Photoshop Layers

Layers are very important to understand in Photoshop. Let's learn why!

1. Layer Basics

• Layers contain the images, text, or objects that make up a layered file. They allow you to move, edit, and work with content on one layer without affecting the other layers;
• Layers are displayed in a stack within the Layers panel, typically located at the bottom right of the workspace. If the Layers panel isn't visible, go to Window > Layers to display it;
• In the Layers panel, click the eye icon next to a layer to hide its content. Click it again to reveal the content. This helps you see what is on a specific layer;
• To make changes to a layer, it must be selected. Click once to the right of the layer name in the Layers panel to select it. To select multiple layers, hold Ctrl (Windows) or CMD (macOS) while clicking on the additional layers.

2. Rearranging Layers

• Drag a layer up or down in the Layers panel to rearrange the order of objects in the image;
• To create a new layer, click the Create a New Layer icon (Plus icon) at the bottom of the Layers panel. This new layer will be transparent until you add content to it;
• To rename a layer, double-click its current name, type the new name, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (macOS). Try to give it a distinguishable name so that it's easy to find;
• To adjust a layer's opacity, select the layer in the Layers panel and move the Opacity slider at the top of the panel to increase or decrease transparency;
• To delete a layer, select it in the Layers panel and press Backspace (Windows) or Delete (macOS), or simply click on the trash icon at the bottom right corner of the Layers panel.

Note

If you're struggling to select and move a bunch of layers together, go to the tools panel, select the Move Tool, and press Ctrl (Windows) or CMD (macOS) before doing a mouse click or before moving objects.

3. Resizing Layers

• In the Layers panel, you can either select one or more layers containing the images or objects you want to resize;
• Go to Edit > Free Transform. A border will appear around the content on the selected layers, or simply by hitting Ctrl+T (Windows) or CMD+T (macOS);
• Transforming in newer versions of Photoshop is uniform. So, you can hold the Shift key if you want to distort the image or drag a certain pin. Drag inside the border to move the content within the image, or drag outside the border to rotate it;
• More transform options can be found when you click the right mouse button while you're on the Free Transform command, including flipping images horizontally or vertically;
• Click the check mark in the options bar or press Enter (Windows) or Return (macOS) to apply the changes.

4. Background Layer

• Since the Background layer is locked, it cannot be moved in the Document window, rearranged in the Layers panel, edited with certain functions, have transparent pixels, or change the opacity. It must be at the bottom of the layers stack order;
• To convert the Background layer into a regular layer, click the lock icon next to the layer's name in the Layers panel;
• When normal layers are locked, you can't use the move tool to move objects, change their opacity, or do any work on them. But you can change their layer stack order as normal.