Lesson 5. Layer Basics

Both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe ImageReady let you isolate different parts of an image on layers. Each layer can then be edited as discrete artwork, allowing unlimited flexibility in composing and revising an image.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do the following:

• Organize artwork on layers.

• Create new layers.

• View and hide layers.

• Select layers.

• Remove artwork from layers.

• Rearrange layers to change the stacking order of artwork in the image.

• Apply blending modes to layers.

• Link layers to work on them simultaneously.

• Apply a gradient to a layer.

• Add text and layer effects to a layer.

• Save a copy of the file with the layers flattened.

This lesson will take about 45 minutes to complete. The lesson is designed to be done in Adobe Photoshop, but information on using similar functionality in Adobe ImageReady is included where appropriate.

If needed, remove the previous lesson folder from your hard drive, and copy the Lesson05 folder onto it. As you work on this lesson, you’ll overwrite the start files. If you need to restore the start files, copy them from the Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Classroom in a Book CD.