Creating a New Layer

Add Layers to an Active Document
Select the Layers palette.
Click the Layers Options button, and then click New Layer .TIMESAVER
Click the Create New Layer button on the Layers palette to quickly add a layer. The new layer is inserted directly above the active layer.
Did You Know?You can move a layer in the stacking order. Press the Ctrl (Win) or ![]() Press the Alt (Win) or ![]() ![]() |
Add Layers and Select Options
Select the Layers palette.
Hold down the Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) key, and then click the Create New Layer button to open the New Layer dialog box.
Select the layer options you want:
Name.
Enter the name of the layer into the Name box.
Use Previous Layer To Create Clipping Mask.
Select this check box to use the image information in the previous layer to mask the elements of the new layer.
Color.
This option lets you color-code your layers. Click the Color list arrow, and then select from the available colors.
Mode.
Click the Mode list arrow, and then select from the available blending modes.
Opacity.
This option controls the visibility of the new layer. Select a value from 0 to 100 percent.
Click OK .
Did You Know?You can control what layers the adjustment is applied. To confine the effects of an adjustment layer to the layer immediately below, hold down the Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) key, and then click on the visible line separating the adjustment layer from the next lower layer. |
For Your InformationSelecting Layer Options When you create a new layer in Photoshop, the size of the file does not increase. It's only when you begin painting, or adding information to the layer that the size of the Photoshop document will begin to grow. For example, creating a blank layer in a document with a file size of 10 MB does nothing to increase the size of the file. However, opening a 10 MB file, and creating a copy of the original document layer, will create a file size of 20 MB. Layers are great creative tools, but you only want to use them when you need them. Remember, performance is directly related to the size of the active document file, and the bigger the file size, the slower Photoshop performs. |