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G R A P H I C S - P R O. C O M N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 • G R A P H I C S P R O 4 9 surface, Photoshop applies a soft-edged shadow across the middle of the layer's content. e controls determine its size, position, opacity, and contour. • Color Overlay (Fig. 13): is style fills the layer's content with a color that you select by clicking the swatch. Adjust the color's opacity with the slider or apply a blend mode to further enhance the color. • Gradient Overlay (Fig. 14): Like Color Overlay, Gradient Overlay applies a gradient to the pixels on the layer. You can choose a gradient from the current Gradient panel or create one clicking the Gradient swatch to display the Gradient Editor. • Pattern Overlay (Fig. 15): Use this style to overlay a pattern on the layer content as an effect. • Fill Opacity: In the layer's panel you'll notice the Fill control. is option controls the opacity of layer content independent of the layer style. If you reduce the opacity of the layer content by dragging the slider, the layer style remains opaque. You can fur- ther alter the effect by applying a blend mode to the layer style. COMBINATIONS Multiple layer styles when combined, add pizzaz to your image. e Layer Style dialog box is an ideal tool to design colorful sig- nage with complex bevels and shapes. After you apply the effects and click OK, you'll see a style list under the layer in the Layers panel. (Fig. 16). To the left of the style's name is a visibility icon that turns the effect on and off. Using this feature allows you to quickly compare various combinations. If you click on any style name, the Layer styles dialog box is displayed to readjust the con- trols until you are completely satisfied with the effect. SAVING LAYER STYLES If you've applied one or more styles to a layer and you're happy with the result, you may want to save the style for future use. Click the New Style button and you'll be prompted to name the style. To apply the new style to another layer, go to Window > Styles to display the Styles menu. Click the new layer in the Layers panel to highlight it. Click the icon that represents your new style and bingo! e style is applied. (Fig. 17). It's hard to imagine what an everyday Photoshop workflow would be like without layer styles, not to mention what our images might look like. Layer styles add dimension and sparkle to images. ey instantly apply cool realistic effects that help enhance any image. Try using layer styles on text layers to pop the words off the page and into the eye of your viewer. e beauty of Layer Styles is the tremendous potential to com- bine unique multiple effects and to be able to save those styles as presets for future use. Features such as Photoshop's Layer Syles encourage creativity and experimentation and challenge you to push your creative envelope to new extremes. GP Stephen Romaniello is an artist and educator who has taught computer graphics since 1990. He is Professor Emeritus and the founder of the Digital Arts program at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona. Stephen is a certified instructor in Adobe Pho- toshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Premier and the author of numerous books, articles and media on the creative use of graphics software. Stephen is the founder and CEO of GlobalEye Systems, a company that offers training and consulting in graphics software and creative imaging. Fig. 15. Pattern Overlay superimposes a selected pattern on the layer content. Fig. 16. After you apply the effects and click OK, you'll see a style list under the layer. Fig. 17. Save a layer style to the Styles panel for future use.