Layer Comps

An Alternative to Multiple Files

The Layer Comps panel is a wonderful yet woefully underutilized feature. With it, we can capture “snapshots” of nearly the entire state of the Layers panel and then return to them later. This provides us with a way to experiment with different compositions and settings without having to make multiple documents. UI and web designers use this feature to show different states of an app. Authors of Photoshop books use this to illustrate stages of a process. Anyone can use this feature to show a client different versions of any project.

In this example, I started with three text layers and two color fill layers, one of which is masked to form an old-style printer’s mark. That mark and the text were and remain black, while the bottommost layer is filled with white. I kept each word and a small text ornament on separate layers to make it easier to change the composition.

What is Recorded?

When you create a new layer comp, you supply a name for it and add a comment that may help you or a colleague to know something about that comp. Users of Illustrator can choose a layer comp (and read its comment) when placing PSD files, for example.

You also decide which of three major attributes will be applied to layers when this layer comp is chosen later: visibility (whether the eye icon is on or off); position on the canvas of layer content; and appearance, which includes layer styles (including effects like drop shadows), opacity, blend modes, and other blending options.

A layer comp does not record or change a layer’s content. Since I used color fill layers, I could easily change their color by double-clicking on their thumbnails. But that change of content isn’t recorded by a layer comp: the color would remain constant no matter which comp I applied. So I used color, gradient, and pattern overlay effects, which a layer comp records and applies easily. For two of the comps I made, I hid the small text ornament layer, and for one I moved the words around. Since I wasn’t sure how many attributes I may want to change in each comp, I checked the boxes for all three.

Since comps don’t affect actual layer content, they don’t capture changes to Smart Filters, nor do they note changes to adjustment layer settings. To accommodate the latter, I duplicate adjustment layers and change the settings on each duplicate, hiding or showing that adjustment layer and using layer comps to record whether it is visible or not. A layer comp does record the layer comp chosen for a Smart Object in the Properties panel.

Applying, Editing, and Updating Layer Comps

Clicking the small space to the left of a layer comp’s name applies it to the document’s layers. When applied with no changes, an icon appears in that space. This confirms it’s applied and that you haven’t made any changes to the attributes it governs. For example, if the layer comp you apply doesn’t affect position (that box was left unchecked when the layer comp was made), then you move a layer, that icon will remain. But if that layer comp controls appearance and you change the color of a drop shadow, the icon will vanish, since it’s no longer in effect. The name will remain highlighted so you know which one has been altered.

To update a layer comp so it incorporates the change you made to the attribute it controls, click the update button while the comp is highlighted. In fact, any change to governed attributes to any layer will be incorporated. Let’s say that you’ve applied a layer comp that controls all the attributes it can (visibility, position, and appearance), and you’ve changed each of those on some layers. If you wish to update only one of the attributes, one of the three buttons to the left of the overall update will serve.

You should notice that these have icons similar to those to the right of each layer comp’s name. These indicate which attributes the layer comp changes when applied. If you wish to add or remove one, or to change the layer comp’s name or comment, double-click to the right of the comp’s name to open the Layer Comp Options dialog.

Often, I will want to export each comp as a file of its own. So I’ll name (or rename) my layer comps concisely and remove the comment because their names and comments become the base names of the files that are generated.

Exporting Layer Comps

To supply your comps to someone who may not have Photoshop, it’s usually best to generate a separate file for each one. If that’s my goal, I will, as mentioned earlier, name the comps well and succinctly and forego comments. I’ll also go through them a last time to be sure they each do what I hope they do! Choose File > Export > Layer Comps to Files….

The choices are neither startling nor staggering. You choose a destination folder, what kind of files you want (TIFFs or JPEGs, for example), and (if needed) more text and/or a 4-digit index number, which is prepended to each layer comp’s name when forming the exported file’s name. If my comps are named uniquely, I don’t bother with either prefixes or index numbers unless I need to sort them by name later.

Layer Comps within Smart Objects

If a Smart Object’s content is a Photoshop document with layer comps, you may choose which comp is displayed via the Properties panel. Here, I used File > Place Linked… (embedded works too) and chose the document shown earlier.