1. Ch 8: Working with Layers and Masks
Photoshop CS6 Essentials
By Scott Onstott

2. Ch 8: Working with Layers and Masks
Layers
• Layers allow you to separate image content into
different “sheets” for organization and ease of
image manipulation
• Layers come in many flavors including raster,
vector, 3D, video, and Adobe Illustrator smart
object layers
• The content of layers can be transformed and
manipulated independently of other layers
• Layers are not spatial as shown on the right but
conceptual. Layers are stacked flat two
dimensionally
• Layer order is significant; layers on top obscure
those below in the stack

3. Ch 8: Working with Layers and Masks
The Background Layer
• The Background layer is a special
locked layer
• Nothing can be behind the
Background layer by definition
• The Background layer can’t be
masked, or have reduced
opacity, or be transformed, or
have transparency
• Double click the Background layer
to convert it into an unlocked
layer; you will be prompted to
name the new layer

4. Ch 8: Working with Layers and Masks
Layer Options
• You can assign layers a short list of colors
(Red chosen on the right) to help you
distinguish layers in complex
documents; layer color doesn’t appear
on the canvas, only in the Layers panel
• Open the Layer panel menu and choose
Panel Options to change the layer and
mask thumbnail size.
• Other important options are located at the
bottom of the Layer Panel Options
dialog box

5. Ch 8: Working with Layers and Masks
Locking Layers
• You can lock a layer’s pixels,
transparency, ability to be transformed,
or all of the above
• Locking pixels means you can’t alter the
content of the layer; this is good for
protecting final content
• Locking transparency allows you creative
freedom to alter anything that’s already
on the layer (i.e. painting the green
stripes on the yellow spiral)
• Locking the ability to move a layer can be
helpful in forming compositions

6. Ch 8: Working with Layers and Masks
Editing Layers
• Once you have developed
content on a layer it can be
edited independently
• The red spiral was created by
copying the yellow spiral onto
a new layer, flipping it
horizontally and adjusting the
pixels’ hue
• You should remember to give
your layers meaningful
names as you work to avoid
getting lost in complex
documents

7. Ch 8: Working with Layers and Masks
Blend Modes
• Blend modes allow to you to see partially
through a layer and blend with the
layers below
• Each blend mode has subtly different
characteristics
• They are categorized into groups by the
horizontal rules in the blend mode
drop down
• Normal, Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Color
and Luminosity are the most
commonly used blend modes
• Press Shift= and Shift- to cycle through
the blend modes

8. Ch 8: Working with Layers and Masks
“Blend If” Controls
• Use the Blend If controls to blend based
upon the tonal range
• You can drop out an image’s shadows or
highlights in any channel to create a
conditional blend
• Hold Opt and drag one half of the blend if
sliders to separate them; a gradient
smoothly blends between zero and
full blend between halves of the slider
• You can blend this layer or the underlying
layer using two different sliders

9. Ch 8: Working with Layers and Masks
Using Layer Masks
• You can create a pixel and/or a vector layer
mask to hide a portion of the layer and
thus reveal a portion of the underlying
layers
• Paint on a pixel mask in black to hide, gray to
obscure partially, and white to reveal the
underlying layers
• Pixel masks can be feathered using the
Masks panel to soften the edges
(equivalent to blurring the mask)
• Vector masks are drawn using paths mode;
vector masks produce clean crisp edges

10. Ch 8: Working with Layers and Masks
Clipping Groups
• Clipping groups use other layers as masks
• The indented layer is clipped by the
underlined layer that it points to
• In this example the Hue/Saturation layer is
colorizing the linear “masculine” image red
• The effect is clipped (limited by) the pixels
present on Layer 1, which are modulated
by the pixel mask that reveals the
Background layer
• The Background layer isn’t affected by the
Hue/Saturation layer because its scope is
limited by the clipping group