Intro to Photoshop Layers

Ice #114. Eldorado Springs Canyon, Colorado, 2012

Definitely do as I say rather than as I do on this one.

My post-processing technique in Photoshop, even if I do use layers and masks, is not ideal and definitely not an example for anyone to follow. When I’m done editing, I flatten my image and store it as a TIFF file–not what you want to do if you wish to take full advantage of the power of layers.

What should you do? Ideally, you work each stage of your post-processing in Photoshop on a separate layer. Then, you save the whole shebang as a psd (Photoshop document) file. That way, you can go back to the file and re-edit or tweak any of the separate working layers you desire–there is no need to start over from scratch. If you have flattened the file, like I currently do, you’ll have to start over with your original (which you have surely saved somewhere, right?!).

[Ed. note: My personal justification for my awful technique of flattening is that I am still learning Photoshop so quickly (my learning curve hasn’t nearly topped out yet) that in just about every case I would prefer to re-edit my images from the beginning rather than make tweaks in the middle of a psd file…and those psd files take up a lot of memory. In the future, once that learning curve flattens out a bit, yes, I’ll start saving my very, very best files in the psd format–say, 50-100 such files a year, max.]

So, for those new to layers in Photoshop (and to reemphasize the topic in my own mind) I pass on three really great learning resources that cover this specific concept as well as Photoshop in general.

First, here is a really great, 10-minute video from Dave Cross which explains layers in about the best way I have ever seen it explained. For newbies especially, it’s worth watching a couple of times–then go off and play with your own image in Photoshop to get the lesson to really sink in. Here ya go:

Yes, Dave Cross definitely has great teaching skills.

Second, for another great place to find free video tutorials on Photoshop techniques (including layers), go to Mark S. Johnson’s website here. Click on the LEARN tab, then look in the column on the right. Like Dave, Mark also has a very clear way of presenting his topics. I highly recommend his free Photoshop 101 tutorials, nine videos ranging in length from about 10 to 37 minutes.

Finally, if you want a hardcopy info source on Photoshop (and, of course, the topic of layers), try any of Scott Kelby’s books. He is recognized as one of the world’s Photoshop gurus and his publications are all quite popular. By the way, at his site KelbyOne you can pay a monthly fee ($19.99 as of March, 2016) and get unlimited 24-hour access to a huge inventory of his Photoshop/Lightroom training videos–this could be worth it for you depending on your goals.

Have fun!