Using Help
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287
Adobe Photoshop Help
Using Layers
Using Help
|
Contents
|
Index
Back
287
Working with layered images
There are many advantages to working with layered images. You can quickly select, hide,
duplicate, lock, and change the appearance of images using layers.
Selecting layers
If an image has multiple layers, you must choose which layer you want to work on. Any
changes you make to the image affect only the
active
layer. You select a layer to make it
active, and only one layer can be active at a time. The name of the active layer appears in
the title bar of the document window, and a paintbrush icon
appears next to the layer
in the Layers palette.
If you don’t see the desired results when using a tool or applying a command, you may
not have the correct layer selected. Check the Layers palette to make sure that you’re
working on the desired layer.
To select a layer:
Do one of the following:
•
Click a layer in the Layers palette.
•
Select the move tool, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) in the image, and
choose a layer from the context menu. The context menu lists all the layers that contain
pixels under the current pointer location.
You can also select layers interactively as you use the move tool. If Auto Select Layer is
selected in the Move tool options, the topmost layer containing pixels under the cursor
will be selected. (See
“Moving selections and layers within an image” on page 167
.)
Displaying the contents of layers
You can use the Layers palette to selectively hide and display the contents of layers, layer
sets, and layer effects. You can also specify how transparent areas are displayed in the
image.
To change the visibility of a layer, layer set, or layer effect:
Do one of the following:
•
In the Layers palette, click the eye icon next to a layer, layer set, or layer effect to hide
its content in the document window. Click in the column again to redisplay the content.
•
Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) an eye icon to display only the content for
that layer or layer set. Alt/Option-click in the eye column again to redisplay all content.
•
Drag through the eye column to change the visibility of multiple items in the Layers
palette.
Note:
Only visible layers are printed.
To change the display of transparency:
1
Do one of the following:
•
(Photoshop) In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > Transparency &
Gamut; in Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > Transparency & Gamut.
•
(ImageReady) In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preference > Transparency;
in Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > Transparency.