Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual

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Chapter 6

chapter

6

Layers: The Heart of

Elements

If you’ve been working mostly in the Quick Fix window so far, you’ve probably

noticed that once you close your file, the changes you’ve made are permanent. You

can undo actions while the file’s still open, but once you close it, you’re stuck with

what you’ve done.

Well, in Elements, you can keep your changes and still revert to the original image

if you use layers, a nifty system of transparent sheets that keep each element of

your image on a separately editable sliver. Layers are one of the greatest image edit-

ing inventions ever. By putting each change you make on its own layer, you can

constantly rearrange the composition of your image and add or subtract changes

whenever you want.

If you use layers, you can save your file and quit Elements, and then come back

days or weeks later and still undo what you did or change things around some

more. There’s no statute of limitations for the changes you make when using layers.

Some people resist learning about layers because they fear they’re too complicated.

But they’re actually very easy to use once you understand how they work. And

once you get started with layers, you’ll realize that using Elements without them is

like driving a Ferrari in first gear. This chapter gives you the information you need

to get comfortable working with layers.

Understanding Layers

Imagine you’ve got a drawing of a room