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Layer Effects Removal Speed Tip
If you want to remove all the layer effects applied to a particular layer, don’t drag them all into the Trash one by one. The fastest way is to simply drag the Layer Effects icon (it looks like a little “f”) directly into the Trash icon at the bottom of the Layers palette, and all the effects go right along with it.
Separation Anxiety: Put A Layer Style On A Separate Layer
When you apply a layer style to a layer using the Add a Layer Style pop-up menu in the Layers palette, you’ve done just that-applied a style to a layer, and that style is married to that layer. However, if you’d like to edit your effect separately from the layer, you can ask Photoshop to put to the layer style on its own separate layer (or layers if necessary). To do this, click on your layer, then go under the Layer menu, under Layer Style, and choose Create Layers. Your effect will now appear on its own layer beneath your current layer. Note: If you apply a bevel effect, it will create multiple separate layers.
Layer Navigation Shortcut
If you’re working on a large, multi-layered document and you have the Move tool (V) active, you can jump to the layer you want by Control-clicking (PC: Right-clicking) on a portion of the image. A contextual menu will appear with a list of the layers beneath the point where you clicked your cursor. To make one of those layers the active layer, just choose it from the menu. It’s important to note that if there aren’t any layers beneath where you’re clicking (or the layers are transparent where you’re clicking), the only layer that will appear in the menu is the Background layer.
Easier Drop Shadow Angle Adjustments
If you’re creating a drop shadow using Photoshop’s built-in layer styles (from the Add a Layer Style pop-up menu in the Layers palette), rather than setting the Distance and Angle numerically, you can adjust it visually. Just move your cursor outside the dialog right into your image, click on the shadow itself, and drag it where you’d like it.
Can’t We All Just Have The Same Style?
Want to apply a style that’s on one layer to a bunch of other layers? It’s easy (if you know the trick). Just link all the layers that you want to have that same style by Command-clicking (PC: Control-clicking) on them and clicking the Link icon at the bottom of the layers palette. Then Control-click (PC: Right-click) on the layer’s name with the style you want to copy and choose Select Linked Layers from the contextual menu that appears. Control-click (PC: Right-click) again and choose Paste Layer Style, and your copied style(s) will instantly paste to every linked layer.
Filter Gallery Zoom Quick Tip
If you’re in the Filter Gallery (under the filter menu) and want to zoom quickly to a particular level of magnification, just Control-click (PC: Right-click) anywhere within the preview window and a contextual menu of zoom views will appear.
Centering Dragged Layers The Easy Way
When dragging a layer from one document to another, the object will appear in the new document at the point your cursor was when you released the mouse button. If you’d prefer that the layer appear perfectly centered within the other document, just hold the Shift key as you drag, and when you release the mouse button, the object will be perfectly centered.
Moving Multiple Layers From Document To Document
Want to move more than one layer at a time from one document to another? It’s easy, as long as you know where to drag from. First, Command-click (PC: Control-click) to select your layers and then click the Link icon at the bottom of the Layers palette to link your layers together. Then, make sure that you drag your layer from within your document itself, rather than trying to drag the layer from the Layers palette. Dragging a layer from the Layers palette to another document is fine, as long as you only want to drag one layer at a time.
Copy A Layer In The Same Location In Another Document
To make a copy of your current layer and have it appear in the exact location in a different Photoshop document, Control-click (PC: Right-click) on the layer in the Layers palette that you want to copy, and choose Duplicate Layer. When the Duplicate Layer dialog appears, choose the Destination from the Document pop-up menu, and click OK.
Instant Opacity Change
Anytime you want to change the Opacity of the layer you’re currently working on, just switch to the Move tool (V) and press a number key on your keyboard: 4 = 40% Opacity, 5 = 50% Opacity, etc. If you want an exact percentage, such as 52%, then type 52. (Note: You have to type quickly, or you’ll get 50%, then 20%.)
More Control Over Blends: Advanced Blending
Using Blend Modes is a great way to get the layer you’re on to interact with the layers beneath it. The only problem is you don’t have much control over these blend modes-—they either look the way you want them to, or not. They’re pretty much an “on” or “off” tool. If you’re looking for that next level of control over how layers interact with each other, you need the advanced Blending Options. These are found by double-clicking in the empty space just to the right of the layer’s name in the Layers palette. What appears onscreen looks like the Layer Style dialog (and in fact, it is), but if you look closely, you’ll see two bars with sliders at the bottom of the dialgo giving you control over how your layered images interact. Here’s another quick tip: If you hold the Option key (PC: Alt key) before you drag one of the sliders, it will split the slider in two, which gives you smoother transitions and more usable blend effects.
Turn Your Layer Comps Into Their Own Docs
If you’re using layer comps to compare different layouts within the same image, you can share these comps with people not on your network (or without access to your computer) by creating a separate document for each layer comp. This makes it easier to email them, and easier for your recipient to view them. Luckily, you don’t have to do this all manually; just go under the File menu, under Scripts, and choose Layer Comps To Files.
Applying Layer Styles To Your Background Layer
How do you apply a layer style to your Background layer? You can’t. That is, unless you double-click on your Background layer. This brings up the New Layer dialog where you can rename your Background layer, and when you do, it turns into a regular layer. Now you can apply layer styles to your heart’s content. Want an even faster way? Just hold the Option key (PC: Alt key) and double-click, then you won’t get the dialog at all—it will just convert it into a new layer named Layer 0.
Why Dragging-And-Dropping Styles Rocks!
You probably already know that you can apply styles to an image from the Styles palette, and you may even know that rather than just clicking on them, you can drag-and-drop these styles right from the palette straight onto your current layer. But what’s the advantage of dragging-and-dropping? Isn’t it actually harder to drag-and-drop, rather than just clicking once? The advantage is that you can drag-and-drop styles to any layer, not just your currently active layer. You can also drag-and-drop effects between different open documents.
Hide Your Other Layers In The Blink Of An Eye
To hide an individual layer, click on the Eye icon in the first column next to that layer in the Layers palette. To make the layer visible again, click on the spot where the Eye icon used to be. If you want to keep one layer visible and hide all the others, hold the Option key (PC: Alt key) and click on the Eye icon beside the layer you want to keep visible. To make the other layers visible again, repeat the process.
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Photoshop Tutorials
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Wild West Grunge
Corey shows you how to recreate this rugged, weathered look using a couple of filters, blending modes, and layer masks.
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Wall of Text
Use a clipping group to place an image inside of a background of text, with another layer of text placed in front to create depth.
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Natural Brushes
In this tutorial Corey shows you how to take an existing image and turn it into it’s own custom brush.
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Custom Coins
In this tutorial Corey creates a realistic-looking coin effect using the channels palette and the lighting effects filter.
Text Shape Layers
Converting text into shapes allows you to distort the text as you like while retaining straight, clean edges.
Borders Under a Minute
Create really cool borders in under a minute to use on virtually any one of your photos or even video for that matter.- Custom Coins
In this tutorial Corey creates a realistic-looking coin effect using the channels palette and the lighting effects filter. - Natural Brushes
In this tutorial Corey shows you how to take an existing image and turn it into it's own custom brush.
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Creative Contrast in Photoshop CS3
In this tutorial, we’ll take a look at some interesting techniques for improving contrast using the Shadow/Highlight command, empty adjustment layers, blend modes, and the Blend If sliders in the Layer Style dialog. -
Enhanced Workflow in Lightroom 1.1
In this article, we'll focus on techniques that will strengthen your workflow skills and simultaneously reveal some of the new features in Lightroom 1.1. -
Handlin’ Photoshop and Illustrator Content in Flash
we’ll take a look at how things work across Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash-specifically, some features and techniques for getting rasterized Photoshop content and vector Illustrator content into your Flash movies. -
Understanding Channels in Photoshop CS3
Photographer Chris Alvanas wants to go over Channels, because understanding what they are and what they do is key to understanding what their potential is.
Removing Those Typographically Incorrect Spaces
If you’re trying to set type that looks typographically correct in Photoshop, there’s an old habit you’ll have to break, and that’s the curse of putting two spaces at the end of every sentence. This is a holdover from people who at one time used traditional typewriters, where adding two spaces was necessary, but in typesetting that’s a huge no-no. About 70% of the text I copy-and-paste from text files that people give me has two spaces, but I use this Photoshop tip to fix the problem in just seconds. First, go under the Edit menu and choose Find and Replace Text. In the Find field, press the Spacebar twice (entering two spaces), then in Change To, press the Spacebar just once. Click Change All, and every time Photoshop finds two spaces at the end of a sentence, it will replace it with just one, making you typographically correct.
- Chicago, IL
Photoshop CS3 for Photographers Tour May. 19 - Nashville, TN
Photoshop CS3 for Photographers Tour May. 22 - San Francisco, CA
Photoshop CS3 for Photographers Tour May. 28 - New York, NY
Maximum Photoshop Tour May. 30
