Adobe Photoshop CS4 – Illustrated Unit C: Working with Layers

Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated Objectives Work with the Layers panel Merge layers and manipulate opacity Duplicate layers, delete layers, and paste new layers Scale artwork Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated Objectives Flip and rotate artwork Add and Outer Glow layer style Add a Drop Shadow layer style Work with a layer mask Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Working with the Layers Panel The Layers panel houses all the layers in a document and offers many options for manipulating those layers Basic operations using the Layers panel and layered artwork include to hide or show various art components and move them independently of one another Selecting a layer in the Layers panel is called targeting a layer Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Working with the Layers Panel Viewing the visible layers Canvas with repositioned artwork Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Merging Layers and Manipulating Opacity Artwork on a top layer in the Layers panel appears in front of artwork on layers beneath it Layers in the Layers panel can be reordered and layers can also be merged When multiple artwork is merged, separate artwork can no longer be manipulated individually or easily unmerged The more the layers the larger the file size so merging layers reduces the size Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Merging Layers and Manipulating Opacity In Photoshop the term opacity refers to how opaque the artwork is 100% opacity means that the artwork is completely opaque; no part of the image is transparent Artwork with 0% opacity is completely transparent and is invisible Artwork with 50% opacity is visible, but also any artwork on a layer beneath it would also be visible through it Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Merging Layers and Manipulating Opacity Moving the Coin layer above the Colosseum layer Moving the Pen layer beneath the Euros layer Canvas with transparent artwork Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Duplicating, Deleting, and Pasting New Layers Layers are created in Photoshop in a variety of ways, including: click the Create a new layer button on the Layers panel use the New Layer command on the Layers panel menu duplicate an existing layer paste artwork copied from another file copied artwork is always pasted into a new layer that is above the targeted layer on the Layers panel Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Duplicating, Deleting, and Pasting New Layers Repositioning the Top Coin artwork Repositioning the Bottom Coin artwork Positioning the Colosseum artwork Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated Scaling Artwork One of the great features of Photoshop is the ability to transform artwork Move Scale (resizing artwork) Rotate Flip Distort Transforming is key when creating a montage when creating specific positioning relationships between elements Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Scaling Artwork Using the Options bar to scale the artwork Moving the crosshair icon Scaling the artwork form the relocated crosshair icon Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Flipping and Rotating Artwork Flipping and rotating are two transformations that are useful when creating a montage of various images Flipping artwork creates a mirror image of the artwork images can be flipped either horizontally or vertically Rotating moves an object clockwise around its center point much like how a pinwheel spins an image can be rotated by hand or by entering a specific rotation value on the Options bar Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Flipping and Rotating Artwork Rotating the Colosseum artwork Moving the artwork on three layers Rotating the Bottom Coin artwork Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Adding an Outer Glow Layer Style Layer styles have built-in effects that you can apply to layers which include: Glows Shadows Bevels Embosses, Chiseled edges and others When a layer style is applied all the artwork on that layer inherits the layer style layer styles are listed on the Layers panel beneath the layer applied to and can be hidden or shown Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Adding an Outer Glow Layer Style Settings for the Outer Glow layer style Viewing the layer style on the canvas and in the Layers panel Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Adding a Drop Shadow Layer Style A drop shadow applied to artwork makes it appear to cast a shadow There are many methods for creating a drop shadow; if a drop shadow is created as a layer style it can be copied from one layer to another which saves time and speeds up the work process (this is a great feature about layer styles) Drop Shadow layer style options Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Adding a Drop Shadow Layer Style Settings for a Drop Shadow layer style Viewing the Drop Shadow layer style behind the Colosseum artwork and in the Layers panel Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Working with a Layer Mask A layer mask allows a user to define which areas of artwork on a single layer are visible, not visible or partly visible White areas of the layer mask represent art on the layer that is 100% visible Black areas of the layer mask represented art on the layer that is 100% masked and invisible Gray areas of the layer mask represent art on the layer that is semi-transparent Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Working with a Layer Mask There are many methods that can be used to apply black, white or gray to a layer mask Two methods include: use the Brush tool to paint in the layer mask which adjusts the opacity of the artwork by hand the brush tool always paints with the foreground color set the size and hardness options for the Brush tool on the Options bar Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Working with a Layer Mask Layer mask added to the Roses layer Artwork with both leaves masked out Viewing the layer mask Deactivating the layer mask Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated Summary Basic actions using the Layers panel and layered artwork include to hide or show various art components and move them independently of one another Layers in the Layers panel can be reordered and layers can also be merged In Photoshop the term opacity refers to how opaque the artwork is, 100%, 50%, 0% Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated

Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated Summary One of the great features of Photoshop is the ability to transform artwork by moving, scaling, rotating, flipping or distorting the artwork A drop shadow applied to artwork makes it appear to cast a shadow A layer mask allows a user to define which areas of artwork on a single layer are visible, not visible or partly visible Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Illustrated