Adobe Photoshop CS2 CLASSROOM IN A BOOK [Electronic resources]

Creating a knockout gradient layer

Knockout layer options specify how one layer reveals other layers. In this section, you''ll create a knockout gradient layer so that the lower third of the image reveals the Background layer.

You''ll begin by creating a new layer in the Images layer set.

1.

Select the Images layer set in the Layers palette and click the Create a New Layer button () at the bottom of the palette.

This creates a new layer (Layer 1) in the Images layer set, above the Metal Grille, Curves 1, and Rust layers.

2.

Double-click the new Layer 1, and type Knockout Gradient to rename it. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS), and keep the Knockout Gradient layer selected.

3.

Select the Gradient tool () in the toolbox.

4.

If necessary, click the Default Foreground and Background Colors icon () in the toolbox to set the foreground color to black and the background color to white.

5.

If necessary, click the Linear Gradient button () on the tool options bar to create a linear gradient.

6.

Click the arrow () to the right of the gradient display on the tool options bar to open the gradient picker.

7.

Click the arrow button () to open the gradient-picker palette menu, and choose Small List. Then select Foreground to Transparent in the picker, and close it by clicking outside it or double-clicking the Foreground to Transparent option.

8.

Shift-drag from the bottom of the image to slightly above the midpoint to create a gradient that goes from black at the bottom to transparent at the top.

9.

Click the Add a Layer Style button () at the bottom of the Layers palette, and choose Blending Options from the pop-up menu.

10.

In the Layer Style dialog box, do the following:

Under Advanced Blending, drag the Fill Opacity slider all the way to the left, or type to enter 0 as the value. (Be careful to adjust the Fill Opacity, not the Opacity option under General Blending.)

Choose Knockout > Deep.

Click OK to close the dialog box.

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Now the horizontal stripes of gradient colors on the Background layer start to show through the layers in the Images layer set.

11.

Choose File > Save.