WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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Layers are one of the most important features
in Photoshop, so it's important that you understand

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how they work.

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Basically, layers let you combine different
things in your image, whether it's text, shapes,

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or other objects that overlap.

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They can also be used to adjust the image
in ways that you may not have realized.

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Why don't we take a closer look?

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This image actually has 4 layers.

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It might help to think of them as transparent
panes of glass.

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When they're stacked on top of each other,
they appear to be flat.

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But if you pull them apart... you can see
that they're all working together to create

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the final image.

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There are many types of layers in Photoshop,
but they fall into two main categories: content

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layers and adjustment layers.

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Content layers are pretty self explanatory—they
contain some type of object, like text, a

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graphic or a shape, or even your main image.

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Adjustment layers are a little different.

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Instead of containing an object, they have
an effect on the layers below.

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In this example, we have a levels adjustment
layer, which is making the cake image just

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a tiny bit brighter.

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Adjustment layers are a type of non-destructive
editing, meaning they don't actually change

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anything about the original image; they just
sit on top.

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So you may be wondering, why even use layers?

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Wouldn't it be easier to just work with everything
in your image at once?

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The truth is, layers are useful because you
can work with them independently—that gives

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you a lot more flexibility and control.

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Once you get more comfortable with them, you'll
use them in your projects all the time.

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To get started, make sure the layers panel
is visible—it's usually found in the bottom

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right corner.

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If you don't have it, you can go to the Window
menu to turn it on.

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If you've never used layers before, we recommend
trying an adjustment layer first.

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Remember, these don't contain any kind of
object; they just let you adjust some aspect

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of your image.

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That makes them really easy to add and play
around with.

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First, select the layer below where you want
the adjustment to appear—in this example,

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we'll select the cake layer.

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Next, click the adjustment button at the bottom
of the panel (it's the one that looks like

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a half-filled circle).

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Here, you'll find lots of options to choose
from depending on what you need.

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For instance, you could add an effect like
Posterize... or change the image's Color Balance.

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In this case, we're going to choose Hue/Saturation
to see if we can make the colors a little

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more vibrant.

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Once you make your selection, a layer will
be added to your document... and the properties

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panel will appear.

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Here you can make your adjustment and see
the effect it has on the image in real time.

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See how it works?

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The properties panel might seem confusing
at first, but don't worry—you'll learn more

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about it as you get more experience with Photoshop.

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For now, it's OK to experiment.

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When you're done, you can leave this panel
open, but in my case, I'm going to close it,

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so we can see the entire image again.

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There are some other features you should know
about that will make working with layers a

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whole lot easier.

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For instance, using the buttons at the bottom
of the panel, you can delete your current

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layer... or create a new one from scratch.

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There's also a way to duplicate layers, which
is similar to using copy & paste.

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To do this, you can right-click the layer
you want... then choose Duplicate from the

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menu... or you can simply drag & drop the
layer to the new layer button here.

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This will create a copy automatically.

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I don't really need this, though, so I'm going
to go ahead and delete it.

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Now, one of the best things about layers is
how flexible they can be.

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You can hide them or change the order that
they're in, all without making any permanent

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changes to the image.

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Hiding a layer can be useful if you want to
get it out of the way; for example, so you

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can edit some other part of the image.

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All you have to do is click the eye icon next
to the layer you want.

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As you can see, this works for adjustment
layers too—now we're looking at the original

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photo without any alterations.

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To turn the layers back on, just click the
icons again.

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The order of your layers also plays an important
role in the final image.

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As you might have gathered, layers at the
top of the list always appear in front of

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layers at the bottom.

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To change the order of a layer, select the
one you want... then drag & drop it into place.

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Just be mindful of any content that overlaps
with the layers below.

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You might end up covering parts of your image
by mistake.

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Let's go back to the original order, with
the cake layer in the background... and the

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levels layer down here.

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The last thing I'd like to show you is how
to edit the contents of your layers.

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You can do this using the options in the tools
panel and also the filter menu.

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Every layer is different, so not all tools
and filters will work for the layer you have

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in mind.

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Still, there are some basic tasks that you
can learn that'll definitely come in handy.

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To get started, select the layer you want
to work with (otherwise, you might end up

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editing the wrong layer by mistake).

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Next, click the tool you want to use—we'll
choose the Move tool.

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Now watch what happens when I click & drag
on the document.

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It moves the text layer only, because that's
the one we have selected.

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We can do the same with the rings layer...
there we go, that looks good.

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What if you have an adjustment layer, and
you want to re-visit the adjustments you've

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already made?

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All you have to do is select the layer, and
the properties panel should appear.

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Now, in my case, I actually closed the panel
earlier, so I'll need to double-click the

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layer icon to re-open it.

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Now we can make whatever changes we want.

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I'm just going to adjust the hue again...
and try reducing the saturation instead.

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The process for editing text is just as easy.

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All you have to do is double-click the layer
icon.

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This lets you edit the text directly in the
document area.

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When you're done, press ESC on your keyboard...
and that's it.

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There are lots of different ways to use layers
in Photoshop, which is something you'll get

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a better feel for over time.

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For now, you know everything you need to get
started, including what layers are for, and

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how to work with them in your documents.