Part 1: Layer Organization, Creating Shapes, and basic Coloring

Learning the concept of layering is an essential building block of the Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop environments. Layer Exercise 1 is designed to help the student design and develop basic layering skills, using the layers pallette and options that assist in organizing objects, shapes, and layers into workable arrangements 

Part 2: Paste Into, Transform, Linking, and Blending

The continuation of Layer Exercise 1, Layer Exercise 2 takes the student beyond simple layer stacking and into the practice of layer linking, layer masking, and layer blending. 

Part 3: Layer Styles (Bevel & Emboss, Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, and Glow)

The final phase of the layer study, Layer Styles 1 explores the ready-built effects and enhancements for mult-layer compositions using effects like glows, bevels, drop-shadows, gradients, textures, fills, and strokes.

When you are finished, this is how your Photoshop document should appear. Be sure to save the final version as a Photoshop PSD and PDF file in your folder.

Select Source Files from the Home/Resources drop down menu to acquire the image of the bird, cat, and dog

Standards of Technological Literacy

STL 2 - The Core Concepts of Technology

• Systems
• Resources
• Requirements
• Optimization and Trade-offs
• Processes
• Control

STL 8 - The Attributes of Design

• The Design Process
• Designs need to be refined

STL 10 - The Role of Troubleshooting, Research and Development, Invention and Innovation, and Experimentation in Problem Solving

• Multidisciplinary Approach

STL 11 - Apply the Design Process

• Identify a design problem
• Refine the design
• Evaluate the design
• Reevaluate final solution

STL 12 - Use and Maintain Technological Products and Systems

• Use computers to communicate
• Operate and maintain systems

STL 17 - Information and Communication Technologies

• Many ways of communicating
• Communicating through symbols

This tutorial will help to build your knowledge about Adobe Photoshop and using layers (among other tools of this program).

1. Create a new folder in your Communications 1/Multimedia folder and title it "Adobe Photoshop - Layers." This is where you will store all of your documents for this assignment.
2. Open Photoshop.
3. Create a new document that is 640 pixels wide by 480 pixels tall.
   
4. On the Layers panel (located under Window on your menu bar), click on the New Layer button. This will create a new layer.
   
5.  Double click on the word Layer 1  and rename it as Circle.
6.  Right click on the  empty space located next to the word Circle and select the word Red from the drop down menu. This will add a red tab to your layer.
7. Repeat steps 7 through 9, making a layer for a Square (with a blue tab) and a Triangle (with a green tab).
8. Select the Circle layer.
9. Use the Eliptical Marquee tool to draw a circle (this is located on your Tool bar). You will see the selected area (it sort of looks like little marching ants)
   
10. Use the Paint Bucket (on your Tool bar) to drop red paint inside the circle
    
11.  Click on the Select from the menu bar and then cleck Deselect (this will deselect the circle area and your marching ants will disappear)
12. Select the Square layer
13. Use the Rectangle Marquee tool to draw a square 
    
14. Use the Paint Bucket to drop blue paint inside the square. 
    
15. Deselect this area
16. Select the Triangle layer
17. Select the Pen Tool on the Tool Bar. Be sure that the Pen Tool is set to Path instead of Shape on the properties menu at the top of the screen 
    
18. Draw a triangle on the Triangle layer. What you will draw will appear to be a simple line drawing of a triange.
19. Select the Direct Selection arrow (underneath the pen tool you will see a black arrow. Hold your mouse down and it will bring up the options for either the Select or Direct Select arrow. The white one is the Direct Select arrow).
20. Right click on the Triangle's "path" that you made with the pen tool and select Make Selection. This will create a selection around the triangle perimeter.
21. Use the Paint Bucket to drop green paint in the triangle.
22. Click on the menu item labeled Select then choose deselect on the drop down menu.
23. At the top right corner of your Layers panel, there is a button you need to click on (it looks like a series of three small, horizontal lines). This is where we find the Layers Panel Options. When you have located Panel Options, click on it.
24. This brings up the Layer Panels Option box. Here, we need to change the thumbnail size. Set it to the largest picture in the box.
25. Save this Photoshop document as "Layers 1 Finished" (use the drop-down menu to select .PSD)
26. Re-save this Photoshop document as "Layers 1 Finished" (This time,  use the drop-down menu to select Photoshop PDF. There should now be two versions: a PSD (PhotoShop Document) and a PDF (Portable Document Forma) version of this file in your folder). 
    
    

Paste Into and Masking

• Open Photoshop
• Re-open the file "Layers 1 Finished.psd"
• Make sure the Layer's Panel is open.
• Click and drag the Triangle layer, dropping it underneath the Circle Layer.
• Change the Opacity of the Triangle layer to 35%, located at the top of the Layer's panel.
• Change ethe Opacity of the Square to 60%
• Change the Opacity of the Circle layer to 40%
  
• Save this document as "Layers 2 Finished" (Make sure you use the drop-down box to select .PSD)
• Click on the "Home" button of MHSGraphics.com and select "Source Files" from the dropdown menu.
• On this page, you will find three hyperlinks labeled "Dog," "Cat," and "Bird." Clicking on these links will open up images of a Dog, Cat and Bird. You need to download these images into your "Adobe Photoshop - Layers" folder inside of your Communications/Multimedia folder.
  
• In Photoshop, open the Dog file.
• Click on the "Select" menu and choose "Select All." This will select the entire picture of the dog.
• Copy (under Edit) the picture of the dog.
• Close the picture of the dog.
• On your Layer's 2 Finished photoshop file, use the Magic Wand to select the Circle (You must select the Circle layer first).
• With the Circle "Marqueed'd" off, go to the menu item labeled "Edit" and then "Paste Into" (Located under the "Paste Special" menu item). This will paste the picture of the dog into the circle.
  
• Notice the new layer on the Layer's Panel? You can see the layer with the dog as well as a white circle to the right of it. This is what we call a "Layer Mask." The mask allows whatever is in the circle to show through. Whatever is behind the black part of the mask is hidden from view.
•  Name this layer "Dog."
• The dog appears to be too large. You need to "rescale" the picture of the dog by clicking on the menu item "Edit" and then click on the drop-down item labeled "Transform." Select "Scale" from the Transform menu.
• Hold down the "Shift" key on the keyboard and grab any of the corners on the re-scaling box.
• Drag inwards toward the center of the picture (keep holding the "shift key). This will scale the image down so that it fits within the circle. You can also grab the picture and move it around for a better fit as well.
  
• When you are done, click the "Enter" key. This finishes up the Transform function.
• Repeat the process with the picture of the Bird and the Cat. The provided sample shows you how your image should look when you are done.
• Remember to name these layers "Bird" and "Cat."

Linking Layers and Masks

•  The layers and their masks must be "Linked." Click on the little gap between the image and the mask on the layer. After you click, you will notice a small chain link symbol. This indicates that the layers are linked. So, when you move one layer both layers will move at the same time. This ensures that the applied mask keeps masking the image as it should, regardless of where the dog, cat or bird is placed on the document.
  
  
• Now, it's time to link the layers. Click on the Dog layer.
• Hold down the "Shift" key and then click on the "Circle" layer. This allows you to select multiple layers at one time.
• Click on the "Link" button at the bottom of the "Layer's Panel." This will link multiple layers together. You only want to link the Dog layer with the Circle layer.
  
• Remember to do this for the Cat and Bird as well.
• Now, reposition the Cat towards the bottom right hand corner of the Photoshop document.

Changing Blend Modes

• Reposition the dog to the upper left hand corner of the document.
  Click on the Dog layer and change it's blend mode to "Multiply" (at the top of the Layer's Panel).
  
• Click on the Cat layer and change it's blend mode to "Exclusion" (at the top of the Layer's Panel).
• Click on the Bird layer and change it's blend mode to "Vivid Light (at the top of the Layer's Panel).
• Save your document as "Layers 2 Finished.psd"
• Re-Save your document as "Layers 2 Finished.pdf"

• Open Photoshop (if not already opened)
• Re-Open the file Layer 2 Finished.psd
• Click on the Dog Layer.
• At the bottom of the Layers Panel, click on the FX button (also known as the Layer Styles button).
• Select Bevel and Emboss style from the Pop-Up menu.
• Adjust the Structure Depth to 256%.
• Adjust the Structure Size to 18
• Adjust the Shading Angle to 108
• Adjust the Shading Altitude to 58
• Click on the Inner Shadow style on the left hand side-bar (make sure it turns blue)
• Adjust the Opacity to 55%
• Adjust the Distance to 12
• The Blend Mode should be Multiply
• Click on the Drop Shadow style on the left hand side-bar (make sure it's blue or gray, or whatever because this indicates it is actually selected)
• Set the Opacity to 50%
• Set the Distance to 10
• Click on the Gradient Overlay style on the left hand side-bar (make sure it's blue, gray, whatever)
• Change the Gradient color mode to Overlay
• Drag your Layers Panel away from it's position (which is stuck on the right hand side of the screen) by clicking on the panel's name (that Layer tab) and position it anywhere you want to within Photoshop. This should sort of extend the layer panel and you can see the layers widen a bit.
• Right click on the the Dog layer (a little to the right of the actual layer name) and select Copy Layer Style
• Right click on the Cat layer (a little to the right of the actual layer name) and select Paste Layer Style
• Repeat this for the Bird layer
• Double-click on the "FX" button on the Cat layer. This will re-open the Layer Styles dialog box.
• Select Outer Glow from the left hand side-bar.
• Set the Structure's Blend Mode to Normal
• Set the Structure's Opacity to 100%
• 
• Set the Element's Spread to 19%
• Set the Element's Size to 18px
• Set the color to a nice pink (your choice)
• Click Okay
• Click on the Dog Layer
• Double Click on the FX button the Dog Layer
• Select "Inner Glow" on the left-hand side-bar
• Set the Blend mode to "Normal"
• Set the "Choke" to 24%
• Set the Size to 38 px
• Set the color to an orange (your choice)
• Add whatever combination of Layer Styles to the Bird layer (get creative)
  
• Save your file as Photoshop Layer Styles Finished.psd
• Re-Save your file as Photoshop Layer Styles Finished.pdf

STEL 7 Design in Technology and Engineering Education

7O: Apply tools, techniques, and materials in a safe manner as part of the design process

7R: Refine design solutions to address criteria and constraints

7V: Improve essential skills necessary to successfully design.

7CC: Apply a broad range of design skills to their design process

7DD: Apply a broad range of making skills to their design process