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Tools
and Their Functions Layers are a very important part of Photoshop. Using layers offers you an incredible amount of control over the appearance of your image. By seperating key parts of an image and putting them on seperate layers, you can manipulate specific segments without inadvertently ruining others. In the lower right corner of your screen, you will see the Layers palette.
As of right now, the buttons on the bottom of the palette are greyed out. This is because there is no image currently open. Find one to open now (find a desktop image that comes with OS X, find a simple banner image on the internet, etc. Anything will work.) After you've found a suitable image, click the icon to the left of the trash can on the bottom of the palette. This will create a new layer for you to work with.
Anything you create on this new layer will be displayed above any layers beneath it on the layers palette. You can drag layers up and down on the list to reposition them. You can also click the small eyeball icon (displayed to the left of each layer) to hide the layer. Clicking again will reveal it once more. Above the list of layers is a series of four icons next to the word "Lock." Clicking on these will (in order from left to right:) lock transparent pixels, brush strokes, layer movement, or all of the options at once. These options are useful if you want to ensure a layer remains the way you like it. That's basically all there is to know about layers right now. However, there is still a lot to learn about tools. Learning the basics of each tool is an essential step to PHOTOSHOP MASTERY. |
