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layers are one of the most important
features in Photoshop so it's important
that you understand how they work
basically layers let you combine
different things in your image whether
it's text shapes or other objects that
overlap they can also be used to adjust
the image in ways that you may not have
realized why don't we take a closer look
this image actually has four layers it
might help to think of them as
transparent panes of glass when they're
stacked on top of each other they appear
to be flat but if you pull them apart
you can see that they're all working
together to create the final image there
are many types of layers in Photoshop
but they fall into two main categories
content layers and adjustment layers
content layers are pretty
self-explanatory they contain some type
of object like text a graphic or a shape
or even your main image adjustment
layers are a little different instead of
containing an object they have an effect
on the layers below in this example we
have a levels adjustment layer which is
making the cake image just a tiny bit
brighter adjustment layers are a type of
non-destructive editing meaning they
don't actually change anything about the
original image they just sit on top so
you may be wondering why even use layers
wouldn't it be easier to just work with
everything in your image at once the
truth is layers are useful because you
can work with them independently that
gives you a lot more flexibility and
control once you get more comfortable
with them you'll use them in your
projects all the time to get started
make sure the layers panel is visible
it's usually found in the bottom right
corner if you don't have it you can go
to the window menu to turn it on if
you've never used layers before we
recommend trying an adjustment layer
first remember
these don't contain any kind of object
they just let you adjust some aspect of
your image that makes them really easy
to add and play around with first select
the layer below where you want the
adjustment to appear in this example
we'll select the cake layer
next click the adjustment button at the
bottom of the panel it's the one that
looks like a half filled circle here
you'll find lots of options to choose
from depending on what you need for
instance you could add an effect like
poster eyes or change the images color
balance in this case we're going to
choose hue/saturation to see if we can
make the colors a little more vibrant
once you make your selection a layer
will be added to your document and the
properties panel will appear here you
can make your adjustment and see the
effect it has on the image in real time
see how it works the properties panel
might seem confusing at first but don't
worry you'll learn more about it as you
get more experience with photoshop for
now it's okay to experiment when you're
done you can leave this panel open but
in my case I'm going to close it so we
can see the entire image again there are
some other features you should know
about that will make working with layers
a whole lot easier for instance using
the buttons at the bottom of the panel
you can delete your current layer or
create a new one from scratch there's
also a way to duplicate layers which is
similar to using copy and paste to do
this you can right click the layer you
want then choose duplicate from the menu
or you can simply drag and drop the
layer to the new layer button here this
will create a copy automatically I don't
really need this though so I'm going to
go ahead and delete it now one of the
best things about layers is how flexible
they can be you can hide them or change
the order that they're in all without
making any permanent changes to the
image hiding a layer can be useful if
you want to get it out of the way for
example so you can edit some other part
of the image all you have to do is click
the eye icon next to the layer you want
as you can see this works for adjustment
layers too now we're looking at the
original photo without any alterations
to turn the layers back on just click
the icons again the order of your layers
also plays an important role in the
final image as you might have gathered
layers at the top of the list always
appear in front of layers at the bottom
to change the order of a layer select
the one you want then drag and drop it
into place just be mindful of any
Content that overlaps with the layers
below you might end up covering parts of
your image by mistake let's go back to
the original order with the cake layer
in the background and the levels layer
down here the last thing I'd like to
show you is how to edit the contents of
your layers you can do this using the
options in the tools panel and also the
filter menu every layer is different so
not all tools and filters will work for
the layer you have in mind
still there are some basic tasks that
you can learn that'll definitely come in
handy to get started select the layer
you want to work with otherwise you
might end up editing the wrong layer by
mistake next click the tool you want to
use we'll choose the move tool now watch
what happens when I click and drag on
the document it moves the text layer
only because that's the one we have
selected we can do the same with the
Rings layer
there we go that looks good what if you
have an adjustment layer and you want to
revisit the adjustments you've already
made all you have to do is select the
layer and the properties panel should
appear now in my case I actually closed
the panel earlier so I'll need to double
click the layer icon to reopen it now we
can make whatever changes we want I'm
just going to adjust the hue again and
try reducing the saturation instead the
process for editing text is just as easy
all you have to do is double click the
layer icon this lets you edit the text
directly in the document area when
you're done press escape on your
keyboard and that's it there are lots of
different ways to use layers in
Photoshop which is something you'll get
a better feel for over time for now you
know everything you need to get started
including what layers are for and how to
work with them in your documents