Basic layer operation skills: 42 tips on Photoshop layer operation
Basic operating skills of layer
1. If you only want to display a certain layer, just press the Alt key and click the layer visibilityIconYou can hide other layers. Press again to display all layers.
2. Press Alt and click the brush icon in front of the current layer to unlink all layers.
3. To change the opacity of the currently active tool or layer, use the numeric keys on the keypad. Press “1” to represent 10% opacity, and “5” to represent 50%. “0” represents 100% opacity. While pressing the number consecutively, such as “45”, will result in an opacity of 45%.
Note: The above methods will also affect the currently active brush tool. Therefore, if you want to change the opacity of the active layer, please switch to the Move tool or other selection tools before changing.
4. Press the Alt key and click the “Delete Layer” icon at the bottom of the “Layers” palette to delete a layer without any confirmation promptpassagewayThe same applies as in the path.
Tip: This technique can also be used in the layer mask and clipping path. Now click on the appropriate thumbnail, and then press the Alt key and click the “Delete” icon, so that the mask or path can be deleted without any confirmation prompt.
5. Press Ctrl and click the “Delete Layer” icon at the bottom of the “Layers” palette to delete all related layers at the same time. Note: If all layers are associated, this technique cannot be used, because you cannot delete every layer in an image, because at least one layer is required in an image.
6. When you are using the “Move” tool or pressing the Ctrl key, right click anywhere on the canvas to get a list of layers under the mouse pointer. The layers are arranged in order from the top layer to the bottom layer. Selecting the name of a layer in the list can make the layer active. Tips for naming layers and groups: If you are used to naming layers in lowercase font and groups in uppercase font (or vice versa), you can easily distinguish between them when selecting layers or settings through the right-click context menu.
Tip: Right click after pressing the Alt key to let the mouse pointer select the top layer. Similarly, when the Move tool is selected, you can turn on the Auto Select Layers option in the Options palette. If you press Alt+Shift and right-click, you can associate/disassociate the topmost layer with the current layer.
7. When the Move tool is selected, press Ctrl and click or drag to automatically select or move the top layer under the mouse pointer. Press Ctrl+Shift and then click or drag to associate the topmost layer with the currently active layer.
8. Press Ctrl and click the “Create New Layer” or “Create New Group” button at the bottom of the “Layers” palette to insert new layers or groups below the current layer or group. Press Ctrl+Alt and click to display the dialog box related to the new layer or group.
9. Press the Alt key and double-click the name of a layer in the “Layers” palette to display the “Layer Properties” dialog box, where you can rename the layer. Tip: Double click on a background layer after pressing the Alt key to turn it into a general layer named “Layer 0”, without any confirmation prompt.
10、如果要降低一个图层中某部分的不透明度，请先创建一个选区，接着按下Shift+Backspace来访问“填充”对话框，将混合模式设置为“清除”，接着为需要设置不透明度的选区做出设置。另一个方法是选择“编辑>清楚”选定的区域，建立一个历史状态，接着使用“填充”命令和内容设置存储 选定区域的内容，对历史纪录设置需要的不透明度。
11、在默认情况下，形状是会按照颜色填充图层来设定的。要改变这样的设置，可以在“图层>更改图层内容”的子菜单中选择一个新的填充/调整图层。
12. The following keyboard shortcuts can be used to move and navigate between layers: Alt+[/]: activate the previous/next visible layer; Alt+Shift+[/]: activate the bottom/top visible layer; Ctrl+[/]: move the layer down/up; Ctrl+Shift+[/]: move the layer to the bottom/top
13. To drag multiple layers between documents, you can link them and then use the Move tool to drag them from one document window to another. Note: You cannot drag multiple layers from the Layers palette to another document – even if they are linked, this operation is only applicable to the movement of selected layers.
14. You can drag a layer to the Create New Layer (Create New Snapshot) button at the bottom of the Layers palette to create a copy of a layer; Or you can use “Copy Layer” in the “Layers” palette menu to operate.
15、使用Ctrl+J(图层>新建>通过拷贝的图层)可以在没有活动选区的情况下，对当前图层创建副本。
16. Press Alt and drag a layer to the Create New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette to copy the layer to a new document.
Layer Group
17. Changing the blending mode or opacity of a layer group will affect all layers in the group, so that all layers in the group can be treated as one layer for operation.
18、要同时将多个图层放入一个图层组中，可以现将这些图层链接，接着在图层调板菜单中选择“从图层新建组”;或者你也可以选择“图层>新建>从图层建立组”。小贴士：在你选择“从图层新建组”时可以按下Alt键，这样你就能够忽略过对话框，并对图层组使用默认的名称和属性。
19、要将一个组中的所有图层的透明度、象素、位置等等全部锁定，可以选择“图层>锁定组内所有图层”。小贴士：按下/键则能够将当前的锁定设置打开或关闭。
20. To release all layers in a group, such as deleting the group without deleting its layers, you can activate the layer group and press Ctrl+Alt, then click the “Delete” button, or press Ctrl and drag the layer group to the top of the “Delete” icon. Similarly, you can also click the delete icon and select delete group only in the result confirmation dialog box.
21. Copy a layer group including all the layers in it. You can drag it to the “Create New Group” button at the bottom of the “Layers” palette; Or you can choose “Copy Group” from the menu in the Layers palette.
22. To create a new document on a layer group, you can press the Alt key and drag the group to the top of the Create New Group icon at the bottom of the Layers palette; Then, in the dialog box that appears, select New from the Document drop-down menu.
23. To remove the bottom layer of a layer group, drag the thumbnail of the layer to the left in the Layers palette.
24. To copy multiple groups, first link these groups. Next, copy the document and use the One Action tool to drag the groups to the original document. Then you can discard the copied document.
25. You can add clipping paths (vector masks) or traditional layer masks to a layer group. The group mask affects all layers in the group. It allows a given layer to have up to four masks: a mask for a layer and a clipping path can be applied through a layer or group.
26. If you want to merge several visible layers downward, you can link them first, and then select the “Down” merge command. If the current layer is linked with other layers, then this command becomes the merge linked layer command.
27. You can press Alt and click between layers to divide them into a group. When some layers are linked together, this is a convenient method, because you only want to group specific layers into the same group.
28. Here is a method to help you rearrange and sort several layers at the same time: first, divide several layers to be sorted into a group, then locate the group to a new position, and then dissolve the group.
Mask and channel
29. Click “Add Layer Mask” at the bottom of the “Layers” palette to add a mask showing the current selection area. Press Alt and click Add Layer Mask to add a mask that hides the current selection.
30. To create a mask for the current layer to depict the content of the current layer, you can drag and drop the layer above the “Add Layer Mask”. Press the Alt key and drag and drop to add a mask that hides the contents of the current layer.
31. To copy a layer mask from one layer to another, first select the layer you want to apply the mask to, and make sure it does not have a layer mask. Then drag the thumbnail of the layer mask from another layer to the top of the Add Layer Mask at the bottom of the Layers palette.
Tip: The above method also applies when copying a clipping path from one layer to another.
32. The following hotkeys can help you when using the layer mask: press the Alt key to click the thumbnail of the mask: edit/display the layer mask; Press Shift and drag the thumbnail of the layer mask: turn the layer mask on/off; Press Ctrl and click the mask or press Ctrl+Alt+: load the layer mask as the selection area; Press Ctrl+Shift and click the thumbnail of the layer mask: add to the current selection; Press Ctrl+Alt and click the thumbnail of the layer mask: subtract from the current selection; Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift and click the thumbnail to intersect the current selection area; Press Alt+Shift and click or press key: view the layer mask in ruby mode; Ctrl+: switch the focus between the layer and the layer mask; Ctrl+~: Switch the focus to the layer.
33. By default, channels have hotkeys associated with them. You can use these hotkeys to load a selection of channels. Here are some general color mode hotkeys:
RGB mode CYMK mode Index mode Ctrl+~=RGB Ctrl+~=CYMK Ctrl+1=Index Ctrl+1=Red
Ctrl+1=green Ctrl+2=other channels Ctrl+2=green
Ctrl+2=yellow
(and so on)
Ctrl+3=Blue
Ctrl+3=magenta
Ctrl+4=other channels Ctrl+4=black
……
(and so on) Ctrl+5=other channels
Ctrl+8=other channels Ctrl+9=other channels Ctrl+9=other channels
Ctrl+9=other channels
34. When you are in the “Quick Mask” mode, you can use (~) to convert and view in Ruby and Channel modes.
35. Press Alt+Ctrl and click the “Create New Channel” button at the bottom of the “Channels” palette to add a new spot color channel based on the current selection area.
36. To save a copy of the quick mask as an alpha channel, drag the quick mask to the “Create New Channel” button.
route
37、在“路径”调板中空白区域处点击就能够轻松地关闭所有路径。小贴士：可以通过按下Ctrl+Shift+H来显示/取消显示目标路径。(视图>显示>目标路径)
38. After pressing the Alt key, click the icons “Fill the path with foreground color”, “Stroke the path with a brush”, “Load the path as a selection” and “Generate a working path from the selection area” to see a menu with available tools and options.
39. To convert the active path to a layer clipping path, press Ctrl and click the “Add Layer Mask” icon. Press Ctrl+Alt and click the “Add Layer Mask” icon to add a layer clipping path that hides the contents of the active path Note: If the current layer already contains a layer mask, Ctrl Jin An does not need to use it when adding a layer clipping path.
40. The following are some shortcuts related to the layer cutting path: click the thumbnail of the cutting path: edit/display the layer cutting path; Press Shift and click the thumbnail of the cutting path: turn the layer cutting path on/off; Press Ctrl and click the thumbnail of the cutting path: load the layer cutting path as a selection area; Press Ctrl+Shift and click the thumbnail of the cutting path: add it to the current selection area; Press Alt and click the thumbnail of the cutting path: subtract from the current selection; Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift and click the thumbnail of the cutting path: it intersects the current selection.
41. To add a shape to the current layer as a clipping path, you can press Ctrl, click the “Add Layer Mask” icon, and then use the shape tool to draw the desired shape.
42. Move the mouse over a layer cutting path in the Layers palette to temporarily display the associated path in the document window. When you move the mouse away from the thumbnail, the path will disappear.
