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Section III Digital Postprocessing
The background layer and any layers that
might be added to the image will appear on
the
Layers
palette, Figure 15-16. Each layer is a
separate item on the palette, and can be displayed
on the monitor by itself, or in combination with
other layers. In multiple-layer documents, the
visibility of each layer is indicated by an eye
icon to the far left of the item. Clicking on the
icon turns layer visibility on and off. Changes
to a layer can only be made when that layer is
the active layer, indicated by the item being
highlighted, Figure 15-17.
Layers can be added, deleted, or moved to
a different position within the stack of items
shown on the layers palette As new layers are
added, they are placed on top of the stack (new
layer creation is discussed in the next section).
A layer can be deleted by dragging the item to
the trashcan shown at the bottom of the palette.
Layers can be moved by dragging them upward
or downward in the stack; they also can be
relocated using the
Arrange
commands from the
Layer
menu. The
Bring to Front
and
Send to Back
commands move the selected layer to the top or
bottom of the stack, respectively (the
Background
layer is always at the bottom, so the
Send to
Back
command places the moved layer just
above it). Two other commands move a selected
layer upward or downward in the stack, one
item at a time. They are
Bring Forward
and
Send
Backward.
Creating new layers
The
Background
layer alone is adequate
for simple adjustments, but for more complex
manipulation of an image, additional layers are a
necessity. New layers can be created in a number
of ways. To open a new blank layer, click on the
Create New Layer
icon at the bottom of the
Layers
palette, or select
New Layer
from the
Layer
drop-
down menu.
When you have made a selection of part of an
image (covered in detail in Chapter 16, Advanced
Digital Darkroom Techniques) and wish to place
this portion on a separate layer, select
New Layer
from the
Layer
drop-down menu. Among the
menu choices will be
Layer via Cut
and
Layer via
Copy. Both choices copy the selection to a new
layer, but they differ greatly in their effect on the
original image layer.
Layer via Cut
will leave a
blank area behind when the new layer is created.
On a background layer, the “hole” will be white;
on other layers, the opening will be transparent.
Layer via Copy
is exactly that: the selection
is copied onto the new layer, but the original
remains intact. See Figure 15-18.
A selection can also be placed on a new layer
in a different image, a common technique when
creating a composite (described in Chapter 16,
Advanced Digital Darkroom Techniques). There are
two different methods for moving a selection to a
different image: cut-and-paste and dragging.
Cut-and-paste. Click on the selection, then
select
Cut
or
Copy
from the
Edit
menu (shortcut
Figure 15-16. All layers created for an image are shown
as items on the layers palette. Note the eye icons to the
left of the items, showing that three of the four of the
layers are currently visible on the monitor.
Figure 15-17. The blue highlighting shows that
Layer 0
is currently active. This means that any changes to the
image will be made on that layer. The other layers will
not be affected.
Eye
icons