Photoshop tutorial - Layers

I've had a few readers ask how to do my clothing and room boards with text.  Well readers, let me introduce you to Photoshop.  Photoshop, meet readers.  (If you don't have Photoshop, you can accomplish something similar in Picasso or other photo sites.  I've personally never used them, but I've heard they do the job.)

This tutorial will show you how to create a new document with several different images you have.
 
First, open a new document.  File > New

A pop-up box will appear asking you the size.  You can use pixels, inches, cm, points, etc in the drop down box. Set your size (it's ok if you don't know, you can adjust it later.)

Now you have a blank page.  Go to the image you want to use.  If you are using a saved image, open it it Photoshop, using File > Open.  For this example, we will use one from the internet.

Find the image you like on the web.  Right click the image and copy. (Always remember to credit the source!)

 

Now go back to your Photoshop document and right-click, paste.  Your image will appear in your document.  Depending on the size you started with, the copied image may or may not fit.  

To re-size that image:

• Click on the Rectangular Marquee Tool at the top left corner of the tool box.  This tool creates the selection that you want to edit.
• Click and drag to make a rectangle around the entire image that you want to re-size.
• Now you will see a dotted line around the image.
• Go to Edit > Free Transform.  
• The dotted line turns into a straight line with boxes at the corners.

 

Now, move your cursor over one of those boxes at the corner and click and drag to the size you want.  You can also adjust by percentage at the top.  When you are finished, click the check mark at the right side of the top bar. 

 

Or, if you don't click the check mark, you can click the Move Tool.  This is the tool you will use to move your image around the Document.

Done!  You now have your first "Layer".  Repeat the steps above to continue adding images to your document.  Each new image you paste will create a new layer.  Anytime you want to edit an image, make sure you have selected the correct layer, by clicking on the layer in the Layer Window.  If you want to put one image in front or behind another, just click and drag the layers above or below the other.  (Can I say the word "layer" one more time in this paragraph?)

Remember, using the Rectangular Marquee tool will create a selection for you to edit.  If you want to delete part of this layer's image, select the area you want to remove with the tool and hit the Delete button.

Remember to save your project every once in a while!  File > Save As > PSD.  Save the original as a Photoshop Document so you can still edit it.  Once it's finished, you'll have to save it as a .jpg or .gif to post on the web.

So this is not the best tutorial, but it gets the job done.  I'm not an expert, this is just what I've done playing around with Photoshop over the years.  If you have any other tips or questions, please leave a comment.

Next up...adding text!