Layers Tutorial - part two

Rob Barron · 21-09-2007, 23:58

I was going to simply edit the Layers Tutorial to include this part but the Edit button isn't showing so I'll do it as a separate part, hope that's ok.

For the introduction to layers and initial tutorial, please see here: Layers Tutorial

Opacity adjustments.

If you put a layer on top of another, it will completely hide everything underneath it (assuming it is the same size) but you might want to let some of what is underneath show through the top layer, blending the two together. We are going to use that in two ways here, first as a simple combination and secondly in conjunction with blending modes.

Reducing the opacity of a layer means that instead of it being opaque, you can make it semi transparent but with great control as you can decide how transparent you want it to be. To show two layers roughly equally, just lower the opacity of the top layer to 50%. Here's how:

As a simple shortcut, if you just highlight the layer you want to adjust, you can then use the number keys to get the percentage you want. If you hit 5, this adjusts it to 50%, hit 8 and it selects 80% etc. If you hit 5 and 7 straight after each other, it will do 57% so you have total control. Alternatively, just click the little triangle to the right of the opacity window and you'll get a real-time slider allowing you to drag it and see the adjustment happening as you do it so you can select by eye.

To show this in action in a very simple way, here is a shot I have called 'Old Man and the Sea.' The picture of the sea is the bottom layer, the picture of the old man is the top layer. I reduced the top layer down to 60% to show the man and the sea together:

I must add some credits here, this 'old man' is actually my late father-in-law, a lovely man who is much missed. This picture was used with my wife's permission.

Blending modes

Ok, let's move on to use layers in a totally different way. Blending modes is a huge subject and I could easily do a whole tutorial looking at this subject but here we are just going to get a taster and see how useful they can be.

Blending modes allow you to combine (blend) two layers in all manner of different ways to get a huge range of effects. Some can create outlandish results more reminiscent of modern art than a photograph while others can be used for photo enhancement and that is what we will do here. I am also going to include another example of opacity adjustment in this example.

Ok, here is the starting picture. It is a compeltely uninspiring picture, we are not interested in it as a subject per se. However, even if it was a good subject, it would be very flat, lacking in tonal range:

Now obviously there are various ways to adjust contrast like Curves and so forth but this is a very simple yet effective method that is well worth knowing.

First we copy the picture as it is to make a duplicate layer. Simply press Ctrl+J in Photoshop to do this (keyboard shortcuts will differ in other progs like Paint Shop Pro etc). You will now see on the Layers Pallet two layers but if you look at the little thumbnail pictures, you will see they are identical. If you want to check, just click on the 'eye' on the top layer to hide that layer. You should see no difference at all to the picture because you are simply hiding one copy and revealing the same image underneath. Remember to turn the layer back on again by clicking in the same space!

Ok, now we are going to change the blending mode of this top layer so select this layer by clicking on it in the layers pallet. You can see it is selected because it is highlighted, usually in blue. Ok, now look at the top of the Layers Pallet and you'll see two drop down menus. The one on the right is the Opacity adjuster as we talked about above. The one on the left is the Blending Mode. It will show 'Normal' by default.

Ok, we are going to click this menu and we will see a drop down with loads of different options available. Look for the blending mode called 'Overlay', as in this screenshot:

You should now find that the picture has changed to one with much greater contrast. It is very likely that in fact it will have too much contrast now. I don't know, one minute it's too flat and the next it's too contrasty, what to do eh?....

Simple, just click on the Opacity adjuster and reduce the opacity of the top layer. Choose the setting that gives you the contrast just how you like it. In this case I used about 40% opacity to give the follwoing result. I'll put the first picture again here on top of the second one so you can compare the two more easily:

As you can see, the second one has much better contrast. This is an extremely useful technique when trying to restore old photos that are very faded. Trying to get this level of contrast with Curves alone can be very hard but with this method you can get it looking much better.

If you get more contrast but still not as much as you want, here's what to do:

After adjusting the top layer's blending mode to 'Overlay', Press Ctrl+E to flatten these two layers (again, see your progs instructions for shortcuts with other progs).
Now you have one layer. Duplicate this layer again (Ctrl+J)
Repeat the process above, select top layer and change to Overlay mode.
If that is enough, great. If it is too much, reduce the opacity.
If it is still not enough, you can repeat this process as many times as you want.... but you are unlikely to need to do it more than a couple of times.

Summary:

So, we have now seen how to use layers in order to:

Combine elements from different pictures into one picture.
Combine two images so that one shows through the other by reducing the opacity of different layers.
Increase contrast using Overlay blending mode.

If people would like me to, I will gladly continue this little series and show further uses of Layers. I'll monitor your feedback to see if this is wanted or not. If so, I'll do it shortly, if not, thanks for reading these two and I hope you have found them helpful as a starting point for getting to know this very important and useful tool in Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro and other graphics programs.

Cheers,
Rob

silkstone · 22-09-2007, 16:37

Excellent Rob, and I think it would be useful to do more on blending modes - perhaps how to do 'pseudo HDR' from two images with different exposures.

dogdots · 22-09-2007, 20:40

Rob we want more!!!

I just know there are people out there in Pixalo land that are very interested in this. Some may be to embarrased to say so. Not knowing what others know is sometimes intimidating for them to admit. I'm not shy to admit I need/want to learn and that I don't know.

There aren't many places (if any) on the internet where you can find someone who takes their time to teach without compensation. You are a godsend to others and me. My CS3 comes in the mail next week and I'm coping everything you are printing in your tutorial so I can learn.

So...please keep them coming

If I'm ever in Poole I will buy you and your family dinner as I know this takes time away from your family and other things you would much rather be doing.

Putting aside me and others on this site needing and wanting this information badly, I think your doing this is good for the site. As people prowse the site they will see Pixalo offers a lot more then just a place to post their pictures, but also a place to learn.

Many Many Thank you's.

~~~~Mary

**Dabhand16** · 23-09-2007, 11:33

That is a very nice accolade Mary

Don't forget you (and anyone else) have the ability to award Rob with some rep points if you think he is going several steps beyond the call of duty.

dogdots · 24-09-2007, 02:38

I did the rep points

He deserves many.

Ali · 24-09-2007, 15:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Barron

If people would like me to, I will gladly continue this little series and show further uses of Layers.

Yes please

simpbow · 25-09-2007, 00:30

Great stuff Rob.

Rob Barron · 25-09-2007, 15:43

Wow, thank you Mary. Such appreciative comments make it entirely worthwhile spending some time doing these tutorials. Knowing they are helpful to people is the most important thing and I will happily make more. I'll do more with layers but are there any other Photoshop tutorials you or others would like? I am always open to ideas.

As you said Mary, some people are a bit shy asking for help but if I know what people want help with, it makes it easier to get on and do them. There should be absolutely no embarrassment whatsoever in asking for a bit of help, it is what we all need from time to time. I can assure you I need help in some areas too and always feel happy asking other Pixalo members if they can help. What goes around comes around: I give help to someone, they give help to someone else and so on it goes and someone else will give help to me.

That is the beauty of Pixalo

Thanks again,
Rob

dogdots · 27-09-2007, 03:17

Rob I will compile my list of wants/needs in tutorials tomorrow

Just kidding. My CS3 just came in the mail today and with many hopes will be downloaded onto my computer tomorrow. I know I will have many many questions then.

I have found Pixalo such a great help. I have learned much more then I thought I would and I know if I ever have a problem I will get answers here. I feel that thru the things I have learned here my photography has improved quicker then if I had just rumbled thru it myself.

Thanks to everyone in Pixalo

Rob, looking forward to part 3 of layers. You make them very easy to follow for the inexperienced like me. For that I thank you.

~~~~Mary

simpbow · 28-09-2007, 00:41

Tutorial on replacing a sky Rob would go down well

Rob Barron · 03-10-2007, 23:22

Ok, I am off on holiday on Friday and will be back 9 days later so tutorials will have to wait until i come back but I will then do:

Layers pt 3 - Using blending modes
and
Replacing a Sky

I have a feeling this list will probably be longer by the time I come back but I'll do those two first

Cheers,
Rob

dogdots · 04-10-2007, 02:05

Enjoy your holiday

simpbow · 12-10-2007, 12:41

Cheers Rob not a problem.

have a good time .

John F · 16-10-2007, 22:42

More, yes please Rob. Would you do something on controlling how a layer adjustment affects all all layers below it? Thank you.

21-09-2007, 23:58	#1 (permalink)
Rob Barron Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Poole, Dorset Posts: 5,200	Layers Tutorial - part two I was going to simply edit the Layers Tutorial to include this part but the Edit button isn't showing so I'll do it as a separate part, hope that's ok. For the introduction to layers and initial tutorial, please see here: Layers Tutorial Opacity adjustments. If you put a layer on top of another, it will completely hide everything underneath it (assuming it is the same size) but you might want to let some of what is underneath show through the top layer, blending the two together. We are going to use that in two ways here, first as a simple combination and secondly in conjunction with blending modes. Reducing the opacity of a layer means that instead of it being opaque, you can make it semi transparent but with great control as you can decide how transparent you want it to be. To show two layers roughly equally, just lower the opacity of the top layer to 50%. Here's how: As a simple shortcut, if you just highlight the layer you want to adjust, you can then use the number keys to get the percentage you want. If you hit 5, this adjusts it to 50%, hit 8 and it selects 80% etc. If you hit 5 and 7 straight after each other, it will do 57% so you have total control. Alternatively, just click the little triangle to the right of the opacity window and you'll get a real-time slider allowing you to drag it and see the adjustment happening as you do it so you can select by eye. To show this in action in a very simple way, here is a shot I have called 'Old Man and the Sea.' The picture of the sea is the bottom layer, the picture of the old man is the top layer. I reduced the top layer down to 60% to show the man and the sea together: I must add some credits here, this 'old man' is actually my late father-in-law, a lovely man who is much missed. This picture was used with my wife's permission. Blending modes Ok, let's move on to use layers in a totally different way. Blending modes is a huge subject and I could easily do a whole tutorial looking at this subject but here we are just going to get a taster and see how useful they can be. Blending modes allow you to combine (blend) two layers in all manner of different ways to get a huge range of effects. Some can create outlandish results more reminiscent of modern art than a photograph while others can be used for photo enhancement and that is what we will do here. I am also going to include another example of opacity adjustment in this example. Ok, here is the starting picture. It is a compeltely uninspiring picture, we are not interested in it as a subject per se. However, even if it was a good subject, it would be very flat, lacking in tonal range: Now obviously there are various ways to adjust contrast like Curves and so forth but this is a very simple yet effective method that is well worth knowing. First we copy the picture as it is to make a duplicate layer. Simply press Ctrl+J in Photoshop to do this (keyboard shortcuts will differ in other progs like Paint Shop Pro etc). You will now see on the Layers Pallet two layers but if you look at the little thumbnail pictures, you will see they are identical. If you want to check, just click on the 'eye' on the top layer to hide that layer. You should see no difference at all to the picture because you are simply hiding one copy and revealing the same image underneath. Remember to turn the layer back on again by clicking in the same space! Ok, now we are going to change the blending mode of this top layer so select this layer by clicking on it in the layers pallet. You can see it is selected because it is highlighted, usually in blue. Ok, now look at the top of the Layers Pallet and you'll see two drop down menus. The one on the right is the Opacity adjuster as we talked about above. The one on the left is the Blending Mode. It will show 'Normal' by default. Ok, we are going to click this menu and we will see a drop down with loads of different options available. Look for the blending mode called 'Overlay', as in this screenshot: You should now find that the picture has changed to one with much greater contrast. It is very likely that in fact it will have too much contrast now. I don't know, one minute it's too flat and the next it's too contrasty, what to do eh?.... Simple, just click on the Opacity adjuster and reduce the opacity of the top layer. Choose the setting that gives you the contrast just how you like it. In this case I used about 40% opacity to give the follwoing result. I'll put the first picture again here on top of the second one so you can compare the two more easily: As you can see, the second one has much better contrast. This is an extremely useful technique when trying to restore old photos that are very faded. Trying to get this level of contrast with Curves alone can be very hard but with this method you can get it looking much better. If you get more contrast but still not as much as you want, here's what to do: After adjusting the top layer's blending mode to 'Overlay', Press Ctrl+E to flatten these two layers (again, see your progs instructions for shortcuts with other progs). Now you have one layer. Duplicate this layer again (Ctrl+J) Repeat the process above, select top layer and change to Overlay mode. If that is enough, great. If it is too much, reduce the opacity. If it is still not enough, you can repeat this process as many times as you want.... but you are unlikely to need to do it more than a couple of times. Summary: So, we have now seen how to use layers in order to: Combine elements from different pictures into one picture. Combine two images so that one shows through the other by reducing the opacity of different layers. Increase contrast using Overlay blending mode. If people would like me to, I will gladly continue this little series and show further uses of Layers. I'll monitor your feedback to see if this is wanted or not. If so, I'll do it shortly, if not, thanks for reading these two and I hope you have found them helpful as a starting point for getting to know this very important and useful tool in Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro and other graphics programs. Cheers, Rob __________________ Rob Barron robbarron@aol.com If you look down on other people, don't expect them to look up to you!

22-09-2007, 16:37	#2 (permalink)
silkstone Feet under the table Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Silkstone Common, Yorkshire, UK Posts: 3,407	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two Excellent Rob, and I think it would be useful to do more on blending modes - perhaps how to do 'pseudo HDR' from two images with different exposures.

22-09-2007, 20:40	#3 (permalink)
dogdots Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: North Dakota Posts: 576	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two Rob we want more!!! I just know there are people out there in Pixalo land that are very interested in this. Some may be to embarrased to say so. Not knowing what others know is sometimes intimidating for them to admit. I'm not shy to admit I need/want to learn and that I don't know. There aren't many places (if any) on the internet where you can find someone who takes their time to teach without compensation. You are a godsend to others and me. My CS3 comes in the mail next week and I'm coping everything you are printing in your tutorial so I can learn. So...please keep them coming If I'm ever in Poole I will buy you and your family dinner as I know this takes time away from your family and other things you would much rather be doing. Putting aside me and others on this site needing and wanting this information badly, I think your doing this is good for the site. As people prowse the site they will see Pixalo offers a lot more then just a place to post their pictures, but also a place to learn. Many Many Thank you's. ~~~~Mary

23-09-2007, 11:33	#4 (permalink)
Dabhand16 Pixalo Crew Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Dunstable Bedfordshire UK Posts: 8,979	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two That is a very nice accolade Mary Don't forget you (and anyone else) have the ability to award Rob with some rep points if you think he is going several steps beyond the call of duty.

24-09-2007, 02:38	#5 (permalink)
dogdots Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: North Dakota Posts: 576	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two I did the rep points He deserves many.

25-09-2007, 00:30	#7 (permalink)
simpbow Feet under the table Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: N.Ireland Posts: 2,496	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two Great stuff Rob.

25-09-2007, 15:43	#8 (permalink)
Rob Barron Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Poole, Dorset Posts: 5,200	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two Wow, thank you Mary. Such appreciative comments make it entirely worthwhile spending some time doing these tutorials. Knowing they are helpful to people is the most important thing and I will happily make more. I'll do more with layers but are there any other Photoshop tutorials you or others would like? I am always open to ideas. As you said Mary, some people are a bit shy asking for help but if I know what people want help with, it makes it easier to get on and do them. There should be absolutely no embarrassment whatsoever in asking for a bit of help, it is what we all need from time to time. I can assure you I need help in some areas too and always feel happy asking other Pixalo members if they can help. What goes around comes around: I give help to someone, they give help to someone else and so on it goes and someone else will give help to me. That is the beauty of Pixalo Thanks again, Rob

27-09-2007, 03:17	#9 (permalink)
dogdots Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: North Dakota Posts: 576	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two Rob I will compile my list of wants/needs in tutorials tomorrow Just kidding. My CS3 just came in the mail today and with many hopes will be downloaded onto my computer tomorrow. I know I will have many many questions then. I have found Pixalo such a great help. I have learned much more then I thought I would and I know if I ever have a problem I will get answers here. I feel that thru the things I have learned here my photography has improved quicker then if I had just rumbled thru it myself. Thanks to everyone in Pixalo Rob, looking forward to part 3 of layers. You make them very easy to follow for the inexperienced like me. For that I thank you. ~~~~Mary

28-09-2007, 00:41	#10 (permalink)
simpbow Feet under the table Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: N.Ireland Posts: 2,496	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two Tutorial on replacing a sky Rob would go down well

03-10-2007, 23:22	#11 (permalink)
Rob Barron Loves the place Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Poole, Dorset Posts: 5,200	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two Ok, I am off on holiday on Friday and will be back 9 days later so tutorials will have to wait until i come back but I will then do: Layers pt 3 - Using blending modes and Replacing a Sky I have a feeling this list will probably be longer by the time I come back but I'll do those two first Cheers, Rob

04-10-2007, 02:05	#12 (permalink)
dogdots Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: North Dakota Posts: 576	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two Enjoy your holiday

12-10-2007, 12:41	#13 (permalink)
simpbow Feet under the table Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: N.Ireland Posts: 2,496	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two Cheers Rob not a problem.have a good time .

16-10-2007, 22:42	#14 (permalink)
John F Been here a while Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southwell, Nottinghamshire Posts: 390	Re: Layers Tutorial - part two More, yes please Rob. Would you do something on controlling how a layer adjustment affects all all layers below it? Thank you.