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Chapter 15 Digital Darkroom Basics
keys are Control+X and Control+C, respectively).
Open the destination image, and then click on
Paste
from the
Edit
menu or use the shortcut,
Control+V. The selection will be placed on a new
layer in the destination image.
Dragging. Both images must be open on the
monitor. Click on the
Move
tool in the toolbox,
then click on the selection and drag it to the
destination image. The selection will be placed
on a new layer in the destination image. See
Figure 15-19. Existing layers can also be copied
from one image to another by dragging. Again,
both images must be open on the monitor. Click
on the origin image to make it active, and then
click on the desired layer thumbnail on the
Layers
palette. Drag the layer to the destination
image, releasing the mouse button when a black
border appears around the destination image
window.
Adjustment layers
A special purpose layer that allows the
photographer to make changes to the appearance
of an image without permanently altering the
original image pixels is called an adjustment
layer. These layers can be used to experiment
with different effects or values while observing
the changes on the display. A
Hue/Saturation
adjustment layer, for example, permits the
photographer to increase or decrease the
saturation of different colors in the image, or even
to change the colors themselves. See Figure 15-20.
The use of adjustment layers is explored in
greater detail in Chapter 16, Advanced Digital
Darkroom Techniques.
Figure 15-19. Dragging with the
Move
tool is an easy
method of copying a selection from one image to
another. The cut-and-paste or copy and paste techniques
can also be used.
Figure 15-20. A
Hue/Saturation
adjustment layer is
being used to more strongly emphasize the red lights on
these carnival rides. Adjustment layers allow changes
to be made without permanently changing the image’s
pixels.
Figure 15-18. A selection can be placed on a new layer
by either cutting or copying. A—The
Layer via Cut
command places the selected material on a new layer
and leaves a “hole” on the original layer. B—The
Layer
via Copy
command places the selected material on a
new layer and leaves the original layer unchanged.
When the new layer is created, the selection occupies the
same position as it did on the original layer.
A B
New layer New layer