Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop -Advanced Layers

Software needed: Adobe Photoshop 6.0 or later

Now that you have discovered layers and have mastered their basic con-
cepts, its time to discover their deeper, darker secrets. This tip and technique
will unveil the secrets of masking, expose other types of layers and reveal
the secrets between grouping and blending helping you to create images
you might not have though possible. Tops to be discussed include adjustment
layers, layer groups, advanced layer set options, layer clipping path masks,
fill layers (including gradien, solid color and pattern), shape layers, type
layers and layer styles.

As we discovered in Layer Basics, the key to keeping your editing flexible

while easily combining images together is through layer masks. Let’s take
a moment and review how masking works in Photoshop as it will apply to
more complex features through out this tip and technique. The only rule to
remember is that painting with black in a mask will hide whatever is on
the layer, revealing the layers below. Painting with white will reveal the
information on the layer, hiding the layers below. In this image, there are
two layers, the ocean (which is the Background) and the “cracked earth”.
We’ll add a Layer Mask to composite them together. With the “cracked
earth” layer targeted in the Layers palette, select Layer > Add Layer Mask
> Reveal All.

To paint in the mask, from the tool box, select the paintbrush, choose black
as the foreground color and from the options bar, select a soft edge brush.
The softness of the edge will help to create a subtle transition in the mask
between the cracked earth and the water. Begin painting in the mask with
black to hide the unwanted areas of the “cracked earth” layer. Shortcut:
hitting the “d” key will set the foreground and background colors to their
default (black and white).

If, by accident, too much of the layer becomes hidden because you painted
in areas of the mask with black that shouldn’t have been, paint with white in
the “mistake” areas to reveal the layer again. Typically I set the background
and foreground colors to their defaults when working with masks, then I can
just swap the foreground and background colors by clicking on the double
headed arrow to exchange between black and white. Shortcut: hitting the
“x” key will exchange the foreground and background colors.

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The most common problem when first using layer masks is forgetting (or not
knowing) that it makes a difference if the layer or the layer mask is targeted.
If the layer mask is targeted, then painting affects what is hidden or revealed
by the mask, if the layer is targeted, painting will replace the information
on the layer. To target the Layer mask, on the Layers palette, click on the
thumbnail for the Layer mask. When the mask is targeted, a small mask icon
appears in the Layers palette between the eyeball and the layer thumbnail.
The Layer Mask thumbnail also gains a one pixel black outline around it
(this is very subtle).

To manipulate the layer, the layer thumbnail (not the layer mask thumbnail)
must be targeted. When the layer is targeted, a small paintbrush icon
appears between the eyeball and the layer thumbnail. The layer thumbnail
also gains a one pixel black outline around it (again, this is very subtle). A
good rule of thumb to follow is when painting on a mask, if the results aren’t
what were expected, stop painting, and look at the layers palette. Confirm
that the correct layer is targeted, that the Layer Mask is targeted, and that
the mask icon between the eye and the layer thumbnail is showing.

This brings us to an important concept of layer masks. If painting with black

in a layer mask hides the information on the layer, and painting with white
reveals the information, then shades of gray can be used to partially hide
or reveal information. To demonstrate, I added a layer containing an image
of clouds and added a mask by selecting Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal
All. To acheive an even transition between the horizon and the new clouds, I
selected the Gradient tool, choose the black to white gradient with the linear
option, and dragged the gradient from slightly below the horizon upwards.
The Gradient tool created a smooth transition from black to white over the
distance of the line drawn. The clouds image was hidden by varrying levels
of opacity created by the graduated mask. Note: the longer the distance
between start and end point of the gradient, the slower the transition.

By default, the layer and the layer mask are linked together so that if you
move or transform the layer, both the mask and image are altered. However,
between the layer thumbnail and the Layer Mask thumbnail, there is a link
icon. Clicking on this links and unlinks the mask to the layer so that they can
be transformed and repositioned individually. This feature can be particular-
ily useful if the mask is positioned correctly but the layer isn’t or, if you want
to transform a layer to fit within a mask. In this example unlinking the mask
from the layer and targeting the layer thumbnail allows me to reposition the
clouds with the Move tool without moving the mask.

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Thus far, we have only been talking about layers that have images in
them. But there are many other type of layer in Photoshop as well. Adjust-
ment layers, for example are used primarily to manipulate tonal values,
hue, saturation, brightness and contrast, as well as inverting, posterizing
and setting a threshold of one or more layers. They don’t hold image
information (like a photograph per say) but instead, are mathematical
algorithms that are applied to a layer to change the way it looks. As
a result, adjustment layers make dramatic changes to a file in a non
distructive manner without adding significant file size. To add an adjust-
ment layer, select Layer > New Adjustment Layer and select one of the
adjustments from the list.

When choosing an adjustment layer from the menu, there are two dialog
boxes that appear. In the New Layer dialog box, there are options for
naming, opacity, blend mode, color coding and grouping. Name the
adjustments and click OK. In the second dialog box, options for the
specific adjustment layer appear. In this example, a dramatic adjustmet
must be made to bring out the detail in the water and rocks in the image.
By dragging the curve up, the detail is revealed. When making such
a drastic change, the sky became too bright and the crashing wave
becomes so light that it loses detail. Ignore those trouble areas for now
and when the ocean and rocks look correct, click OK. Shortcut: To avoid
this first dialog box, use the Adjustment Layer icon on the Layers palette
to add an adjustment Layer.

The new adjustment layer is added to the Layers palette directly above
the previously targeted layer. There are two thumbnails - the one on the
left is the adjustment layer thumbnail and displays a small icon represent-
ing the adjustment. The thumbnail on the right is the adjustment layer’s
Layer Mask. By default, the mask that Photoshop automatically creates is
white, revealing the adjustments made by the layer on the layers below.
Note: The adjustment thumbnail displayed depends on the size chosen in
the layer palette options. If the smaller sizes are chosen, then the adjust-
ment layer icon looks the same for all adjustments. If the larger icons
are selcted, then each type of adjustment layer has it’s own thumbnail
icon.

Adjustment layer’s layer masks behave identically to layer masks on any

other type of layer. Painting with black in the mask will hide the adjust-
ment while painting with white will reveal the adjustment. However,
when painting in the mask, the results may seem a bit less intuitive. For
example, depending on the adjustment, painting with black could make
the image lighter or darker depening on the adjustment. This is not a
result of the color that is being painted with, but is a result of the mask
showing or hiding the adjustment. For example, in this image the curves
adjustment layer lightens the image - including the wave areas that don’t
need it. Painting with black in the mask makes the waves appear darker
as a result of hiding the adjustment and revealing the darker original
layer below.

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Painting in the mask in the upper area of the image will hide the adjust-
ment from the sky as well. With the paint brush still selected, continue
painting with black in the sky area to hide the adjustment layer, reveal-
ing the original information from the layer below. Remember the adjust-
ment layer is what is changing the layers below. Masking the adjustment
merely hides or reveals the adjustment.

In this example, painting with black in the sky area revealed the original
information. However the sky could use a little lightening. If an area in
the image needs only a percentage of the adjustment applied to it, paint
with a shade of gray to acheive the effect needed. In this example, the
sky needs a little lightening but not as much as the foreground. Painting
with 50 % gray will apply half the amount of change as the adjustment
layer is adding to the shadow area.

At times you’ll want to view the mask to work on it. This is especially
useful if you think there might be small areas that you need to touch up
that may not be obvious with the other layers showing. To view the mask,
in the Layers palette, Option (Mac)/Alt (Win) click the Layer Mask icon.
When you want to return to the image view, click the eyeball next to the
layer. Shortcut: To view a layer mask, tap the backslash key.

Later it might be necessary to make changes to the adjustment perhaps to

refine it or alter the effect. To access the options for the adjustment layer
select Layer > Layer Content Options or, in the Layers palette, double
click the adjustment layer thumbnail. In this example, I increased the
curve to make the image even a little lighter.

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If no selection is active when the adjustment layer is added, by default
the adjustment affects the entire layer. If however, a selection was active
before adding the layer, selecting Layer > Add Layer Mask reveals two
additional choices - Reveal Selection or Hide Selection. Choose the
appropriate option for the active selection depending on the area the
adjustment layer should affect. Photoshop automatically creates a mask
based on the selection and the option you choose for creating the mask.
This is an excellent way to do selective color correction or dodge and
burn an image. In this example, the magic wand tool was used to select
the shadow areas behind the chairs and a curves adjustment layer was
added to lighten the shadows.

Then, in order to convert most of the image to grayscale, but leave

the chair in color, another adjustment lyaer was added. First, the chair
was selected with the lasso tool. Then Select > Inverse was used to to
select the rest of the image excluding the chair. Adding the Channel
Mixer adjustment layer removed the color from it, making that part of
the image monochromatic while leaving the chair in color. This is a
common approach to make one object stand out more than the rest of
the image. For more information on using this technique, see the tip
entitled“Selective Coloring”.

Sometimes, it is necessary to isolate the effects of an adjustment layer to

one layer. The easiest way to accomplish this is to group the adjustment
layer with the layer to be affected. In this example, one of the reasons
that the composite doesn’t look realistic is because the color balance
of the two layers differs. To make the color of the cracked earth the
same as the sand, in the Layers palette,target the cracked earth layer
(remember Photoshop always adds new layers above the targeted layer)
and select Layer > New Adjustment layer > Color Balance. In the New
Layer dialog box, check the Group with Previous Layer option to limit
the adjustment to the cracked earth. Note: If you don’t choose the Group
with Previous option, the adjustment layer would affect both layers since
they are lower in the stacking order.

In the Color Balance dialog box, adjust the sliders until the color balance
of the cracked earth matches that of the ocean. Notice that only the
cracked earth layer is changing color, while the ocean remains unaltered
(even though both layers are below the adjustment layer in the stacking
order). This is because the Color Balance adjustment layer is grouped
with the cracked earth layer. In the Layers palette, there are visual cues
which represent a clipping group. The grouped layer is indented and
has an arrow pointing down to the left of the thumbnail and the base
layer in the group’s name is underlined. Shortcut: to create a clipping
group on the layers palette, hold the Option (Mac)/Alt (Win) key while
positioning the curser between two layers. When the cursor changes to
a double circle with an arrow, click to group the layers.

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Another reason to group layers together is to use one layer as a base
to determine where other layers are displayed. In this example, the egg
is the shape to be used as the base layer, and layers that will be added
and grouped with the egg will only be displayed within the egg shape.
It’s as if the egg shape is the mask for the grouped layers. The added
benefit is that changing the base egg shape will automatically change
the mask for the multiple layers. (The results are similar to using a mask
for multiple layers which will be demonstrated later in this tip )

After adding the additional flower and reflection layers above the egg
shape, each layer was targeted and then grouped by selecting Layer
> Group with Previous. Notice how the grouped layers only appear in
the shape of the layer.

The grouped layers can be easily repositioned with the Move tool. In
this example, both the reflection and the flower layer were repositioned
on top of one another above the egg shape. In addition, a layer mask
was added to the reflection layer and a radial gradient used to create
a mask in the shape of the egg which hid the flower areound the edges
of the egg shape and allowed the reflection layer underneath to show
through. If necessary, link the layers to move them or transform them all
at once.

Another good reason to group layers would be to isolate where shadows

are cast. In this example, I want the beetle to cast a shadow on the egg
but not on the sky behind it. This can help to give the illusion of depth
when compositing multiple images. Targeting the shadow and grouping
it with the egg and other grouped layers below, isolates the shadow so
that it appears to only be cast on the egg shape.

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Photoshop 6 introduced another method for masking multiple layers -
Layer Sets. With the addition of layer sets, not only is it easier to organize
layers, but also create masks that affect multiple layers. For example,
this layer set has 4 layers in it (two flowers and two edges layers). To
mask all of the layers at one time, target the set and select Layer > Add
Layer Mask > Reveal All. This Layer mask behaves like any other layer
mask, (paint with black to hide information in the set, paint with white to
reveal) but, it masks all of the layers in the set. To make quick and flexible
changes when masking all of the layers in the set, simply target the layer
set mask and change it. All of the other options available to masks also
apply to Layer Set masks including hiding, showing, disabling, discard-
ing, applying, transforming, editing and manipulating them.

In order to hide the smaller flowers in the set, two gradients were created
- one on each side, in the layer set’s mask to hide all of the layers in the
set. Using layers sets makes editing much easier. For example, changing
the flower on the right was as easy as dragging a new layer into the set,
repositioning it and throwing away the unwanted layer. Since the mask
was assigned to the layer set, the newly added image was automatically
masked. To remove an layer from a set, but keep in in the document,
simply drag the thumbnail for the layer to the layer set icon.

Layer sets are also often used to seperate different image mockups for
clients. For example, an ad might need copy in multiple languages.
Creating a layer set to hold all of the type in one language and then
duplicating it and changing the type for another can save time and
money. In addition, using this method, showing clients two different
images mockups is as easy as turning on and off layer sets. In this
example, there is a layer set for both English and French with the English
set visible and the French set hidden

Layer sets are also a powerful creative tool. Making duplicates of layer
sets is an easy way to try different compositions, layouts or ideas. Instead
of shuffling the originals layers and risking not being able to remember
or have the history to return to a certain state, simply make a duplicate
of the layer set, turn off the original and work on the copy. Later, if the
results aren’t what you had in mind, simply throw away the duplicate
layer set. Of course this tactic works best when creating lower resolu-
tion comps, as multiple layers at high resolution might slow down your
workflow!

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Layer sets have an additional blend mode that individual layers don’t
have. It’s the Pass Through blend mode and was created to offer addi-
tional options for controling how layers interact with each other while
in sets. One of its uses is to restrict layers within a set from interacting
with layers that are outside of and below the set. Note: in this example
the layer set mask has been temporarily disabled so that we can see
the results on the eintire image. In this example, in order to apply a
colorization and make some tonal corrections, both a Hue/Saturation
and Curves adjustment layer were added. The adjustment layers affected
the flowers as intended, but also affected the background image as
well.

To restrict the interaction of the adjustment layer with the layers outside
of the layer set, in the Layers palette notice that the layer set has an
additional blend mode called Pass Through. This is the default setting
when you add a layer set. Targeting the layer set and changing the
Layer set’s blend mode to Normal (instead of Pass Thorough) restricts the
effects of the adjustment layer to the layers contained in the set, leaving
the background (and any other layers outside and below the layer set)
unaffected.

Assigning other blend modes to a layer set also creates different effects
than applying the blend mode to each individual layer. For example,
in this image, all of the circles on the layers in the Layer set have their
layer blend mode set to Multiply. You can see how each of the individual
layers interacts with the layers below. For example the top layer interacts
with all layers below (including the other layers in the set as well as the
background). The next layer down from the top interacts will all of the
layers below it, etc.

If however, each individual layer’s blend mode is returned to Normal,

and the blend mode for the Layer Set is changed to Multiply, the layers
within the Set act as if they are composited together and then interact
with the layers below them. It’s as if the layers within the layer set are
merged together before the Set’s blend mode is applied. As a result, the
layers in the Set don’t interact with each other, but only with the layers
below the set.

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In Photoshop 6, a second type of mask was introduced - the Layer Clip-
ping Path. Every layer (and layer Set) can have a Layer Mask, or a Layer
Clipping Path, or both. The Layer Mask is used to create soft edge (pixel-
based) masks whereas the Layer Clipping Path is used to create hard
edge (vector based) masks. To add a Layer Clipping Path, Select Layer
> Add Layer Clipping Path > Reveal All or, Cmd (Mac)/Ctrl (Win) click
the mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. In the Layers palette,
Layer Clipping Paths are differentiated from Layer Masks by a vertical
line to the left of the link icon. The mask is also white and gray (with paths
displayed in it) as oppose to the white and black layer masks. Layer
Clipping Paths use paths created by the Pen and Shape tools and are
easy to edit (as they are object based) with the path selection tools.

Once a Layer Clipping Path is added, use the Pen tool or a Shape tool
to draw the shape to be used as the mask. In this example the Elliptical
Shape tool worked perfectly to select the simple shape of the button.
Note: unlike Layer masks, Layer Clipping Paths are rendered at the line
work resolution of the Postscript printer instead of the half tone screen.

As this example demonstrates, multiple paths can be used in the same

Layer Clipping Path. In this case, the paths were drawn around the four
buttons using the Eliptical Shape tool for the round buttons and the Pen
tool for the odd shaped one. Using the Path component selection tool, all
four of the paths were selected. Then, selecting Layer > Add Layer Clip-
ping Path > Current Path added the clipping path based on the selected
paths. Note: Shapes can be added to, subtracted from, reversed and
intersected by using their respective icons on the options palette. A drop
shadow was also added to secure the bottons to the rock texture by
selecting Layer > Layer Style > Drop Shadow (there will be more informa-
tion on layer Styles at the end of this tutorial).

Finally, to add a border to the image, select Layer Clipping Path, Select
Layer > Add Layer Clipping Path > Reveal All to the lighter dirt layer.
Then using the Rectangular shape tool, create the edge width that you
desire. If the path that you draw masks out the opposite image area
than you wanted it to, simply select the Path Component Selection tool,
select the path (by clicking on it) and click on the first icon (the Add to
Shape Area) in the context sensitive options bar. This will reverse the
path, inverting the mask.

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The two type of layers that have been discussed thus far are image
layers and adjustment layers. But there are also: fill layers (including
solid colors, pattern, and gradient), shape layers, and type layers. Solid
Color Fill layers are layers that are filled with just that - a solid color. They
can be masked with either layer masks, layer clipping paths or both.
Most commonly they are used with different blend modes to emulate
hand color effects or to greate graphic shapes for the web. To add a
Solid Color Fill layer, select Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Name
the layer, change the opacity and select a blend mode if desired. Click
OK and choose the color. The solid color can be edited at anytime by
selecting Layer > Layer Content Options, or by double clicking on the
Solid Color Fill layer’s thumbnail on the Layer palette.

Gradient layers are layers that are filled with gradients. To add a Gradi-
ent layer select Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient. Name the layer and
make any desired changes to the options. In the Gradient Fill dialog
box, click on the small downward-pointing triangle to choose one of the
preset gradients or click on the gradient to access the Gradient Editor.
In the Gradient Editor, make the changes to the gradient by choosing a
type of gradient, adding color stops, selecting new colors, manipulating
transparency etc.. If desired, add the gradient to the palette by giving it
a name and clicking the New button. After creating the desired gradient,
in the Gradient Fill dialog box change other parameters such as the
angle, style, and scale if desired.

Pattern layers are similar to other fill layers except that they are filled
with repeating patterns. To add a pattern layer select Layer > New Fill
> Layer> Pattern. Name the layer and make any desired changes to
the options. Click OK and choose a pattern from the palette. Use the
scale option to increase or decrease the size of the pattern. Use “Link to
Layer” to enable repositioning of the layer with the Move tool and “Snap
to Origin” to snap the layer to the top left corner of a selected area. In
this example, the pattern layer’s opacity was lowered revealing some of
the cloudy image behind it. Additional patterns ship with Photoshop (in
the Presets folder) and can be loaded into the presets manager.

A variety of preset patterns ship with Photoshop, but any rectangular

selection can be made into a pattern. To define a new pattern use the
rectangular marquee to select an area in the image and choose Edit >
Define Pattern. Name the pattern and click OK. Photoshop 6.0 can save
multiple patterns, making them available to the pattern fill dialog box
(as well as to the pattern stamp tool and the fill dialog box). Note: To
make a seamless pattern, create the selection and copy an paste it into
a new document. Then use Filter > Offset to move the selection down
and to the right. Remove the seams with the Rubber Stamp tool. Select
> All and define the pattern.

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Shape layers are used to create shapes of varying size, dimensions and
complexity from vector paths. They cn be created with the Shape tools
and modified with the path selection tools. In addition to the standard
rectangle shape, there are other pre defined shape tools including a
rounded rectangle, ellipse, polygon and line tool. Plus, there is a custom
shape tool discussed in detail below. Basically, shape layers are identi-
cal to fill layers that have layer clipping paths defining where the layer is
hidden and where it is revealed. Add a shape layer by selecting one of
the shape tools and dragging out a shape in the image area. The shape
is automatically filled with the foreground color. In this example, we
selected a custom shape and changed the appearance with the opacity
and blend mode for the layer.

Photoshop ships with a variety of pre defined shapes, but you can also
create new shapes and add them to the presets. To add a shape, create
the shape with the Pen tool or with a variety of the shape tools (shapes
can be added to, subtracted form or intersected by using the icons in
the options bar). When finished creating the shape, in the image area,
select the shape with the Path Component Selection tool and then select
Edit > Define Custom Shape. Name the shape and click OK. Photoshop
automatically adds it to the preset shapes. To access the shape, select
the custom shape tool and click on the small triangle next to the shape
on the options bar. Note: there are two small triangle on the options bar,
the first one reveals options for drawing the shape, the second reveals
all of the preset shapes.

Another way to define shapes is by copying and pasting them from

Adobe Illustrator, which has much more robust vector editing capabili-
ties. Simply draw the path in Illustrator, select it and copy it to the clip-
board. Then, in Photoshop, select Edit > Paste and choose Paste as
either Paths or Shape Layer to create either a path by itself, or a Shape
layer. Select the shape with the Path Component Selection tool and then
select Edit > Define Custom Shape. This will add it to your preset shapes
for future use. This can be very handy for adding logos to images in
Photoshop and can even be included in an action to be applied to
batches of images!

Once a shape layer is created, the content of the layer can be changed
by selecting Layer > Change Layer Content and choosing another type
of layer. This enables any shape to be filled with a gradient or pattern or
can change the layer to an adjustment layer with a clipping path mask.
In this example the content was changed to a gradient layer and the
shape was filled with a custom gradient. An inner shadow effect was
added to give the shape more depth by selecting Layer > Layer Style
> Inner Shadow.

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Type layers are another kind of layer in Photoshop. To add a Type
layer, simply select the Type tool and click anywhere in the image area.
Photoshop 6.0 has eliminated the type dialog box and instead allows
typing directly on screen. Type options such as font family and style,
size, and anti-aliasing, alignment, and color settings are accessed via
the Options bar.

The new Character and Paragraph palettes, accessed by clicking the

Palettes button on the Options bar include additional options for setting
type. The character palette includes options for kerning, leading, track-
ing, vertical and horizontal scale, and baseline shift. In addition, options
such as Faux Bold and Faux Italic, All Caps, Small Caps, Superscript and
Subscript, Underline, Strikethrough, Fractional Widths, Ligatures and
Old Style options can be accessed via the fly out menu on the Character
palette. In this example, leading was added to the word revive and
some kerning pairs were adjusted. Character level formatting allows the
R to be a different size than the rest of the word. Shortcut: Cmd (Mac)
/Ctrl (Win) “T” accesses the Character and Paragraph palettes when
editing type.

To create area type, click and drag with the Type tool to define a rect-
angular area and begin typing. The Paragraph settings (accessed by
clicking the Palettes button on the Options bar). include: alignment,
justification, left and right margin indents, and space before and after
paragraphs. Additional options such as Roman Hanging Punctuation,
Justification (including word, letter, and glyph spacing), Hyphenation,
and the Single- and Every-Line Composer can be accessed via the fly out
menu on the Paragraph palette. Note the “Every-Line Composer” looks at
multiple lines when making line breaks resulting in the most aesthetically
pleasing body of type with the least amount of rivers without having to
manually create line breaks.

One of the most popular new type features in Photoshop 6 is the ability
to assign character-level color. This allows a designer to create multi
colorded type within the same type block. Shortcut: when you select the
type to be colored, it reverses out the color of the type in order to show
you that it’s selected. If you hide edges - Cmd (Mac) /Ctrl (Win) “H”
you’ll hide this reversed out type and be able to more accurately choose
your color based on visual feedback.

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Another new type feature is Type Warping. Like its title describes, it is
used to create a multitude of different distortions to type. Although not
a substitute for type which can follow a path (as you can do in Adobe
Illustrator), type warping allows for the distortion of the characters. To
warp type, on the Options bar, click the Type Warp icon and choose
from 15 different preset styles. Use the sliders to alter both the vertical
and horizontal distortions for an infinite number of different effects. Even
after warping type, the text remains completely editable.

Other new features of Photoshop 6 include the ability to convert type to

outlines or workpaths (for induvidual character manipulation and distor-
tion) and rasterizing (for applying raster based effects such as filters).
In this example, the text was converted to a shape layer by selecting
Layer > Type > Convert to Shape. The Direct Selection tool was used
to select the top of the d and the h and the bottom of the n and distort
their lengths.

Layer Styles, although not layers themselves, are displayed in the Layers
palette so they deserve mention. Layer Styles are non-destructive attri-
butes assigned to a layer. As we’ve seen, they can be edited at any
time and are automatically updated as the contents of the layer change.
Drop shadows, glows, embossing, strokes, and fills are just some of
the different types of effects that can be added to a layer. In order to
manage, save and store groups of these effects, Photoshop 6 changed
the name to Layer Styles and added functionality such as a Styles palette
to keep track of multiple settings to define, reuse and share with others.
To acces the layer styles, select Layer > Layer Style and choose from
the list of effects, or simply double click in the layer name area on the
Layers palette.

In the Layer Styles dialog box, the styles are listed on the left. Clicking
on the word Styles displays Photoshop preset styles. To apply a specific
style, click on the name of the style. The options for the style appear on
the right side of the dialog box. In this example both a Drop Shadow
and a Bevel and Emboss were added to the type layer.

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To acces additional options for advanced blending, click the Blending
Options: Default option. This option is used to change the way that
two layers interact with each other. The general Blending options are
the same as those found in the Layers palette. However, The Advanced
Blending Fill Opacity option is unique. Traditionally, lowering the opacity
of the layer, also lowered the opacity of any styles applied to that layer.
However, in Photoshop 6 lowering the Advanced Blending Fill Opacity
to zero, only affects the content of the layer, not the layer styles. This
can be used, for example, creating in a transparent overlay for type or
a logo shape. For details on how to create this effect, see “Transparent
Overlays.pdf

The Advanced Blending options can also isolate and apply effects to
specific channels. Only the channels that are checked will have the
effects applied to them. Although the benefit of this might not be readily
apparent, if you think in CMYK, then you can begin to realize how the
blending of an additional black plate might add shape to an object or
richness in shadows. The advanced blending options don’t necessarily
have to be used in conjunction with layer styles.

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