entranceMerge layers in Photoshop. How to merge layers in Photoshop: merging, gluing and flattening
A picture in Photoshop can consist of one or several layers, and on any of them (except for the background) there can be transparent areas through which the underlying elements are visible. The most important feature components of the picture is their absolute independence and independence from others, and the result of their interaction with each other depends on the way how to combine layers in "Photoshop".
You can draw and erase on a layer, move it, block it, temporarily hide it, transform it, change its opacity, make it smart (smart layer), or delete it altogether. You can "put on a mask" on it and paint on it or "cover" it with a corrective analogue in order to make corrections without destroying the original.
A novice user, who first launched the program with the intention to create a masterpiece, does not have to puzzle over how to make layers in Photoshop, because by pasting an image copied to the clipboard or loading a picture by the "Place" command (in the " File "), it will detect that objects are inserted, automatically positioning themselves in the palette at a new location.
Layers panel
Each layer on the panel is provided with a miniature copy of its image and an icon of an eye, closing which with a mouse click, we temporarily turn off the visibility of the image.
You can use the mouse to rearrange the components of the palette up or down. Double click Thumbnail will make the content of the layer highlighted on the canvas. By clicking on the icons in the "Lock" line, we can preserve the transparency and colors of the pixels, lock the position of the layer, or save them all (button with a lock).
Create a new layer
For those who are impatient to learn how to create layers in Photoshop, there is a special button at the bottom of the panel (a leaflet with folded corner), by clicking on which, you will place the new layer above the selected (selected). Alternatively, you can add New as shown below.
As the hints on the rest of the icons in the palette below say, we can (from left to right) "Add Style ...", "Add Mask", "Create New Adjustment ...", "Create new group"and, finally, throw it into the trash. The same commands are duplicated in the Layer menu.
A new layer will be created if you grab it with the right mouse button and drop it onto the leaf icon in the panel below. You can rename it by double-clicking on its name in the palette.
Merge layers
All commands that determine how to merge layers in Photoshop are invoked by right-clicking or selected from the Layer menu. For each command "hot keys" are provided, which greatly facilitate the life of a "photoshopper".
If one layer is selected in the palette, it can only be "Merge with the previous", and if two or more are selected, they can be linked, merged and grouped by selecting the appropriate commands. You can select at the same time by clicking on them while holding down the Ctrl key, or select the top one and then, pressing Shift, the bottom one.
You can choose not to select anything, but simply choose the "Merge Visibles" command.
The ability to manipulate multiple components at the same time depends on how you merge layers in Photoshop.
Layers are grouped by the "Group ..." command in the Layer menu (Ctrl + G). The advantage of grouping is that its elements share the same opacity and blend mode, so you don't have to mess with each layer. In addition, you can move and transform (Ctrl + T) the entire group as a whole, as well as create a single mask for it.
If you choose a very tricky key combination Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E, "Photoshop" will combine all the selected into a single, separate layer with the resulting effect, placing it on top of the rest and keeping each in the palette in its place.
How to "blend into layers"
The "originality" of the title is connected solely with the desire to cause a smile (benevolent), but in fact, encourages you to focus on such an extremely important and incredibly extensive topic: how to overlay layers in Photoshop.
For the nature of blending of superimposed layers in "Photoshop" are responsible "Blending modes" (Blending mode), the drop-down list of which is located at the top of the panel.
The editor can calculate the desired effect from the imposition of many layers of various colors, using for this different ways and algorithms. In CS6, for example, there are already 27 such algorithms (blending modes).
All blending modes are divided into 6 groups according to the principle of common behavior (with the exception of the first, unnamed group). Their number and name in translation into Russian may differ in different versions editor.
The first two modes have absolutely nothing in common. Normal is the default, and blending occurs if only the layers differ in opacity. And in the mode "Fading (Dissolving, Dispersing)" nothing is mixed at all. Here the top layer crumbles into small dots, and the more of them, the lower the opacity.
The second group consists of "Darkening modes", in which the resulting image is always darker than the original layers.
The next 4-5 are combined into the brightening group, since each of them is opposite to the corresponding mode from the second group.
The contrast group includes seven modes, each of which darkens something and brightens something in the image, ultimately enhancing the contrast.
The fifth group includes 2-4 of them and is called "Modes of comparison (comparison)". The tools of this group, calculating the differences in color channels, compare pixels between layers and are rarely used in photo editing.
The last group with the name "Modes of the component colors" is also called the HSL group by the names of the first three modes (Hue / Hue, Saturation / Saturation / Luminosity / Brightness). In each of the elements of this "company", the top layer controls either the brightness or saturation, or the color of the bottom.
Thus, the final result of creating or editing an image will depend on how the layers are merged in Photoshop and which blending modes are used.
When it comes to editing photos, there are five blend modes most often used (Overlay, Multiply, Screen, Brightness, and Color).
- Activate the top layer of the two you want to merge. It cannot have a layer mask. If you select a set of layers, all the layers included in it will be merged into one.
- From the palette menu Layers(Layers) select the command Merge down(Merge to bottom) or press key combination Ctrl + E... The active layer will be merged with the layer immediately below it (Fig. 7.51, 7.52). To merge a set of layers, choose Merge layer set(Merge Layer Set).
Rice. 7.51. Activating the SHELL layer
Rice. 7.52. Command Merge down
Merging multiple layers
Command Merge Visible(Merge Visible) connects all visible in this moment layers into one visible layer, which takes the place of the lowest visible layer, while the hidden layers do not change.
- Make sure that only the layers you want to merge are visible (they should all have an eye icon in the palette Layers(Layers)), and hide any layers you don't want to touch. They do not need to be sequential. Hide the background if you do not want the result of the operation to become the background of the image.
- Activate any of the layers to be merged. Carefully! If the operation involves an editable text or adjustment layer, it cannot be edited after the merge.
- From the palette menu Layers(Layers) select the command Merge Visible(Merge Visible) or press key combination Ctrl + Shift + E- see fig. 7.53 and 7.54.
The rule is that keep each element of the image on a separate layer, in some cases does not work. Sometimes you want to merge layers together. It can be only two layers or even all at once. For these purposes, Photoshop has commands such as Union, gluing and mixing... What these commands mean, as well as in what cases and why they may be needed, is explained in this article.
So, in order to use these commands, you must have at least two layers on the layers palette. The merge commands are accessed through the context menu invoked by the right mouse click on the layer.
Merging layers
If you have achieved perfection from a fragment of an image and you know that there is more never do not want to change it, then you can combine two or more layers into one. This will not only shorten the length of your layers palette, but it will also make the resulting file smaller.
Photoshop offers several ways how to merge layers.
Combining with the previous
If you want to combine two layers located next to each other, select the top layer from this pair, and then select the (Merge Down) command from the context menu or press the Ctrl + E hotkey combination.
For example, you need to merge layers 4 and 3. To do this, you need to call the menu on the 4th layer and select this command:
Result:
Combining visible
Use (the eye icon on the left side) to prepare the necessary layers for merging: for those that need to be collapsed, leave the eye icon, and for those layers that should remain intact, remove the eye icon.
After that, call the context menu by right-clicking on any of the visible layers and select the (Merge Visible) command or press the Shift + Ctrl + E hotkey combination.
For example, the task is to collapse only 5, 4 and 3 layers. So you need to remove the visibility icon from 1 and 2:
Result:
Combining selected
Often there is a mess on the palette and layers are scattered in a completely haphazard and chaotic manner. Therefore, in order to merge layers that are far from each other, you must first select them by general rule selection of layers - while holding down the Ctrl key, click in turn on each required layer (). They will become highlighted. Now you can apply the command to them Merge layers(Merge Layers) or press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + E.
For example, you need to collapse layers 1,3 and 5. Select them, then select the command:
Result:
Consolidation of related
If you are, you can also easily combine them. First you need to select all the linked layers. Most quick way do it - through the program menu Layers - Select linked layers(Select Linked Layers). After that, you can open the context menu and select the command Merge layers.
Result:
Bonding layers
You can think of glue as a safer version of merge, because in this case the newly created glue will appear on a new layer, while the original will remain intact. You just need to turn off the visibility of the sources so as not to interfere. Then at any time you can always return to them.
Scientifically, this action in Photoshop is called as Print Layers.
There are two ways how to glue layers in Photoshop.
Bonding selected
The command can be accessed only with the hotkeys Ctrl + Alt + E. First you need those layers that you want to glue.
In order not to get confused, new layer will automatically get a prefix to the name "United".
For example, you need to glue layers 2 and 4. Select them on the palette using the Ctrl key held down:
Then we apply a combination of hot keys:
Bonding visible
Turn off the visibility of the layers you do not want to stamp by clicking on the visibility icons, and then press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Alt + E.
Alternatively, you can also hold down the Alt key while selecting a command.
For example, you need to glue layers 3 and 4, which means that you need to remove the visibility icon from the rest:
Now either press the hotkey combination, or you can call the context menu and, while clicking on the command, hold down the Alt key.
The result will be gluing while preserving the originals:
Flattening layers
Flattening collapses absolutely all layers on the palette, leaving only one layer. It automatically gets the name "Background" and becomes (which is signaled by the lock icon). Moreover, all images become white.
To flatten layers, select the command from the context menu Perform mixing(Flatten Image).
Result:
Download my PSD file and try to follow through all the disassembled examples to solidify the material you read. Merging layers in Photoshop is not a complicated process at all, but it has its own nuances. Practice and then you will immediately understand everything. Success in your studies!
If you spot an error in the text, select it and press Ctrl + Enter. Thanks!
Hello future Photoshop master!
In this article, you will learn how to manage Photoshop layers - activate, move, stitch, and merge.
1. Layer activity
For example, let's take our blue avatar, which has five layers.
It should be understood that each layer is responsible for its own part of the avatar. The "glasses" layer for the glasses, the "eyes" layer for the eyes, and so on. If we want to change the color of the glasses frames, then we need to activate the layer that is responsible for the glasses. To activate a layer, you need to click on the desired layer. Change the color of the frame - that means we are working with the "glasses" layer:
Remember: there can be only one active layer at a time.
2. Moving layers in the document
The tool is responsible for moving layers. Move Tool- it is on the tool palette.
When working with this tool, at the top, under the main menu, you will see a panel with its settings. At the moment we are interested in the following setting:
If the setting is not checked (as in the picture), then wherever you are in the document, only the active layer will move. I now have this layer with glasses. With a tool Move Tool I moved the frame up.
If setting Auto Select Layer checked, then the layer that you click on in the document will move (grabbed the mouth - moved, grabbed the eyebrows - dragged, etc.) This is very convenient function, if the objects are large enough, it is harder to grab small objects, such as letters, in this case it is better to disable the checkbox.
3. Moving layers in the layers palette
Now let's talk about moving layers in the layers palette. At the moment, if you list from top to bottom, then I have the following order of layers: glasses, eyebrows, eyes, mouth, blue square. And all together they form a cute blue avatar. Go to the layers palette, stand on the "eyes" layer, hold down the mouse button and move it to the very top to the place of the "glasses" layer (you should have got a gripping hand).
Here's what we got - the eye layer covers the glasses layer.
In fact, it still suits him better when his eyes are behind the glasses - move it back! The main thing is that you understand the meaning of dragging and dropping layers. There are times when you do not see the layer, refer to the palette, perhaps it is simply covered by some of the existing elements. In this case, you need to take and move your lost layer to a higher level.
4. Bonding layers
If you have a desire for the eyebrows to move with the eyes, then the function will help us with this. Link Layers which is at the bottom of the panel Layers
or in the main menu Layers - Link Layers.
Hold down the key Ctrl click on the layers that you want to link together. In our case, select the "eyebrows" and "eyes", and then click on the icon Link Layers... Now the eyes and eyebrows of the avatar will be inseparable.
You can also click to remove the staple. Or, conversely, add to other layers.
5. Merging the layer with the bottom
Now let's try to merge the two layers into one. Let's merge the "eyes" and "glasses" layers. Why go to the layer with glasses and press the key combination Ctrl + E or in the main menu Layers - Merge Down.
Now we have such a picture - we merged the layer with the lower one:
6. Merge all visible layers
To connect all parts of the avatar together, press the key combination Shift + Ctrl + E or Layers - Merge Visible, then all visible layers will be merged into one layer.
Now we have a single and indivisible blue avatar.
See you in the next lessons!
Instructions
The division of information into many layers that make up the composition is, on the one hand, a very convenient help in work - each separate layer can be processed and changed independently of the others, on the other hand, this division sometimes prevents from performing just the same operations for all layers or simultaneous applying filters.
Therefore, in order not to deprive yourself of freedom, you must always be aware of whether you really need to merge the layers together, or whether it is enough to just virtually "link" them for the possibility of a single transformation, or even just enough to group and sort them into "daddies" so as not to get confused in the wilds of the composition.
If you need to simultaneously move, reduce, rotate, reflect, or some other kind of geometric transformation of several layers - for example, on each of them one of the parts of a large object is located, and this entire object must be moved or reduced - this can be done without any damage to their individual content.
Select several layers in the list of layers that you need by clicking on the lines with the names of the layers, while holding Ctrl key, or Shift, in accordance with the standard rules for selecting elements adopted in the OS interface. When several layers are selected in the list, click at the bottom of the list on the icon with the shown chain links. (You can also do this using the Layer> Link Layers menu) Now the layers have become linked for a general transformation: by shifting one, you will move all associated with it, when you scale one, the rest will be stretched, etc. You can pay attention to the fact that now, when you select one layer, at the end of the lines with the layers connected to it, chain icons will be highlighted. Accordingly, you can split layers by clicking on the icon at the bottom of the list of layers. If at the same time not all layers are selected, then only the selected ones will be excluded from the list of connected ones, the rest will remain connected with each other.
You can combine layers in a different way by enclosing them in a single group. Layer groups in Adobe photoshop Is the prototype of the nested folder structure used in computer systems... Layers can be combined into a folder, folders, in turn, nested into others, etc. There are several advantages to such a combination:
Firstly, it creates order in the list of layers - the unnecessary contents of the folders-groups can be visually collapsed so that they do not interfere with the view, this, of course, will have a positive effect on the convenience and speed of the necessary objects in the list.
Second, the layer group has common blend mode and transparency options. Thus, for example, there is no need for each layer to be translucent, setting the corresponding parameters each time the same for such layers - you can once collect them into one group and set the total number.
Thirdly, moving and transforming objects combined into a group is as simple as "linked" through Link Layers, but new way communication is more flexible and convenient. If you select a group header in the list of layers, then the transformation performed will affect all layers in it. But if there and then a need arises, for example, to individually move any separate layer, this can be done simply by purposefully selecting it in the list, without additional procedures - let me remind you that in linked layers it would be necessary to first "unhook" it from the list, and then re-list.
Fourthly, the group has a common transparency mask, therefore, when merging layers into such a folder, there is no need to control the outlines of each separate layer - the excess can be "cropped" with a common mask.
It is not difficult to create a group folder: to do this, you need to click the corresponding icon at the bottom of the layers panel, or go through the Layer> Group Layers menu. You can include layers in a group by dragging and dropping them in the list onto the group heading, and extract them, respectively, by moving them out of the group.
V latest versions Adobe programs Photoshop has one more merging mode - creating a so-called Smart Object from several layers. This is essentially the inclusion in one document of another independent one, which can be edited and saved in a separate window, after which the results of these operations will be displayed in the main document. A big plus of this method of merging layers is that you can connect the Filter Gallery property to the Smart Object, that is, thus apply a single filter to several layers at once, and the content of these layers remains intact, while you can modify the parameters themselves filters, achieving the best result, and, if necessary, make changes to the layers themselves, their relative position, the mode of inclusion in the composition, etc.
If the previous methods of merging layers do not suit you, for example, for purely economic reasons - no editing of layers is definitely implied, all complex filters have already been applied and configured, the relative position of layers will not change in any way, so there is no reason to have a battery of separate layers that takes away program resources and disk space - you can simply merge them together, make one simple layer out of them.
To do this, select the layers we need in the list of layers, and in context menu we find the item Merge Layers (Merge layers), you can also do this through the main menu command Layer> Merge Layers or by pressing Ctrl + E on the keyboard.
To facilitate this operation, you can also select the Merge Visible operation located next to the menu, then you do not need to select anything in the list of layers - everything that is currently displayed in the viewport will merge into a single layer.
You can also merge layers that were previously collected into one group - in the context menu, select the Merge Group item. Of course, the group will then cease to exist, and a new layer will appear in its place.
Finally, you can apply the most radical method - choose the Flatten Image command from the menu. Then all information about the layers will be completely lost: everything that was in the composition will be replaced by one base layer, which, moreover, will be the background layer - i.e. everything that went beyond the canvas will be cut off and disappear. In practice, it is very rare to resort to such a step, because no one is immune from mistakes, and re-doing the work on recreating and separating layers is extremely ungrateful, and, moreover, sometimes technically impossible. Sometimes, inexperienced users believe that the implementation of Flatten Image is necessary in order to have a complete final image that can be sent to friends or customers, posted on the Internet, etc. This is not true. The composition file just needs to be saved in two different formats... One - full document with the possibility of further editing and correction in the "native" format of the Adobe Photoshop program (menu File> Save or File> Save As) And another file just for Internet needs, for example, in the popular JPEG format can be saved additionally (for example, via the File> Save for Web menu, which contains all required settings for optimal preservation of the image specifically for transmission via communication channels), while no special merging is needed - everything will be saved in one picture automatically. So you will always be insured against the need to do additional repetitive work and bitterly regret the lost information, opportunities and time.