Simpleton question on layers…

CR
Posted By
Christine_Ross
Apr 13, 2004
Views
299
Replies
5
Status
Closed
I’ve only recently been introduced to using layers for exposure / color adjustments on regular photos.

1.) What’s the best way to combine them so as to have as little effect (denigration) as possible, the one way I see is ‘merge visible’? is that it?

2.)When I’m dodging / burning use short strokes which add up in the history column, to the point where I lose prev history, or lose access to it at least. Does one make a ‘snapshot’ before getting to this point? is the one option to make many back up copies that then confuse later when trying to close out the program?

* *Dawned on me perhaps there’s a way to extend the history to several pages rather than the 20 or so steps I’ve now.**

Appreciate any pointers.

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CR
Christine_Ross
Apr 13, 2004
Oh am using PS 6.01….

and I’m same person as above, if I’ve a diff name now (feels too nakeed!).
CR
Christine_Ross
Apr 13, 2004
Hm, guess ‘change name’ doesn’t work.

C’est la vie….
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Apr 13, 2004
Hi Christine,

I don’t have all that good an answer to your first question, but basically yes, merging layers is the only way to combine them if you’re no longer interesting in isolating the content of each. While merging layers shouldn’t necessarily degrade an image, certainly it does modify the image in such a way that cannot be undone if you’re past the older state in the history or if you’ve saved and closed the file. If you want to preserve the original image, you’ll either need to save a duplicate or at the very least make a duplicate layer that you hide, and then only manipulate the visible layers. You might also be able to combine some of your layers lying above the source image layer so as to reduce the total number of layers if that is a concern. There are some types of edits applied through layers that are affected by merging them…I don’t recall exactly what those are, but I’m sure someone else will.

As for your history states, you can change the number of states that are maintained via a change in your Preferences. Keep in mind that the larger the number of states maintained, the greater an impact on your memory resources and possibly on the speed of operations in Photoshop. While I’ve never learned to use snapshots enough to realize their full value, I’m sure one value is to effectively save incremental changes in your image but not to the level of detail of saving (and recovering) the individual steps.

Regards,

Daryl
RW
Rene_Walling
Apr 13, 2004

1) the options to flatten/merge layers will produce the same result. But, it is important to understand that unless you view your file at 100%, then not every thing can be properly previewed on the screen. See this thread: Rene Walling "Can this BUG get fixed?" 4/5/04 5:51pm </cgi-bin/webx?14/0>

2) Try the following instead of dodging and burning:

a) Duplicate the layer to be dodged/burned.
b) Create a layer mask for the new layer and fill it with black
c) Change the layer setting to multiply (if you want to burn) or screen (if you want to dodge)
d) Paint some white in the mask where you want the image to be corrected, I recommend a 10-20% opacity setting for you brush. If you want to go back, paint some black
DG
Dion_G
Apr 13, 2004
Hm, guess ‘change name’ doesn’t work.

You must have missed the imfamous Mucci-gate incident a while back then.

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