4. Using Layers.

The aim of this session is to introduce students to the concept ofworking with Layers.

When you cut and paste part of an image, the new piece which you have pasted goes onto a separate layer.
One thing we can do with this new layer is to change its transparency so that the new image blends onto the image underneath.

1. Click on each new image you have created in turn and use the routine Select>Select All, Edit>Copy, to copy the whole image.

2. reate a new page and then use Edit>Paste, to place the images onto the new page.

3. When you first paste an image onto a page you can reposition it using the Move Tool. If you try to move something after you have pasted another image on the page you will find that the tool only works on the last image you pasted. The reason for this is that Photoshop places each new image onto a separate layer.
Learning to work with layers is an important skill if you are going to work with Photoshop Notice that whenever you paste an image on the page the name of the file in the blue strip at the top changes to include something like (Layer 1, RGB).

4. If a box showing the layers for your file has not appeared use Window>Show Layers to open this box. It will show each of the layers in your image. To work on a particular layer, for instance, to move a selection or adjust the colour, click on the layer name and it will become active. To remove a layer you can click and drag the layer name onto the dustbin at the bottom of the layers box.

5. When you try to save your image you will notice that the Save As options you had before have changed and you are only offered the option of saving your file as a .PSD file. This is because files saved as .TIFs, or .BMPs, or .JPGs cannot have layers.
If you want to keep the layers to work with them again, save as a .PSD file. If you want to save your image so that it can be used in another programme, you will need to use the Layers>Flatten Image to put all the layers together. When you use Save As, all the options to save files in different formats are available again.