Problems with learning layers

F
Posted By
frank
Aug 16, 2005
Views
503
Replies
9
Status
Closed
Hello,
I have been using PS7 and for what I do right now, I don’t need CS2 nor will I chase new programs ad nauseum or ad infinitum. I bought a set of PS7 DVDs by Deke somebody and two good books. My problem is I have a perceptual problem after an accident and for some reason I cannot grasp how to apply layers. I do the mechanics easily enough but applying them is hard to understand, (hell I can’t even explain WHY I can’t grasp them) I have no problem with anything else on PS7(levels, curves,colorizing, filters, sizing etc etc) but layers is driving me nuts and is frustrating.
Being CS2 is getting all the attention,I can’t find anything specific to Layers on PS7. My books have a basic overview and the DVD describes the mechanics. I need a book or something specific to using layers, applications, uses, terms etc etc. After that I will be fine. OR if anyone lives in New Jersey, I would gladly pay for tutoring for a few hours. If anyone knows of a book, or are in NJ who can tutor. Please help.
Any infantile emails will be ignored.
…..thanks Frank

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C
clint
Aug 17, 2005
Just curious, did you have a stroke?
"frank" wrote in message
Hello,
I have been using PS7 and for what I do right now, I don’t need CS2 nor will I chase new programs ad nauseum or ad infinitum. I bought a set of PS7 DVDs by Deke somebody and two good books. My problem is I have a perceptual problem after an accident and for some reason I cannot grasp how to apply layers. I do the mechanics easily enough but applying them is hard to understand, (hell I can’t even explain WHY I can’t grasp them) I have no problem with anything else on PS7(levels, curves,colorizing, filters, sizing etc etc) but layers is driving me nuts and is frustrating.
Being CS2 is getting all the attention,I can’t find anything specific to Layers on PS7. My books have a basic overview and the DVD describes the mechanics. I need a book or something specific to using layers, applications, uses, terms etc etc. After that I will be fine. OR if anyone lives in New Jersey, I would gladly pay for tutoring for a few hours. If anyone knows of a book, or are in NJ who can tutor. Please help.
Any infantile emails will be ignored.
….thanks Frank
R
RSD99
Aug 17, 2005
"frank" wrote in message
Hello,
I have been using PS7 and for what I do right now, I don’t need CS2 nor will I chase new programs ad nauseum or ad infinitum. I bought a set of PS7 DVDs by Deke somebody and two good books. My problem is I have a perceptual problem after an accident and for some reason I cannot grasp how to apply layers. I do the mechanics easily enough but applying them is hard to understand, (hell I can’t even explain WHY I can’t grasp them) I have no problem with anything else on PS7(levels, curves,colorizing, filters, sizing etc etc) but layers is driving me nuts and is frustrating.
Being CS2 is getting all the attention,I can’t find anything specific to Layers on PS7. My books have a basic overview and the DVD describes the mechanics. I need a book or something specific to using layers, applications, uses, terms etc etc. After that I will be fine. OR if anyone lives in New Jersey, I would gladly pay for tutoring for a few hours. If anyone knows of a book, or are in NJ who can tutor. Please help.
Any infantile emails will be ignored.
….thanks Frank

Think of a stack of sheets of paper.

Each sheet is a layer.
B
bigmatt304
Aug 17, 2005
"frank" wrote in message
Hello,
I have been using PS7 and for what I do right now, I don’t need CS2 nor will I chase new programs ad nauseum or ad infinitum. I bought a set of PS7 DVDs by Deke somebody and two good books. My problem is I have a perceptual problem after an accident and for some reason I cannot grasp how to apply layers. I do the mechanics easily enough but applying them is hard to understand, (hell I can’t even explain WHY I can’t grasp them) I have no problem with anything else on PS7(levels, curves,colorizing, filters, sizing etc etc) but layers is driving me nuts and is frustrating.
Being CS2 is getting all the attention,I can’t find anything specific to Layers on PS7. My books have a basic overview and the DVD describes the mechanics. I need a book or something specific to using layers, applications, uses, terms etc etc. After that I will be fine. OR if anyone lives in New Jersey, I would gladly pay for tutoring for a few hours. If anyone knows of a book, or are in NJ who can tutor. Please help.
Any infantile emails will be ignored.
….thanks Frank

The one that finally got it for me , was think of the old style overhead projectors with transparent sheets.
Each layer is a sheet . Only the parts colored in actually show up on your projection(background). Layers can do a lot of interesting stuff. Try simple stuff first. Take a picture , select something with the marquee tool ,
copy and paste (the head off a body , the fender off a car , etc…) This pasted part is a new layer. It can be moved around , colored , lighted , blended, independent of the background underneath it or other layers in the project.Then try copying a piece of one picture and pasting it to a different picture.

This is basic layers in a visual model that hopefully will be understandable.They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Hopefully this visual model is worth half a chapter.A friend of mine used copy paste all the time and didn’t think he knew layers , because the description of layers in the manuals was so convoluted he didn’t know he was adding layers.
MJ
Mike Jakob
Aug 17, 2005
In article , frank
writes
Hello,
I have been using PS7 and for what I do right now, I don’t need CS2 nor will I chase new programs ad nauseum or ad infinitum. I bought a set of PS7 DVDs by Deke somebody and two good books. My problem is I have a perceptual problem after an accident and for some reason I cannot grasp how to apply layers. I do the mechanics easily enough but applying them is hard to understand, (hell I can’t even explain WHY I can’t grasp them) I have no problem with anything else on PS7(levels, curves,colorizing, filters, sizing etc etc) but layers is driving me nuts and is frustrating.
Being CS2 is getting all the attention,I can’t find anything specific to Layers on PS7. My books have a basic overview and the DVD describes the mechanics. I need a book or something specific to using layers, applications, uses, terms etc etc. After that I will be fine. OR if anyone lives in New Jersey, I would gladly pay for tutoring for a few hours. If anyone knows of a book, or are in NJ who can tutor. Please help.
Any infantile emails will be ignored.
….thanks Frank
If you follow the web address below you will find all you need to know about layers the easy and simple way and even though this is for Elements 3 it will work the same in Photoshop 7. Trust this helps.

http://flyingsamphoto.com/digital-photo-guide-art-elements-l ayers.shtml
Mike Jakob I am at Home because I live here
All email checked with Norton Anti Virus 2002
E
edjh
Aug 17, 2005
frank wrote:
Hello,
I have been using PS7 and for what I do right now, I don’t need CS2 nor will I chase new programs ad nauseum or ad infinitum. I bought a set of PS7 DVDs by Deke somebody and two good books. My problem is I have a perceptual problem after an accident and for some reason I cannot grasp how to apply layers. I do the mechanics easily enough but applying them is hard to understand, (hell I can’t even explain WHY I can’t grasp them) I have no problem with anything else on PS7(levels, curves,colorizing, filters, sizing etc etc) but layers is driving me nuts and is frustrating.
Being CS2 is getting all the attention,I can’t find anything specific to Layers on PS7. My books have a basic overview and the DVD describes the mechanics. I need a book or something specific to using layers, applications, uses, terms etc etc. After that I will be fine. OR if anyone lives in New Jersey, I would gladly pay for tutoring for a few hours. If anyone knows of a book, or are in NJ who can tutor. Please help.
Any infantile emails will be ignored.
….thanks Frank

Somehow I posted this to the wrong thread before…

I just think of layers as sheets of glass or clear acetate stacked on top of each other. Each sheet of acetate has something painted on it. That’s the pixel data. Does this help you visualize it?




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D
Dave
Aug 17, 2005
Mike Jakob

Mike Jakob I am at Home because I live here

So, that’s where you live!

Dave
KW
Ken Wright
Aug 17, 2005
This months edition of Digital Photo magazine has an article on layers. It has an overview and then a walkthrough of practical usage using sample pictures from the attached CD that will give you a good feel for them. Article assumes you have either PS 6, 7 or CS

http://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/store/displaystore.asp?sid=3 20

Scroll to the bottom of the link and you will see the cover of this months edition. You could then take a look at in the shop and see what you think. Magazine is
D
DBLEXPOSURE
Aug 18, 2005
"clint" wrote in message
Just curious, did you have a stroke?
"frank" wrote in message
Hello,
I have been using PS7 and for what I do right now, I don’t need CS2 nor will I chase new programs ad nauseum or ad infinitum. I bought a set of PS7 DVDs by Deke somebody and two good books. My problem is I have a perceptual problem after an accident and for some reason I cannot grasp how to apply layers. I do the mechanics easily enough but applying them is hard to understand, (hell I can’t even explain WHY I can’t grasp them) I have no problem with anything else on PS7(levels, curves,colorizing, filters, sizing etc etc) but layers is driving me nuts and is frustrating.
Being CS2 is getting all the attention,I can’t find anything specific to Layers on PS7. My books have a basic overview and the DVD describes the mechanics. I need a book or something specific to using layers, applications, uses, terms etc etc. After that I will be fine. OR if anyone lives in New Jersey, I would gladly pay for tutoring for a few hours. If anyone knows of a book, or are in NJ who can tutor. Please help.
Any infantile emails will be ignored.
….thanks Frank

Some good examples have been given. Yes, thinking of layers as images on transparent sheets stacks on top of each other is a good analogy.

Try this, Open PS and create a new image, now make a square with your marquee tool and fill it with a color. Now, open your layers window by going to windows and clicking on layers. No drag you background to the, "create new layer," icon at the bottom of the layers window. What this did was create a new layer that is an exact copy of your background.

Now, Your Square should still be out lined by the marquee tool, from your menu bar select the move tool and then click and drag the square down and right. You will now see your original revealed behind the new layer. Now by clicking on either layer you can select that layer only and perform any PS filter or effect on it. So, go ahead and try it, select the background layer and go to Image/adjust/hue and change its color.

Now for the cool part, go to your copy of background layer, with your eraser tool erase the part of the new layer that over laps the background..

Now try this. Make a blue circle and yellow circle and make the overlap part green…

After you get a handle on this perhaps someone will walk you through "layer masks" a very powerful feature of layers.

A good example of the use of layers is making a copy of a portrait sharpening the background and then revealing the sharpened layer only where you want to, say the eyes.
F
frank
Aug 18, 2005
No…back to back concussions…I always wrestled with diagrams , architectual drawings and plans, but after the concussions, it got worse. I stil work, teach science etc. but it is the visuals that get me sometimes
Frank

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