Layers

Layers serve many purposes and can contain many different kinds of content. Over the years, Photoshop has been given various kinds of layers to hold that content. Some, like text layers, are somewhat obvious. Others are more challenging to master. The most powerful—Smart Objects—have an entire section of this chapter dedicated to them.

The concept of layers is often compared to the process of making animated movies in the 1930s. A background image (a castle, for example) would be painted on glass. The characters to be animated (like Snow White) were drawn and painted on clear sheets of celluloid (“cels”), a number of which could be layered above the background and photographed at once to create a complete frame for the movie.

The Layers Panel

This panel is the most critical in Photoshop. Along with a visual list of a document’s layers, it has a number of buttons and functions clustered at the top and bottom. Here is the Layers panel for the bronze sculpture document. It has a little of almost everything.

The Background

Not considered a layer at all, a Background is the only one supported by some file formats, like JPEG. If you open a JPEG in Photoshop, a Background layer (and only that one) is exactly what you’ll see. Backgrounds cannot have transparency (unlike the glass backgrounds of yesteryear) and so will not remain Backgrounds when a subject is successfully removed from its environment. However, if all one needs is an image in its original state, the Background has only half the digital overhead of a pixel layer of the same size, keeping the file size relatively small even if you are making a TIFF or PSD, for example.

The small padlock to the right of the name is there solely as a reminder of the limitations of Backgrounds. It does not indicate that the Background is protected in any way. Clicking the padlock converts the Background into a pixel layer, usually with the name “Layer 0.” Incidentally, if you open a PNG file, with transparency, you may find it has a “Layer 0” already.

Converting a Background to a different kind of layer or adding any other kind to a document that contains only a Background will double that document’s file size. That should never be a deterrent to doing those things! In fact, it’s almost always necessary to do so. I just don’t want you to be surprised when it happens. Once a document has multiple layers (or no Background), some layers will add nothing further to the size at all!

Some recipients of your documents may request that you provide them with a “flattened” file. This means squishing all of a document’s layers into a Background and nothing else. Since the intellectual property you build with Photoshop is primarily the layers you construct, you should never flatten your original files. If a flattened version is requested from you, use File > Save As… then uncheck the Layers checkbox. Photoshop will understand how momentous this is and automatically make that version a copy, often appending the word “copy” to the name so you don’t accidentally overwrite your original!

Pixel or Image Layer

For greater flexibility, a Background can be converted into a pixel layer. It can then be raised or lowered in the layer stack or dragged with the Move tool leaving a transparent area in its wake. It has none of the restrictions of a Background, but lacks much of its simplicity. Converting a Background to a pixel layer increases data overhead and therefore file size. But since we’re in Photoshop to get things done, this is often necessary. Pixel layers can be masked, transformed, and visually blended with layers below them.

If you open a PNG file that has transparency, it often opens with a layer called “Layer 0.” Also, if I wish to retouch or paint on an image nondestructively, I create a new pixel layer over it. I compare this to wrapping something in plastic wrap and then painting on the plastic. If I regret my painting, I can simply delete that layer. There are so many ways to do this! You may choose Layer > New > Layer…, which offers a chance to name the layer, as does the shortcut ⌘-shift-N/Ctrl-Shift-N. You may also use the Layers panel: click the small + button at the bottom (next to the trash can), or open the panel menu and choose New Layer….

Fill Layers

These come in three flavors: solid color, gradient, and pattern. They provide a way to fill the entire canvas with little or no increase in file size! The fastest way to create one of these is to drag a preset from one of the (new in Photoshop 2020) preset panels.

Solid Color

A solid color fill layer fills the canvas with a color you choose. If you had a selection active when the layer was created, the color will be masked to the selected area. Using the Layer > New Fill Layer menu or the New fill or adjustment layer button at the bottom of the Layers panel brings up the Color Picker. Dragging a swatch from the Swatches panel onto the canvas also makes a fill layer in that color. You can edit a color fill layer by double-clicking its thumbnail or single-clicking a swatch.

If no layer exists other than a Background, then simply dragging a swatch onto the canvas creates an editable fill layer. If other layers exist, dragging may change a shape layer or clip the fill layer to another layer (see “Clipping Masks” on page 292). To prevent this, hold option/Alt as you drag.

To reveal all presets in the Swatches panel, hold down ⌘/Ctrl as you click a disclosure arrow (>) to the left of a Swatch Group’s name. Doing that again hides them. Use the Swatches panel menu to create new swatch presets or groups. Drag swatches into groups to organize them.

Gradient

A gradient fill layer fills the canvas with a gradient you choose. If you had a selection active when the layer was created, the gradient will be masked to the selected area. Using the New Fill Layer menu or the New fill or adjustment layer button brings up the Gradient Fill dialog, where you can choose the gradient from a collection of presets and customize it. Dragging a gradient preset onto the canvas makes a layer with that gradient. You can edit it by double-clicking the layer’s thumbnail or single-clicking a different gradient preset.

If no layer exists other than a Background, then simply dragging a gradient preset onto the canvas creates an editable fill layer. If other layers exist, dragging may change a shape layer or clip the fill layer to another layer (see “Clipping Masks” on page 292). To prevent this, hold option/Alt as you drag.

When you click the preview next to the word “Gradient” in the Gradient Fill dialog box, you’ll open the Gradient Editor. It can take some time to edit a gradient because there are so many options. Even when you’re done, it can require more time than you think to simply commit it! If you’re editing the color of a Color Stop, you’ll have to commit the Color Picker, then the Gradient Editor, then the Gradient Fill dialog: that’s three times you have to either click OK or press the Enter key.

To show all presets in the Gradients panel, hold down ⌘/Ctrl as you click a disclosure arrow (>) to the left of a Gradient Group’s name. Doing that again hides them. Use the Gradient panel menu to create new presets or groups. Drag presets into groups to organize them.

To familiarize yourself with the interface, I recommend a little recreation. When you get to the Gradient Editor, choose one of the presets to see how its stops are set. You’ll discover some presets have inherent transparency, set with Opacity Stops. Some have many colors. Select a single stop, and note that its Location is set at the bottom of the dialog. In this way, you can position stops with numerical precision. If you need more room, drag the edge of the Gradient Editor dialog and make it wider! When you’ve determined the colors and opacities of the gradient and commit the edited settings, you’ll find yourself back at the Gradient Fill dialog. With the Style set to Linear, adjust the Angle.

Photoshop offers five choices for a gradient’s Style. In the following figure, the angle for each purple to orange gradient has been set to 45º, which matters least for the radial style.

Almost all of these settings are applicable when using the Gradient tool, which is discussed in the Compendium chapter “Brushes & Painting.” See “Gradient Tool” (page 266).

Pattern

A pattern fill layer fills the canvas with a pattern you choose. If you had a selection active when the layer was created, the pattern will be masked to the selected area. Using the New Fill Layer menu or the New fill or adjustment layer button brings up the Pattern Fill dialog box, where you can choose a pattern from a collection of presets and customize it. Dragging a pattern preset onto the canvas makes a layer with that pattern. You can edit it by double-clicking the layer’s thumbnail or single-clicking a different pattern preset. Creating patterns from scratch that appear even and don’t possess obvious repeats is harder than most users expect.

If no layer exists other than a Background, then simply dragging a pattern preset onto the canvas creates an editable fill layer. If other layers exist, dragging may change a shape layer or clip the fill layer to another layer (see “Clipping Masks” on page 292). To prevent this, hold option/Alt as you drag.

Rather than attempt to make a pattern, most users photograph textures (or obtain images of textures) to use as backdrops. If you’d like to try to make your own pattern, review the process explored in the Course: “Creating a Pattern Fill Layer” (page 68).

To show all presets in the Patterns panel, hold down ⌘/Ctrl as you click a disclosure arrow (>) to the left of a Pattern Group’s name. Doing that again hides them. Use the Patterns panel menu to create new presets or groups. Drag presets into groups to organize them.

Vector Shape Layers

These layers contain vector shapes (like those created in Adobe Illustrator), whether they’re a Pen tool creation, built-in shapes, or pasted Illustrator graphics. They can be edited with a small selection of tools provided for this purpose. Shape layers can be thought of as fill layers with vector masks. When one needs elaborate, logoesque shapes, however, it’s still easiest to create them in Illustrator.

Apply a color swatch (or gradient or pattern) to a shape by highlighting the shape layer, then clicking a choice in the Swatches panel (or Gradient or Patterns panel).

Shape Tools

When you create a shape with any of the shape tools (by either dragging diagonally or just clicking and providing dimensions in a dialog box), a new vector shape layer appears in the Layers panel above the layer that was last highlighted. If you save the document as a Photoshop PDF, a recipient has little chance to learn that it was created in Photoshop rather than Illustrator, since the shapes will retain their vector scalability.

Most of the shape tools create arbitrary vector shapes, also called “paths,” that can be manipulated with the Path Selection tool, or more surgically edited with the Direct Selection tool. The first resembles a black arrow and may seem to offer little more than the Move tool. The latter allows you to select and move the individual anchor points that compose a path. If this is something that you will need to do frequently, you’ve discovered another reason to use Adobe Illustrator.

Live Shapes

Edits like corner radius can be applied only to Live Shapes (created by the Rectangle tool and the Ellipse tool) whose edits can be revisited. Arbitrary shapes, like those made with any other tool, don’t have such an option. If you attempt to use the Direct Selection tool to make a surgical edit to the corner of a rectangle, for example, you’ll be warned that it will no longer be a Live Shape.

Before you worry about this, be aware that there’s very little that is lost when this happens (besides the ability to change a rectangle’s corner radius). If you were to click Yes to that warning, almost everything you were able to edit in the Properties panel is still editable in the Options Bar.

Shapes Panel and Tool

The Custom Shape tool and the Shapes panel offer many, many more options. Drag shapes onto the canvas from the panel or draw them to size with the tool after choosing a shape in the Options Bar.

If you have skill with editing or creating vector shapes, you can save your own to this list. At right is a shape I created in Illustrator and then pasted into Photoshop. When you do so, you are given several choices, of which I chose to paste as a shape layer.

With that layer highlighted, I went to Edit > Define Custom Shape…. 
I gave it an obvious name and clicked OK.

Freeform Pen Tool

The Freeform Pen tool allows you to create vector shapes intuitively, simply by dragging.

To choose the Freeform Pen tool from the Tools panel, you may have to right-click on the Pen tool to reveal its variants. Then, in the Options Bar, choose Shape from the Tool Mode menu. This will create a shape that will be filled with the Foreground color when you finish drawing. Later, you can change the fill’s color or choose a gradient or pattern, or nothing at all, perhaps choosing a stroke instead. Even a stroke can be a gradient or pattern of whatever thickness. There are times when you would choose to create a colorless Path from the Tool Mode menu. One reason is to create a vector mask, as discussed in the “Selections & Masks” chapter: see “Vector Masks” (page 291). Another is in preparation to use a filter that requires a path, like the Flame filter. Lastly, but most likely with the Curvature Pen tool, you may be creating a selection of something with curvature, like the curvature that tool produces.

Using the Freeform Pen tool is easy. Simply drag with your mouse (or other input device)! If you want a closed shape, finish where you started. The cursor will even confirm that it will close the shape by displaying a small “O” next to it.

If you cannot make the shape you need with one stroke, that’s okay. You can drag from the point where you left off. A slash (“/”) appears to indicate that you will continue from a point.

As you can see from my example above, this tool is not intended for precision, technical drawing. The next one is!

The Curvature Pen Tool

Not as intuitive as the Freeform Pen tool, but still significantly easier than the brutal Pen tool, the Curvature Pen tool is used to create shapes that possess more precise geometry. Instead of dragging, you click to place points: a single-click for points along a curve, a double-click for corners.

To close a path to make a complete shape, just click on the point where you started. If you intended to create a corner, but forgot to double-click, you can just double-click on that last point (or any) to convert it. Indeed, the Curvature Pen tool is at least as useful for editing paths as it is for creating them.

To edit a shape, you must first select it with the Selection tool (it looks like a black arrow and is below the Type tool). Otherwise, Photoshop will assume you’re trying to draw something new. In the example on the previous page, I had drawn a triangle as one shape layer (using the Polygon tool), and a rectangle as a second shape layer. I selected the triangle with the Selection tool, then switched to the Curvature Pen tool to push out one side and push in the opposite. Each act created a point I could readjust later. I added more points to the rectangle (after selecting it, of course).

Type Layers

These hold font data that can be [re]edited. Although Illustrator and especially InDesign handle text masterfully, we can do some work with type in Photoshop too. Most often, we do so to have the text interact with imagery in some way.

Working with text in Photoshop is both like and unlike working with text in other programs. My students often begin to think they’ve got the gist, then discover some odd Photoshop-specific quirk.

When you choose the Type tool in the Tools panel, the Options Bar immediately shows type-related attributes. So, if you happen to know before starting what font family, style, size, alignment, or color you’d like, you can choose them. If not, you can create a type layer and then choose. Ah, but there is one choice that needs to be made before you can start: are you creating Point Text or Paragraph Text?

The first, Point Text, is most common in Photoshop. When you need only a few words, this is what’s needed. Paragraph Text, as its name implies, is for when you feel more wordy, and is similar to an InDesign text frame.

If you click on a document canvas with the Type tool, you’ve created Point Text and the words “Lorem Ipsum” appear. If you drag diagonally to create a box with the Type tool, you create Paragraph Text and a great deal more Latin appears. This text is perfect if you are building a template and don’t yet know what text will actually be used.

Once text is present, many type options appear in the Properties panel. Note the buttons resembling ellipses (…): these show even more options.

When either Point Text or Paragraph Text is first created, the placeholder text will be highlighted so you can edit it very quickly if you desire. If you choose a different size, for example, all the text will change. You may find it difficult to judge the color of the text while it is highlighted, but if you click the small rectangle in the Options Bar or Properties panel to choose a color, Photoshop will temporarily disable the highlighting so you can see what you’re doing! Once you’ve chosen a color, the highlighting returns.

There are dedicated panels for type (Character and Paragraph), too, but all of their options are in the Properties panel (as of 2020, anyway).

One of my favorite type features is the ability to “scrub” the font size. If you hover the cursor over the font size icon, it will resemble a pointing hand with arrows left and right of the finger. Press your mouse button and drag left or right to decrease or increase the selected text’s size very quickly.

Notable Quirks

While text is highlighted, you’re editing it, as you would expect. If you move the cursor slightly beyond the highlighting, however, it becomes the Move tool! Dragging then allows you to move the text that is still being edited. Move the cursor farther from the highlighted text, and the Move tool cursor becomes an arrow. Clicking then commits the edits to your text. By default, your text can also be committed by pressing Enter or Escape! If using the Escape key to commit text is odd to you, you can disable that behavior in the Preferences.

Paragraph Text is contained in a box. If you have more text than fits in that box, it will be “overset” and you won’t see it. A small plus-sign appears in the lower-right corner of the text box to indicate this state. Just resize the text or the box and all should be well.

Speaking of resizing, the box’s handles at each corner and in the middle of each side allow you to transform the box. However, if you hold down ⌘/Ctrl, resizing the Paragraph Text box resizes the text in it too. This works with Point Text as well. Holding that key produces transform handles around the perimeter of the text. In both cases, holding ⌘/Ctrl and dragging with the cursor anywhere outside the transform box will rotate the text. Paragraph Text allows rotation without holding down a key, but only when the cursor is very near to the corners of the text box.

Playful Type

If you wish to give your text a bit of a twist, literally, you may use the Text Warp button to access this nondestructive feature. That means you can revisit it as necessary.

Three-dimensional text is easy to activate, but requires some background in Photoshop’s 3D features. You can get that by reading “3D” (page 371).

Adjustment Layers

Best created via the Adjustments panel, these give us nondestructive ways of adjusting the color and tone of layers below (behind) them. Most often, they do not increase file size. Since adjustments are covered extensively in the next chapter, I’m restricting this section to general concerns, and even many of these are covered in more depth elsewhere.

The document in these illustrations has, at the start, two layers: one for the sky and another for the ring. With the top layer (the ring) highlighted, I clicked on an icon in the Adjustments panel (for a Curves adjustment this time, to lighten the image). The newly created adjustment layer appears above the ring layer and affects all the layers below it—in this case, just two layers.

An adjustment layer needn’t affect all layers, though. If it’s moved lower in the stack, the layers above it remain unadjusted.

It’s possible to limit the scope of an adjustment layer in other ways too. You can “clip” the adjustment to the layer below it by clicking the clip button in the Properties panel, or you can mask the adjustment layer. Note that the clipped adjustment layer is indented below, and has a small arrow pointing at the layer below it. Only the ring is lightened here.

Often, we can create a selection of the area we want to adjust. With that selection active (the “marching ants” in motion), we then create the adjustment. The adjustment layer will have a mask in the shape of our selection. Existing adjustment layers have masks, too, but are filled with white, hiding nothing. Painting with black on the mask will hide the adjustment.