Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows: The Missing Manual

Layer Menu

Here's where you'll find the commands for creating and managing layers. (Chapter 6 is all about layers.) This is the most dynamic menu in Elements—what you see at the bottom of the menu changes depending on the layers in the open image and on the characteristics of the active layer. This is a basic rundown of the main menu options you'll usually see if your open image has only a Background layer. (Sometimes you'll see choices that are visible but grayed out.) The choices for merging and combining layers change the most as your layers change.

New

This is where you create new, regular (as opposed to Adjustment) layers. Your options are:

• Layer (or press Shift+Ctrl+N).

• Layer from Background. If your image doesn't currently have a Background layer, you see "Background from Layer" instead of "Layer from Background".

• Layer via Copy Managing Layers (or press Ctrl+J).

• Layer via Cut Managing Layers (or press Shift+Ctrl+J).

Duplicate Layer

Use this command to make a copy of the active layer. As long as you don't have a selection, you can also use Ctrl+J to do the same thing.

Delete Layer

If you want to eliminate a layer, click it in the Layers panel to make it the active layer, and then choose this command.

Rename Layer

Choose this option to—you guessed it—change a layer's name. You can also double-click the layer's name in the Layers panel to rename it.

Layer Style

If a layer has a Layer style applied to it (Adding Layer Styles), you can adjust it here:

• Style Settings brings up the dialog box ...