Layers and adjustment layers

J
Posted By
junglejim
Jun 6, 2004
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463
Replies
4
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Closed
After reading quite a few PS books, I still have a mental block about the difference between working in layers and in adjustment layers. Would appreciate some explanations such as:

– What are all the operations that can only be done in layers but not in adjustment layers? And vice versa?

– What are all the operations that should only be done in layers, but not in adjustment layers? And vice versa? And why?

– Should layers and/or adjustment layers be merged before applying the clone tool, history brush, healing brush, etc. to remove dust and scratches?

– Is it possible to applying sharpening to the L channel without merging the layers first?

Thanks.
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H
Husky
Jun 6, 2004
On Sun, 06 Jun 2004 11:27:52 GMT, wrote:

http://www.lairofluxlucre.com/
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Some nudity and adult themes. It’s a faker playground, but has the best visual display of what layers are and how to use them that I’ve found. Just follow the FU links Faker University.

Think it’s still a topless starlet from Elvis past.

After reading quite a few PS books, I still have a mental block about the difference between working in layers and in adjustment layers. Would appreciate some explanations such as:

– What are all the operations that can only be done in layers but not in adjustment layers? And vice versa?

– What are all the operations that should only be done in layers, but not in adjustment layers? And vice versa? And why?

– Should layers and/or adjustment layers be merged before applying the clone tool, history brush, healing brush, etc. to remove dust and scratches?

– Is it possible to applying sharpening to the L channel without merging the layers first?

Thanks.

more pix @ http://members.toast.net/cbminfo/index.html
N
nomail
Jun 6, 2004
wrote:

After reading quite a few PS books, I still have a mental block about the difference between working in layers and in adjustment layers. Would appreciate some explanations such as:

– What are all the operations that can only be done in layers but not in adjustment layers? And vice versa?

You haven’t understood anything about Adjustment layers. Layers are like transparent sheets, that contain image elements. That way, you can add a picture of say a bird to a landscape picture. The bird is on a separate layer, so you can still move it around and work on it without touching the background picture of the landscape.

Adjustment layers are layers that do not contain image elements, but adjustment commands like ‘Levels’ or ‘Curves’.

– What are all the operations that should only be done in layers, but not in adjustment layers? And vice versa? And why?

See above.

– Should layers and/or adjustment layers be merged before applying the clone tool, history brush, healing brush, etc. to remove dust and scratches?

That depends on what to want to achieve. Filters and tools only work on one layer at a time (the selected layer). If you want your filter or tool to act on everything together, you’ll have to flatten first.

– Is it possible to applying sharpening to the L channel without merging the layers first?

Yes, but you will only sharpen the L-channel of that one layer.

—
Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/
J
Jerry
Jun 6, 2004
Adjustment layers are just for: color change, like hue contrast Layers are use for all kind of thing. It is hard to explain at least u see it in action

I use layer and mask all the time. Threat layers as from bottom up like transparency stock of photograph to make one solid image.

You don’t have to merge anything. The only time you can do this is when you are sure 100% that the image you did doesn’t have to be change anymore.

If you need specific help I’m doing web site. Please post question to my forum and I will graphically show how to do it. Visit: www.ujstudio.com
J
junglejim
Jun 8, 2004
patrick wrote:
Layers stymied me for a long time when I started with PhotoShop. I finally had a white light experience in the middle of the night and came up with some physical analogies.

Tlhe simplest explanation, I think, is the idea that an Adjustment Layer acts just like putting a filter in front of your camera lens. You have color filters, contrast filters, neutral density filters, graduated filters, etc. They generally have an overall effect on the entire film frame.
Layers have images painted on clear, glass sheets that you place between yourself and the image you are viewing. The images on the layers can vary in density so they may entirely block what is on the image immediately below them, or they may be more faint so you partially see through them to the image below. When you finally flatten the layers, the upper layers are dropped on the bottom (original) layer and are merged into and become part of the bottom image.

The big boys may object to this analogy but it helped get me over the hurdle.

Good luck! . . . . patrick

This is a great explanation, especially for someone with a knowledge of traditional photography. Sometimes the big boys are unable to use analogy to simplify an explanation.

One minor point though. Instead of describing layers as "clear, glass sheets", I would describe them as "sheets with a variable opacity". A layer with 100% opacity will completely block the layers below it. A layer with <100% opacity will let all the layers below it to show through partially. The adjustment layers also have a variable opacity.

One mistake I kept making was not associating adjustment layers with separate layers.

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