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Change the Size of the Thumbnail of the Layers |
Adjustment layers are special layers.
They're special for two reasons.
• They don't contain any pixels.
• They "broadcast" changes to other layers.
Two that you'll use often are the Levels adjustment layer and the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.
For example, a Levels adjustment layer can be used to transmit a contrast change to the layer containing your photograph.
Similarly, a Hue/Saturation can be used to transmit a color change.
Conveniently, you can return to an adjustment, and refine your changes at any time.
Click on the thumbnail of the layer.
The thumbnail for the window for the adjustment layer is the icon on the left.
The white box on the right is the mask thumbnail.
When a layer is active, you can make changes to the layer.
A layer becomes active when you click the layer, and it becomes highlighted in blue.
To delete a layer, click the layer where it's blue, hold, and drag it onto the Trash icon at the top of the Layers palette.
As mentioned above, drag the layer onto the trash icon at the top of the Layers palette.
Don't drag it down to the Trash icon in the Dock.
You can change the size of the thumbnail in the Layers palette.
Click More at the top of the palette, and go to Palette options.
You can hide a layer by clicking on the Eye icon for the layer.
This is useful when you want to compare how a photograph looks with and without the effect of a layer.
You can also drag through the Eye icon column to change the visibility of many layers at the same time.
To display just one layer, press and hold Alt, and click the Eye icon for the layer.
All of the other layers will become hidden.
To reverse the action, press and hold Alt, and click the Eye icon for the layer.
If you save your photograph as a JPEG, the layers are not saved.
To save the layers, save the photograph using the Photoshop file format called PSD.
This is done by default.
Then, if you need a JPEG, save the photograph again as a JPEG.
You can change the opacity of a layer.
As you reduce the opacity from 100%, the layer becomes increasingly translucent.
The layers below will be seen through the layer with reduced opacity.
Opacity has two main uses:
1) Blending layers together
2) Reducing an effect
For example, let's say you used a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to increase the saturation of a color.
You can reduce this effect by lowering the opacity of the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.
When you link layers together, they can do three things simultaneously.
Linked layers can be moved as a group in the Layers palette.
Click one of the linked layers, hold, and drag.
You can reposition the contents of linked layers simultaneously with the Move tool.
You can use the rotate and the various transform commands simultaneously on the contents of linked layers.
Go to Free Transform Command.
To link layers, press Ctrl and click each layer.
Then, click the chain icon at the top of the Layers palette, to the right of the Delete layer icon (trash can).
To unlink, select one of the linked layers and click the chain icon at the top of the Layers palette.
When you group layers together, the grouped layers influence each other, and no other layers.
An adjustment layer affects all of the layers below.
Let's say there's a Levels adjustment layer.
And, there are three layers below it: Layer X, Layer Y, and Layer Z.
The Levels adjustment layer is affecting Layers X, Y, and Z.
By grouping the Levels adjustment layer with Layer X, the affect of the adjustment layer is confined to Layer X.
Layers Y and Z are no longer affected by the Levels adjustment layer.
Do one of the following.
1) Select the top layer.
2) Press Ctrl + g.
1) Select the top layer.
2) Press Shift + Ctrl + g.
1) Press and hold Alt.
2) Place the cursor between the top layer and the layer below.
3) Click when the cursor changes to the grouping icon (double circles).
1) Press Alt.
2) Place the cursor between the grouped layers.
3) Click when the cursor changes to the grouping icon (double circles).
1) Select the top layer.
2) Go to Layer > Group with Previous.
1) Select the top layer.
2) Go to Layer > Ungroup.
A tiny black arrow appears in the top layer when its grouped with the layer below.
For more about complex grouping, go to Layer Groups & Clipping Masks.
When you merge layers, they're combined.
For example, if you're doing a collage of a landscape, you could merge all of the layers that contain clouds.
Merging layers reduces the size of the file, which will speed up subsequent editing actions.
Be cautious, because the merged layers are permanently merged once you close the photograph.
There are several ways to merge layers.
Highlight the layers by pressing Ctrl and clicking on each one, and then go to Layer > Merge or press Ctrl + e.
Deselect the Eye icon on the layers you don't want to merge.
Then, go to Layer > Merge Visible or press Ctrl + Shift + e.
Go to Composite Layer.
If you use this command, all of the layers will be merged.
Like merging layers, flattening is permanent once you close the file.
You may need to flatten the layers before printing the photograph, for example.
Save the photograph under a different name, before flattening, to have both flattened and unflattened versions.
Go to Layer > Flatten.
If a layer contains text or shapes, you'll be prompted to simplify the layer when merging the layer with others.
Once simplified, you can't edit the text or shape.
If you haven't already done so, go to Move a Layer.
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