Several Photoshop Layer Tips

[DJ Dubovsky]

Photoshop Layer Tips:


To put a selection on its own layer –
Press control / Command –J.
Hold the Shift key when doing this to remove the selection from the original layer. Hold the Alt/Option key to name the layer as you create it.

To move up and down in the layers palette –
Use Alt /Ctrl - ] to move up and Alt /Ctrl - [ to move down

To Create A Flattened Version of Your Layered Image –
Create a New Layer by clicking the new layer button in the Layers Palette. Then hold Option-Command / Ctrl-Alt and select Merge Visible from the Layer pop-down menu.

To quickly create a duplicate layer –
Press Command-J while the layer you want to duplicate is active.

To lock linked layers –
Choose the “Lock All Linked Layers” Command under the Layers Palette’s drop down menu.

To quickly delete a layer –
Hold the Alt/Option key and click on the trash icon in the Layers palette.

To easily identify your layers –
Color code them. Just alt/option double click on the layer in the Layers palette and a window pops up. Select the color you want and hit OK.

To recolorize a layer effects –
Click on the Half-Black/Half-White Icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette.

To Quickly Name Layers –
Hold down the Option/Alt and double-clicking on the Layer. This will bring up the Layer Properties dialog.

To name a new Layer as you're creating it –
Hold the Option/Alt key when clicking on the New Layer icon.

To intensify Layer Styles without having to redo the Style completely –
Choose Scale Effects from the layers menu.

To increase the effect of your Layer Styles –
Choose Layer>Layer Style>Scale Effects. A dialog appears with a slider that
goes up to 1000%. Use this to increase the effect of your Styles.

To hide every layer but the current layer –
Alt / Option-click on the Eye icon beside the layer you want to remain visible.

To toggle Lock Transparency on/off –
Press the / key (slash).

To move the current layer up and down in the layer stack –
Press control / command-] (Right Bracket) to move up and to
move it down, press control / command-[ (Left Bracket).

To move layers around –
Use the Layer -> Arrange sub menu. This menu also has transform commands to flip, rotate, scale and distort a single layer.

To align layers using Photoshop 6 –
Link the Layers you want to align, then choose the Move tool. In the Options Bar, you'll see the icons for aligning horizontally, vertically, and to the left, right and center, plus, icons for equally distributing the spacing of the layered objects.

To jump up/down in the Layers palette –
Use Option/Ctrl - ] to jump up and Option/Ctrl - [ to jump down.

To lower the size of your layered file and speed up Photoshop –
Merge whatever layers you don't need to be separate since layers take up a lot of memory.

[Ed_L]

Oh boy! Oh boy! Cool. Thanks.

Ed

[fugitive]

Thanks DJ: I saved the tips as a tx into PS, good stuff.

[DJ Dubovsky]

Thanks guys. I have hundreds of them so I'm trying to catagorize them and list them when I get each one done. There will be more coming just don't know how long it will take me. I also may have to edit for repeats too. Lots a work ahead. The good thing about having to redo them in catagorys is that I get to review them and hopefully remember them better.
DJ

[Michael B.]

I just posted this question elsewhere in the Forums, so I'll be brief here: Is there an easy way to automate saving lots of layers into individual files? I'd like to keep a master PSD with 110 or so layers, but use each image in a book project that I have. Thanks.

[Vikki]

I don't think it's possibly in any version before CS. In CS, you would use the Layer Comps feature.

[pulsedesign]

If anyone's interested, there's a 4 page doc of keyboard shortcuts that is the most comprehensive I've ever seen. Maybe someone else has already posted this, but if not, here you go...

user.fundy.net/morris/downloads/PSCS2_Shortcuts.pdf