To be successful with Photoshop Elements, the single most important item you will need is control. You need control over color, control over the elements of the design, even control over what order design elements appear. If control is what you crave, then Layers, more than any other single Photoshop Elements feature helps you gain control. Layers give you the ability to separate individual elements of your design, and then let you control how those elements appear. You can think of layers as transparency sheets one on top of the other. You can blend the elements of two or more layers, and even create layers to adjust and control contrast, brightness, and color balance. Layers are the digital designers canvas, and they are just as real as a stretched canvas is to a natural media designer. The strokes you apply to a real canvas, using a brush, appear as strokes in a layer when you use any of the painting tools. The natural artist uses oils, and watercolors; the Photoshop Elements artist uses electronic inks.

In Photoshop Elements, multiple layers are how you control the information within a document. There are times when you will create several layers, each with a piece of the document design. The multiple layers give you the ability to adjust and move each element. Eventually, during the course of the design, the multiple layers are no longer necessary. You don’t want to link them together, or even place them within a folder; you’ll want to combine them into a single unit. Once again, Photoshop Elements comes to the rescue by giving you several options for combining layers without flattening the entire document.

With the Layers palette, you can control elements of a design by assigning separate layers to each individual object. In addition, Layer effects control the application of everything from drop shadows to gradient overlays, and adjustment layers let you control color overlays and image corrections. To access the Layers palette, select the Layers palette or, if the Layers palette is not visible, click the Windows menu, and then click Layers.

Blending Modes. Select this option to change how two or more layers interact or “blend” together.

Opacity. Select a value from 0 to 100 percent to change the opacity of the active layer.

Create New Layer. Click this button to create a new layer in the active document.

Create New Fill Or Adjustment Layer. Click this button, and then select from the available fill or adjustment layers.

Delete Layer. Click this button to delete the active layer.

Link Layers. Hold down the Shift key and click to select two or more layers, and then click this button to link the layers.

Lock options. Click the Lock Transparent Pixels or Lock All button.

Layers Options. Click this button to access a menu of layer specific commands.

Not only does Photoshop Elements give you the ability to generate layers, it gives you the ability to generate layers with different designations. The designation of a layer determines the type of information the layer contains. For example, type layers hold editable text, and a mask layer holds image masks. The ability to control the designation of a layer helps to organize the different elements that typically make up an image.

Background. The Background is a unique type of layer element (technically, it’s not called the Background layer; just the Background). Backgrounds are always positioned at the bottom of the layer stack and they cannot be moved. In addition, the Background does not support transparency.

Layer. Clicking the Create New Layer button creates layers. New layers are always inserted directly above the active layer. Traditional layers support all of Editor’s drawing and shape tools, opacity and fill and blending mode options, but do not support type. Traditional layers can be moved up and down in the layer stack by dragging.

Fill. Fill layers contain color gradient, solid color, or patterns. To create a Fill layer, click the Create New Fill Or Adjustment Layer button, and then select the file type you want.

Type. Type layers control vector text. To create a Type layer, select one of Editor’s Type tools, click in the active document and begin typing. Photoshop Elements automatically creates the Type layer directly above the active layer in the Layers palette.

Mask. Masks create transparent areas in the visible image. Use masks to remove elements of an image without physically erasing them.

Shape. Shape layers control vector data by the use of a vector mask. You can create a shape layer in one of several ways: Select the Pen tool from the toolbox, click the Shape Layer button (located on the Options bar, and then begin drawing, or select any of Editor’s shape tools using the Shape layer option.

Adjustment. Adjustment layers let you control everything from contrast to color. To create an Adjustment layer, click the Create New Fill Or Adjustment Layer button, and then select from the available options. The adjustment layer is placed directly above the active layer, and controls the information in all the underlying layers.

Layers give you control over the design elements of your document, so Photoshop Elements makes sure you have plenty of them. You have the ability to create up to 8,000 layers. While that may be more layers than you would ever use in one single document, it guarantees that you have the creative options to carry your designs to any level you desire. To create a new layer, you must first have an open document. A new image has a single layer. If you have more than one document open, make sure the active image is the one you want to add a layer. You can quickly add a layer using a menu or button or add a layer and select options using a dialog box. You can select options to name the layer, designate it as a clipping group, or even change its color Blending mode, and Opacity.

Photoshop Elements lets you select multiple layers either in the Layers palette, or directly in the document window, using the Move tool. Say, for example, you want to quickly move two or more layers but you don’t want to spend the time linking, and then unlinking, you could quickly select the layers, and then perform the move. Or, perhaps you want to delete several layers and you don’t delete them one at a time. The ability to select multiple layers gives you the ability to exert more control over Photoshop Elements, and that control quickly changes into creative energy. A single selected layer is called the active layer.

Traditional layers are basically sheets of transparent acetate or clear plastic. Once created they support all painting tools, as well as shape and gradient tools. While traditional layers may start out as transparent pieces of plastic, they don’t remain that way for long. In fact, a layer can, over time, be a complicated mix of non-transparent (the image), and transparent areas. It’s also possible you might want to make a selection out of that complicated image. Photoshop Elements knows this and gives you an easy way to convert an image on a layer into a selection.

On the previous page, you learned how to create a selection based on the image information within a layer. In addition to creating a selection from a layer, Photoshop Elements gives you the ability to instantly create a layer from a selection. Creating layers from selections opens up all kinds of opportunities for generating special effects. For example, selecting an object from one layer, and then making a layer with that selection, or making a selection of a portion of a image, creating the layer, and applying a layer style to the copy. The possibilities are endless, and the fun is exploring those possibilities.

If you have a type layer, shape layer, gradient layer, solid color layer, pattern fill layer, frame layer, a smart object, or a layer group (from a Photoshop document), you can convert it into a normal image layer. You need to simplify these layers before you can apply filters to them or edit them with the painting tools. When you simplify a layer, you can no longer use the type and shape editing options.

The Background serves a unique function. Since some layout programs do not support Photoshop Elements’ multiple layers, and transparency; in a process called flattening, a final image must sometimes be converted into a background. When an image is flattened, all of the documents layers are compressed into a single element in the Layers palette designated as the Background. That means no more layers, no more transparency, and no more control. Backgrounds are a necessary evil because Photoshop Elements does not stand alone, and it’s sometimes necessary to move images from Photoshop Elements into other applications. However, there are times you start with an image that’s on a background and you want to apply transparency, blending modes, or other adjustments that cannot be applied to a background, or move it to another position. In those cases you will need to convert the Background into a traditional layer. The Background layer must remain at the bottom of the Layers palette.

When you work on multi-layered documents, it’s important to understand the ways Photoshop Elements gives you to control image information. For example, working on a document that contains 20 layers is a difficult proposition. Fortunately, Photoshop Elements gives you control over the document, everything from layer names to locking pixel information is available in Photoshop Elements’ bag of image-control tricks. When linking two layers together, you can move or resize the layers at the same time, thus saving valuable time. Let’s explore some of the ways you can control image information on the Layers palette.

Layers are like stacked transparencies with images and other content. You can change the stacking order of the stacked layers to display the content you want. You can change the stacking order by simply dragging layers in the Layers palette or using commands on the Arrange submenu on the Layers menu. The Background layer must remain at the bottom of the Layers palette. To move it, you need to convert it to a normal image layer. If the content on a layer is blocked by the content on another layer, you can move the content on a layer.

Photoshop Elements documents typically contain multiple layers. One web survey concluded that the designer creates documents with an average of 14 layers. Controlling layers is an important aspect of design, because the more control you maintain, the more organized you are, and the better your designs will be. But what about controlling layers across multiple documents? For example, you’re working on a design, and you need access to some additional image information. The only problem is that the additional information is located in another Photoshop Elements document. Photoshop Elements gives you the ability to move layers between open documents.

The Merge Down option lets you merge one selected layer into the layer directly below. Merged layers take on the characteristics of the layer they are being merged into. For example, merging a layer into a layer that uses the Darken blending mode. The two merged layers will still use Darken, or if you merge a layer into the background, the merged layer becomes a part of the background. The Merge Visible option gives you the ability with one click to merge all of the layers that have the Show option enabled (Eye icon shown).

If you’re currently looking at the Layers palette, and wondered where the linking button is, don’t worry; it’s not missing, it’s just been moved. Linking multiple layers is a snap. Simply select one or more layers, and then click the Link Layers button at the bottom of the Layers palette. You can link two or more layers or groups. Unlike selected multiple layers, linked layers retain their relationship (stay together) until you unlink them, which allows you to move or resize the layers as a unit.

Photoshop Elements lets you add layers to a document (up to 8,000), and it lets you delete layers. Remember that once you’ve deleted a layer, and saved the document, there is no way to recover the deleted layer. However, while the document is open, there is always the chance of recovering the deleted layer through the History palette.

There are times when you will need a copy of a layer. Duplicating a layer is a simple process which creates a pixel-to-pixel copy of the selected layer. Once the copied layer is created, it becomes a separate image within the document. You can then begin to make any additions to the new layer. Duplicating a layer gives you the ability to control each layer separately and to create any desired effect.

Layer Blending Modes are one of the most creative areas in the Layers palette. With blending modes you can instruct Photoshop Elements to mix the image information between two or more layers. For example, the Multiply blending mode instructs Photoshop Elements to mix the image information of two or more layers together. Blending modes give you control over images up and over that what you would expect to find in the real world.

A clipping group is a group of layers with a mask. A mask creates a transparent area in the visible image. Use masks to remove elements of an image without physically erasing them. The bottommost layer, known as the base layer, defines the visible area of the group, or mask, while the layers above it, known as the overlay layers, show through the base layer. For example, you can have a shape as the base layer and a photo as the overlay layer. The photo appears through the shape outline. In the Layers palette, the name of the base layer in the group is underlined, while the thumbnails for the overlay layers are indented and displayed with a clipping group icon (a left down arrow). You can group only successive layers, one on top of the other.

If you want to visually control an Photoshop Elements document, then adjustment layers are the ultimate tool. The purpose of an adjustment layer is to visually illustrate how a specific adjustment, such as Hue & Saturation, is applied to the image. Since the adjustment is contained within a separate layer, the original image never changes. This gives you the ability to experiment with different settings, and since adjustment layers are saved with the document, you can save and return at a later time to make further adjustments.

Another advantage of adjustment layers is size. Adjustment layers do not increase the size of a Photoshop Elements document. Most layers are composed of pixels, so adding traditional layers to a document increases the size of the file. Since adjustment layers are simply a set of mathematical information, they do not increase the size of the file.

Photoshop Elements has two ways to apply adjustments to an image. The first is going through the Enhance menu, and choosing Adjust commands, however, when you apply the adjustment it’s permanent. The other is using an adjustment layer—the very definition of control over time. When working with adjustment layers, you can modify, merge, or even create a temporary composite image, all while your original image stays in tact. With all of their advantages, you may never perform adjustments using the Image menu again.

In addition to letting you apply adjustments to an image without changing the original data, adjustment layers, because they are separate layers, give you the ability to apply standard layer controls, such as blending modes, opacity, and fill. Layer masks come with their own built-in masks, and allow you to control how and where the adjustment is applied to the image.

Adjustment layers are applied within the Layers palette. By default, all layers beneath the adjustment layer are changed. In addition, adjustment layers will work on any type of layer, including the Background. You can have as many adjustment layers as needed. For example, you might create a Levels adjustment layer to control the contrast of an image, and add a Curves adjustment layer to correct image color. When you create an adjustment layer, a white box representing the adjustment for that layer appears along with a name based on the layer type, such as Gradient Map 1, in the Layers palette. The new adjustment layer affects all the layers below it in the Layers palette, so you may want to move it to another position, depending on your needs.

Fill layers let you fill a layer with a solid color, gradient, or pattern. When you create a fill layer, a white box representing the fill for that layer appears along with a name based on the layer type, such as Color Fill 1, in the Layers palette. Also, fill layers do not affect the layers below them. If you want to paint on a fill layer, you need to convert, or simplify, it to a traditional layer.

If an adjustment layer doesn’t quite suit your artistic needs, you can change it. Instead of deleting an adjustment or fill layer and creating a new one, you can use the Change Layer Content command to select another file or adjustment layer and then specify the options you want. Since adjustment and fill layers keep settings isolated in a separate layer, you can experiment with different settings until the image is exactly what you want. The beauty of adjustment and fill layers is in the control they offer to the Photoshop Elements user.

When you modify a traditional layer, any changes made to the image are permanent, as soon as you click OK. But that’s not true of adjustment or fill layers. Adjustment and fill layers keep the changes isolated in a separate layer, and this allows you to modify the adjustment or fill minutes, or even days later. With this type of creative control at your fingertips, you can experiment with different settings until the image is exactly what you want.

When you delete a fill or adjustment layer you are simply deleting the adjustment, not the image. Adjustment layers do not contain image data; they only manipulate the information contained within the image layer. Deleting an adjustment layer is as easy as deleting any other layer type. The effect is the same; the function of the layer is removed from the document. For example, if you delete a curves adjustment layer, the effects are removed and the image returns to its original state. When you delete an Adjustment layer, the change to the image induced by the adjustment layer is removed, and the image returns to normal.

Adjustment layers perform two functions—they adjust the image and they give you control. Since an adjustment is held in a separate layer, you have the advantage of isolating the adjustment, and all the options that apply to a normal a layer. Combine that with an adjustment layers ability to manipulate pixel information and you have a very powerful image-editing tool. Blending Modes change how two or more layers interact. For example, the multiply blending mode instructs Photoshop Elements to mix the pixels of two or more layers, thus creating an entirely new image from the mix. With that in mind, the five modes that produce the most stunning results are Multiply, Screen, Hard Mix, Difference, and Exclusion. The opacity of an adjustment layer controls the intensity of the selected adjustment. You can reduce the opacity of the Hue & Saturation adjustment to 50 percent, and it would reduce its effect on the image. Since each adjustment layer has its own opacity settings, multiple adjustment layers can be fine-tuned to create the desired impact on the image.

Photoshop Elements lets you create as many adjustment layers as needed. For example, you might create a Levels adjustment layer to balance image contrast, Curves to correct color, and a Photo Filter, to create an overall warming effect to the image. Each adjustment layer works with the other adjustment layers to produce the final image. It’s not unusual to have three, four, or even five adjustment layers controlling a single image. At some point in the design, you might decide to save space by merging some or all of the adjustment layers. However, when you merge the adjustment layers, the image looses the effect produced by the adjustments. The reason lies in how Photoshop Elements works with adjustment layers. Each adjustment layer controls one part of the adjustment. The layers themselves do not hold an image; they hold mathematical data on how to change an image. Each adjustment layer holds data relating to a specific adjustment, such as Curves or Levels. A single adjustment layer cannot hold more than one set of adjustments. That’s why you have multiple adjustment layers. Merging two or more adjustment layers together forces Photoshop Elements to discard all of the adjustment data and the merged adjustment layers turn into a traditional simplified layer. To solve the problem, try merging the adjustment and the image layers into a single layer.

When you merge adjustment layers into the image, you wind up with a single layer, which contains all of the adjustments. By merging the adjustment layers, you do lose control over the individual adjustment layers. It’s basically a trade off of smaller files sizes, less layers to contend with, but less control over the image. Let’s say you want the best of both worlds—a single layer that contains the image, all of the adjustments, and the original image with separate adjustment layers. It’s possible, all you have to do is create a composite layer.

When you create an adjustment layer, the effects of the adjustment are applied to the entire image. For example, if you use the Curves adjustment, the entire image receives the effects of the adjustment. It’s true you can modify the adjustment with the use of layer blending modes, and opacity settings but, the effects are applied equally to the entire image. The problem is that many times you don’t want the adjustment applied to the entire image. For example, color correcting a portion of the image, or lightening the shadows of an image without applying the same lightening adjustment to the highlights. Photoshop Elements handles this problem with the use of masks. When you create an adjustment layer, Photoshop Elements creates a mask with the image. The mask controls how the adjustment is applied to the image, and you control the effect by painting in the mask with black, white, or a shade of gray. When you paint the mask with black, it masks the adjustment, painting with white fully applies the adjustment. If you paint with 50 percent gray, then 50 percent of the adjustment is applied to the image.

You can create an instant mask using traditional selection techniques. Before creating the adjustment layer, select the area of the image you want the adjustment applied. Use any of the selection tools for this purpose. When you create the adjustment layer, Photoshop Elements converts the selection into a mask, and only the selected areas of the image receive the adjustment.

Photoshop Elements doesn’t have a lot of options for controlling the palette; in fact, there is only one—changing the size of the thumbnail. Thumbnail size options come in three sizes, or you can select to have no thumbnail shown. When you change the size of the thumbnail, you’re instructing Photoshop Elements to spend more, or less processing time on the display of the image. The larger the thumbnail, the easier it is to see, but the longer it takes for Photoshop Elements to draw the images in the Layers palette. If you’re experiencing performance issues with Photoshop Elements, and you’re using a large thumbnail, you might consider downsizing the thumbnail image.