Anytime you open an image in Photoshop it appears on your screen and in the Layers tab. On the layers tab you will see a very small copy of your image along with the word “background” and a small lock.

The best way to think of layers is to view them as when they were used in the making of cartoons. They started out with a single background image similar to what you see when you open an image in Photoshop. Next, a clear layer or layers are added with other images or text to make the final photo. Layers in Photoshop are used to adjust an image, add text or add multiple images.

In the Layers tab you will see a small copy of your image, the word Background and a small lock. The tab has a few icons. There is one to open a New Layer (square icon), another to open an Adjustment Layer (round icon), a Trash Can to delete, a Blend Mode and Opacity slider. These are grayed out as you can only use them on a layer and not a background. The other difference between an image in a layer and an image as the background is that if you erase on an image in a layer the erased part will be transparent. On a background it will be white. Erasing on a layer will allow for items underneath the layer to show through.

To achieve the affect of having color on a black and white image you would duplicate your image on another layer and then change the duplicated layer to black and white. You can then erase on the black and white and allow the color image to show through.

Whatever you do to a layer will only impact that layer. Keep in mind that an image that is a background is always at the bottom of the layer stack. If you need to move your image to the middle or the top of the layer stack, you will need to change the image to a layer. To do this, you double click on the image in the Layers tab and it will be changed to Layer 0 with a Normal blend mode and opacity of 100. With the image set to a layer, if you click on the blend mode, a menu will pop up with a number of options. Feel free to change them and see what happens to your image. You can always go back to your original image by selecting the Normal mode.

On the layers tab you will see a small eye to the left of the image. If you click on the eye it will disappear and so will the layer from your screen. Where the eye was, click again and everything will re-appear. This is very helpful if you are making an adjustment and you want to see what changed in your image. Just click the eye off and on.

These are a few guidelines that I follow when working on images. Please take the ones you like and leave the rest.

1.    Never “Save” your image to the original file. Always “Save As” to a new file.
2.    Save your working image in PSD (Photoshop) or TIFF format to keep all of your details and resolution.
3.    Don’t shoot DIGITAL B&W. You can always post-process a color image to B&W, but not the other way around.
4.    When taking a photo use the highest resolution possible.
5.    When you are making a change to an image multiple minor adjustments are better then one major adjustment.

 Reading about layers is one thing but let me demonstrate how to change this image.


With the addition of just one layer we can change it to this.

Here’s how I did it.
1.    I opened the picture file of the red rose.
2.    Next double-clicking on the image in the Layers tab changed it from a background image to a layer. It was named Layer 0 with a Normal blend mode and 100% opacity. I clicked OK.
3.    I opened the file of the border.

4.    With the file opened, I went to Select on the toolbar and Select All.
5.    In Edit on the toolbar, I selected Copy.
6.    I went back to the picture of the rose.
7.    In Edit on the toolbar, I selected Paste.
8.    Photoshop opened a new layer called Layer 1 and I pasted the border image in the new layer.
9.    I resized the border image to cover the entire frame, then clicked the checkmark when done.
10.    I now had a black and white image of leaves on the screen. In the layers tab Layer 0 and Layer 1 are visible.
11.    With Layer 1 selected, I changed the mode from Normal to Multiply.
12.    TA-DA! The blending of two images is done.

To get other effects you can change the mode and the opacity to achieve your final image.

This process is known as Gray Matte or Adding an Edge. You can find free edges at a few websites. Google free Photoshop edges or Harry’s Edges. After you download them you can apply them to your images using this technique.

If you use an Edge with a white center the mode needs to be Multiply to allow the image underneath it to show through. If the edge has a black center using the Screen mode it will give you the same results. There is no right or wrong way to get to your final image. The best approach is to have fun and experiment.

Remember - You don't take a photograph. You ask, quietly, to borrow it and adjust it with Layers in Photoshop.
Copyright by Frank Zaremba, used with permission.