Issue link: https://nbm.uberflip.com/i/1482193
B U S I N E S S S T R A T E G I E S 4 6 G R A P H I C S P R O • N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 G R A P H I C S - P R O. C O M VERY SPECIAL EFFECTS PHOTOSHOP'S DYNAMIC SPECIAL EFFECTS INTERFACE A s you probably already know, layers are essential to Photoshop's workflow. Separating visual elements so that they are accessible at any time, accelerates speed and maxi- mizes efficiency when compiling an image. Furthermore, layers enable all sorts of editing capabilities that would oth- erwise be difficult or impossible to achieve. ENTER LAYER STYLES Layer Styles are built-in special effects that enhance layer content. Whether a realistic shadow, a glowing border, a satin surface or an artistic bevel, these types of embellish- ments add character and drama to your picture. Layer styles jazz up your images with eye-popping, realistic effects. In Photoshop, creating these enhancements is a simple process. Efficient and user-friendly, they streamline what would oth- erwise be labor-intensive filtering and channel manipulation. LAYER SETUP When you upload a photograph to your computer and open it in Photoshop, it appears as a background in the Layers panel – the default for all new images. e background layer is flat and doesn't support transparency nor can it be moved T H E D I G I T A L E Y E | S T E P H E N R O M A N I E L L O higher in the stack. Backgrounds don't support layer styles either. It is therefore necessary to convert the background to a layer. ere are several ways to convert the background: • Double click on the background and the New Layer dia- log box is displayed. Name the layer and click OK. (Fig. 1). • Select the Background on the Layers panel. From the Layers menu choose New > Layer from Background. (Fig. 2) • Many of the layer styles are applied to the edges of the content therefore select the region of the image with a selec- tion tool and choose New > Layer Via Copy or Layer via Cut from the Layer menu. (Fig. 3) • If you're working from multiple documents, drag and drop layer content or cut and paste it to the destination document. Photoshop will automatically create a new layer. When a layer style is applied, the entire layer is affected. ere is no direct way to mask areas that you want to leave untouched, therefore it's important to isolate the desired content to a single layer. Isolating the content to a layer has many other advantages too, such as the ability to control blend modes and transparency or to be able to make changes to the layer at any time during the workflow. CONTROL CENTER e Layer Style dialog box (Fig. 4) is the control center where the layer styles are chosen and specified. ere are several ways to open this dialog box. I prefer just double clicking the layer's thumbnail. is technique defaults to Blending Options. Click on the name of the layer style to display its control panel. Fig. 1. Double click on the background and the New Layer dialog box is displayed. Fig. 2. Before applying a layer style, copy or cut the image to a new layer. Fig. 3. Many of the layer styles are applied to the edges of the content; therefore, select the region of the image with a selection tool and choose New > Layer Via Copy or Layer via Cut from the Layer menu.