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Layer up to keep warm…A short tutorial on the usage of layers

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What are layers?

• Layers are multiple images on top of each others.

• Each image can be manipulated independently of others in the layered image.

• There are many different types of layers.– Background, Raster, Vector, Adjustment and

Mask

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Type of layers

• Background Layer– Bottom layer of an image– Contains raster data but cannot display

transparency.– Cannot change its order in a stack, its blend

mode or its opacity.– All JPG image are considered a single

background layer image.

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Type of layers

• Raster Layers– Raster layers are layers with raster data - or

data that is composed of individual elements, called pixels, arranged in a grid, each with a specific location and color.

– Photographic images are composed of raster data.

– Digital cameras take pictures in raster format.

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Type of layers

• Vector Layers– Contains only vector objects

• lines, curves

• shapes

• texts

• vector groups

– Use a vector layers to create objects or text that you can easily edit.

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Type of layers

• Adjustment Layers– Adjustment layers are correction layers that

adjust the color or tone of underlying layers.• Some examples of an adjustment layer type

– Brightness/Contrast - Color Balance

– Hue/Saturation/Lightness - Curves

– Levels - Many others...

– Adjustment layers cannot be a background layer.

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Type of layers

• Mask Layers– Mask layers show or hide portions of

underlying layers.– Mask layers are really an adjustment layer that

modifies opacity.– Can create sophisticated effects such as

collages.

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Sample usage of Layers

• Preserve the original image before making changes.– Just duplicate the background layer.– Turn off the visibility of the background layer.– Make only changes to the duplicated layer.

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Sample usage of Layers

• Make color and tonal corrections– Use adjustment layers– This preserve the original image from being

modified.– Adjustment layers can be turned on and off to

differentiate the adjustment from the original.

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Sample usage of Layers

• Add text or graphics– Add them as vector objects to a new vector

layer.– Can be easily modified.– If they are added to a raster layer, they become

part of the image and can be hard to modify.

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Sample usage of Layers

• Create a photo collage– Place each photograph on a different layer.– Use the layer’s opacity setting and blend mode

to control how much of each layer shows through.

– Use mask to hide parts of a layer or create soft edges around a layer.

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Part I: Simple Adjustment Layer Sample Tutorial

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Part I: Open up image to process

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Part I: Insert new levels adjustment layer

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Part I: Experiment with the levels setting...

Togglethe eyes.

Play with the transparency(opacity) slider.

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Part II: Blending two images automatically

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Part II: First open the two images.

2. Then make a copy of the bird image and paste it onto the background as a new raster layer.

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Part II: Experiment with the transparency slider

Bird Transparency at 100% Bird Transparency at 50% Bird Transparency at 10%

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Part II: Experiment with the blending type

Blending type: Darken Blending type: Lighten Blending type: Hue

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Part III: Using Mask Layers to make collages

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Part III: First select an image as a background layer.

2. Then open up the first image and copy it into the background image as a new raster layer. See Part II for the steps. Use the directional arrow to move the new raster image around.

Move the new rasterlayer to the desired

location.

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Part III: Create a mask sub-layer to the raster layer.

Click on the Mask buttondenoted by the arrow on thelayers window to the lowerleft.

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Part III: Set up the tools for masking.

1. Mask automatically turnsthe palette to 256 shadesof gray. Make sure thedarkest point is black andthe lightest point is white.

3. Set airbrush size to 30and opacity to 100.

2. Select the airbrushtool from the toolsmenu bar on the left.

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Part III: Now paint away the unwanted portion of the image.

Slowly airbrush away theportion of the image you donot want. Change the brushsize on the airbrush toolbarwhen you want to fine tunethe masking. If you make amistake, just use the othermouse button to restore whatyou brushed out...

From time to time, hover the mouseover the mask layer to see the areawhere the raster image was masked.

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Part III: Once you are done with the mask, you can move it

around the background image to reposition it..

Use the move tool tomove the mask aroundto the desired location.

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Part III: Open the next image, copy it and paste into the main

image as a new layer. Our layer should have three images now. The background, the raster layer 1 and now the raster layer 2. To make it

easier to remember, you can name your layers.

As always, youcan use the movertool to move thenew raster layerto the desiredlocation beforeprocessing it.

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Part III: To make this layer a little different, lets resize the layer

before we convert it into a mask.

Ignore the pixelwidth and height,resize to thedimensions only.

NOTE: Uncheck“Resize all layers”.

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Part III: Repeat the steps in page 22 through 25 for this image

and all other images.

Continue to work on theremaining images...

To make it less confusing whenmasking a layer, turn the visibilityof the other layers off by clickingon the “eye” visibility icon. A red“X” on an eye means that layer isinvisible. To return visibility, clickon the “eye” again.

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Part III: The complete collage

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Questions?