Adding texture or color to photographs through additional layers in Photoshop can create a new dimension. Some options for backgrounds include peeling paint, fabrics, rust, book covers, crumbled or stained paper. The document provides an example of a photograph of Jamestown, Virginia with a painted layer underneath. It also lists assignments that include creating a page on a mixed media or double exposure artist, using various backgrounds by scanning and layering in Photoshop, and presenting experiments with contacts sheets and enlargements from a second shoot.