Layers, Layers Everywhere

For those of you who are wondering what all the talk about flexibility and editable interactivity means, it might help to take another step back. The first and foremost benefit of layers is that they add versatility. Because each layer in a composition is altogether independent of other layers, you can change your mind at any time. Consider the examples in Figure 5-1. The images provide a little preview of the upcoming chapter on blending modes, and utilize the Layers palette to almost its fullest extent. Just about every element you see in the two images in Figure 5-1 is on a separate layer.

Figure 5-1: Layer flexibility allows you to arrange elements one way one moment (top) and quite differently the next (bottom). You can modify a composition without sacrificing quality.

When making the example figures for Chapter 6, a goodly portion start with the same Photoshop file, but have different layers turned on, and different effects applied to them. "That's nice, but so what?" you might say. Well, because the image required a series of overhauls to demonstrate different effects from one figure to the next, it's the existence of these layers that allows such major changes without significant effort.

Layers make it harder to make mistakes that affect the entire image, they make it easier to make changes, and they expand your range of options. More than anything else, they enable you to restructure a composition and examine how it was put together after you assemble it. Layers can be very challenging to use or relatively simple. But whatever you do, don't shy away. If a layer might help, there's no reason not to add one. Layers are a big fact of life inside Photoshop, and it's important to know how to create, modify, organize, and exploit them to their full potential. And that's what this chapter is all about.