rearranging layers

rearranging layers


The order in which the layers of an image are organized is called the stacking order.
The stacking order determines how the image is viewed—you can change the order
to make certain parts of the image appear in front of or behind other layers.
You’ll rearrange the layers so that the beach image is in front of another image that
is currently hidden in the file.


1 Make the Postage, HAWAII, Flower, Pineapple and Background layers visible by
   clicking the Show/Hide Visibility column next to their layer names.

The beach image is almost entirely blocked by images on other layers.

2  In the Layers panel, drag the Beach layer up so that it is positioned between the

    Pineapple and Flower layers—when you’ve positioned it correctly, you’ll see a

    thick line between the layers in the panel—and then release the mouse button.

The Beach layer moves up one level in the stacking order, and the beach image

appears on top of the pineapple and background images, but under the flower

and “HAWAII.”

Changing the opacity of a layer

You can reduce the opacity of any layer to let other layers show through it. In this

case, the postmark is too dark on the flower. You’ll edit the opacity of the Postage

layer to let the flower and other images show through.

1  Select the Postage layer, and then click the arrow next to the Opacity box to

    display the Opacity slider. Drag the slider to 25%. You can also type the value in

    the Opacity box or scrub the Opacity label.

The Postage layer becomes partially transparent, so you can see the other layers

underneath. Notice that the change in opacity affects only the image area of the

Postage layer. The Pineapple, Beach, Flower and HAWAII layers remain opaque.

2  Choose File > Save to save your work.

Duplicating a layer and changing the blending mode

You can apply different blending modes to a layer. Blending modes affect how the

color pixels on one layer blend with pixels in the layers underneath. First you’ll use

blending modes to increase the intensity of the image on the Pineapple layer so that

it doesn’t look so dull. Then you’ll change the blending mode on the Postage layer.

(Currently, the blending mode for both layers is Normal.)

1  Click the eye icons next to the HAWAII, Flower, and Beach layers to hide them.

2  Right-click or Control-click the Pineapple layer, and choose Duplicate Layer from

    the context menu. (Make sure you click the layer name, not its thumbnail, or you’ll

    see the wrong context menu.) Click OK in the Duplicate Layer dialog box.

A layer called “Pineapple copy” appears above the Pineapple layer in the

Layers panel.

tool tips from the Photoshop

evangelist

Blending effects

Blending layers in different order or a different grouping changes the effect. You

can apply a blending mode to an entire layer group and get a very different result

than if you apply the same blending mode to each of the layers individually. When

a blending mode is applied to a group, Photoshop treats the group as a single

merged object and then applies the blending mode. Experiment with blending

modes to get the effect you want.

3  With the Pineapple copy layer selected, choose Overlay from the Blending

    Modes menu in the Layers panel.

The Overlay blending mode blends the Pineapple copy layer with the Pineapple

layer beneath it to create a vibrant, more colorful pineapple with deeper shadows

and brighter highlights.

4  Select the Postage layer, and choose Multiply from the Blending Modes menu.

   The Multiply blending mode multiplies the colors in the underlying layers with

   the color in the top layer. In this case, the postmark becomes a little stronger.

5 Choose File > Save to save your work.

resizing and rotating layers

You can resize and transform layers.

1  Click the Visibility column on the Beach layer to make it visible.

2  Select the Beach layer in the Layers panel, and then choose Edit > Free

    Transform. A Transform bounding box appears around the beach image.

    The bounding box has handles on each corner and each side.

First, you’ll resize and angle the layer.

3 Press Shift as you drag a corner handle inward to scale the beach photo down

   by about 50%. (Watch the Width and Height percentages in the options bar.)

4 With the bounding box still active, position the pointer just outside one of the

   corner handles until it becomes a curved double arrow. Drag clockwise to rotate

   the beach image approximately 15 degrees. You can also enter 15 in the Set

   Rotation box in the options bar.

5  Click the Commit Transform button ( ) in the options bar.

6  Make the Flower layer visible. Then, select the Move tool ( ), and drag the

    beach photo so that its corner is tucked neatly beneath the flower, as in the

    illustration.

7 Choose File > Save.

using a filter to create artwork

Next, you’ll create a new layer with no artwork on it. (Adding empty layers to a file

is comparable to adding blank sheets of acetate to a stack of images.) You’ll use this

layer to add realistic-looking clouds to the sky with a Photoshop filter.

1 In the Layers panel, select the Background layer to make it active, and then click

the New Layer button ( ) at the bottom of the Layers panel.

A new layer, named Layer 1, appears between the Background and Pineapple layers.

The layer has no content, so it has no effect on the image.

2 Double-click the name Layer 1, type Clouds, and press Enter or Return to

   rename the layer.

3 In the Tools panel, click the Foreground Color swatch, select a sky

   blue color from the Color Picker, and click OK. We selected a color

   with the following values: R=48, G=138, and B=174. The Background

   Color remains white.

4 With the Clouds layer still active, choose Filter > Render > Clouds. Realisticlooking

   clouds appear behind the image.

5 Choose File > Save.