MODU

L3
Working with Layer

Bengkel Asas Photoshop

26 MAC 2016

Working with
Layers in
Photoshop
Explaining Layers

Filling the Background

Typically, when Im working in Photoshop, I
As you can see, layers are more like
transparencies stacked on top of one
another, each with something different
sketched onto them.

How to use Layers in Photoshop

You may have an easier time
understanding how to use layers if we take
on a simple task in Photoshop that allows
you to play with them yourself. Go ahead
and Create a New Document (File >
New). Set it up to be 400 x 400px, with a
resolution of 72px/inch.
Were going to create the following graphic
using layers:

like to work from the background to the top

(probably because thats how the graphic is
seen by viewers), so to start things off we
are going to fill our background layer with a
nice dull green.
Select a Dull Green Foreground Color.
To do this, click your foreground color, and
use the color sliders to find a suitable color.
Alternatively, you can enter the HEX
value 36442a next to the # symbol on
the lower right side.

Click OK to confirm the color value youve

picked. Now grab the Fill Tool from the
Toolbox, and click anywhere in your

To create a new layer, Click the New

Layer icon shown above.

working image area. Upon clicking the

mouse button, your entire background
layer should be filled with the foreground
color.

Create a New Layer

Lets take a quick peek at the Layers
Palette, and examine some of its more
basic functions:

As you can see, a new layer Layer 1 has

been created. You can rename this layer by
clicking the name of it twice, and entering
whatever name you desire. While this layer
is selected (highlighted) you will be
working on this layer alone in the
photoshop document!

Drawing the Grass

Select the Brush Tool from the toolbox.
Adobe Photoshop already has a preset
brush called Dune Grass which we are
going to use to create the grass in our
graphic.
In the brush tools Option Bar, open
the Brush Preset Picker (Small down
arrow to the right of the currently selected
Brush). Scroll a ways down the list, and
select the Dune Grass Brush.

Lets add some text now!

The Type Tool

Select the Horizontal Type Tool from the
toolbox. Set your Foreground
Color to White. Click anywhere in your
working image area to begin typing.

Once youve typed something, select all

Were not going to go over brushes in great

of the text with your cursor (hold down

the mouse button, and drag over the text

detail in the tutorial, but you do need to

know that this brush is setup to alternate

to select). Were going to adjust some of

the type attributes in the Type Options

between foreground and background

colors. Because of this, we need to select

Bar.

a background color with a similar

green value (Such as #19250f).

Set the Font to Arial, the font weight

Once you have a good foreground and

background color selected, start painting
with your brush in the working image area
on your new layer. Hold down the Mouse
Button to use the brush tool.

to Bold, the text size to 60 pt, and the

anti-aliasing to Crisp.

Now we can use the Move Tool to

reposition our layer in the working image
area. While the Type Layer is selected,get
the Move Tool from the toolbox, and drag
As you can see, the Type Tool has created a
new Type Layer in your layers palette for
the text. To apply the text, click this new

the text in the working image area to

where the grass starts to end.

layer (Or click Ctrl + Enter).

Pretty Simple, eh? Now that you have the

general idea of layers down, lets create a
few more and play with some of their
options.

Opacity, Blending Modes & Filling

Selections
Great! Now lets position our new type tool
so that it appears to be emerging from the
grass.

Create a New Layer just above the

background (below the type and grass

Moving Layers

layers), and drag out an elliptical selection

using the Elliptical Marquee Tool (this

The first thing we need to do is position our

Type Layer below the Grass Layer so that
the Grass will appear in front of it. In your
layers palette, click and drag your Type
Layer below the Grass layer.

tool may be hidden behind another

marquee selection tool).

Now set the Opacity to something like 1520%.

Using the Fill Tool, fill this selection (on

your new layer) with White. Once
filled, Deselect everything (Select >
Deselect, or Ctrl + D).
You should have a large, white circle in
your document now. Set this
layers Blending Mode to Overlay in the
layers palette:

Setting the blending mode is that easy! I

wont go into details about blending modes
in this tutorial, but please experiment with
them to get an idea of what they do.

Simple! Now right click this new layer, and

select Duplicate Layer. This will create an
exact copy of this layer (retaining layer
opacity and blending mode). Using
the Move Tool reposition this layer so that
you can clearly see the two different circle
edges.

Finally, lets take a look at one more useful

feature in the layers palette. Click the New
Group icon at the bottom of the layers
palette (the one shaped like a folder).
Groups function in a similar manner to a
folder. You can put multiple layers inside of
a group, and then when you select the
group (versus an individual layer), youre
able to adjust the opacity, blending mode,
and position of all those layers at the same
time (as well as several other things).
Lets give it a try! Drag your two circle
layers inside of the group.
Once both layers have been placed in the
group (they should appear indented from
the other layers), Select the Group in the
See how you can see through the top circle
to see the circle behind it? This is because
our circle layers are somewhat transparent,
otherwise known as less opaque. By setting
the opacity to something below 100%, we
are able to see through objects.

layers palette. Using the Move Tool, drag

inside of your working image area. Both
your circle layers should move at the exact
same time, yet they still retain their
individual layer attributes!