will make the settings you entered in the dialog box as the default values.
This is useful when you want to add a layer style to multiple photos or multiple layers. The second will set the values to the Photoshop default values.

If you want to remove an effect, click on the checkbox for the applied effect so that the tick disappears (4).

If you want to remove an effect after you close the dialog box, click and drag the effect in the “Layers” panel to the trash icon at the bottom of the pane.

If you wish to remove all the applied effects on layer, click the sublayer “Securities”, and drag it to the trash icon at the bottom of the pane.

 

Adjust Layer Impact

To adjust a layer effect, double-click the layer in the “layers” panel.
This opens the “Layer Style” dialog box again.
To discuss all options for all effects here seems immense work and is completely useless.
What I have to say is when you want to modify the options for an effect, the effect must be selected in the dialog box. And by this, I mean that you must click this effect in the left column so that it appears with a blue background (1).
What I can tell you is that, you can set a “Blend Mode” for every effect (2).
More about blending modes in a later lesson, but it’s just that you know that you also have a blending mode to choose for an effect

Helpful Hint!
If you wish to move a layer impact, select this in the “Layer Style” dialog box and you click and drag the image until the desired position for the effect is reached.

 

Copy and paste Layer Impact

If you have set a layer impact and applied it to a layer, there is no need to do all these actions if you want to apply the same effect to another layer.
We use the options to copy and paste layer styles.
Right click over the layer style you wish to copy and select “Copy Layer Style” from the pop-up menu. Right click again on the layer you want to apply the layer style and choose “Paste Layer Style” from the pop-up menu.

A second and much quicker way is to click the layer effect with the Alt key on your keyboard pressed and drag it onto the layer on which you’d like to add.
In both cases, this will paste all the layer effects in the new layer. So if you wish to maintain only one layer effect, drag the other to the trash icon.

 

Store Layer Impact

When you’ve spent a long confusing hours setting the options for layer impact, it might be useful to store this so that you can later use it in other images.
For saving a layer impact, open the “Styles” panel (1).
At the bottom of the “Styles” panel, click the “New Style” button (2).
This opens the dialog “New Style” (3) where you give it a name and choose what should be saved.
It is best to check both the options, whether you need them or not does not matter.
Click the OK button.
Once you have clicked the OK button, a new icon will be added to the list in the “Styles” panel.

If you want to remove it from the list, right click it and choose “Delete Style” in the drop-down menu.

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