ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 9

USING PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 9
Using layers
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Create a clipping mask
1 In the Edit workspace, do one of the following:
• Hold down Alt (Option in Mac OS), position the pointer over the line dividing two layers in the Layers panel (the
pointer changes to two overlapping circles ), and then click.
• In the Layers panel, select the top layer of a pair of layers you want to group, and choose Layer > Create Clipping Mask.
2 When making a clipping mask from an existing layer and one you are about to create, first select the existing layer
in the Layers panel. Then choose New Layer from the Layer menu or the Layers panel More menu. In the New Layer
dialog box, select Use Previous Layer To Create Clipping Mask, and click OK.
The layers in the clipping mask have the opacity and mode attributes of the bottommost base layer in the group.
To change the stacking order of the clipping mask relative to other layers in the image, select all layers in the group.
Then drag the group’s base layer up or down in the Layers panel. (Dragging a layer without selecting all the layers in
the group removes that layer from the group.)
More Help topics
“Link and unlink layers” on page 67
Remove a layer from a clipping mask
Ungrouping the base layer from the layer above it ungroups all layers in the clipping mask.
❖ In the Edit workspace, do one of the following:
• Hold down Alt (Option in Mac OS), position the pointer over the line separating two grouped layers in the Layers
panel (the pointer changes to two overlapping circles ), and click.
• In the Layers panel, select a layer in the clipping mask, and choose Layer > Release Clipping Mask. This command
removes the selected layer and any layers above it from the clipping mask.
• In the Layers panel, select any layer in the group except the base layer. Either drag the layer below the base layer, or
drag it between two ungrouped layers in the image.
Release clipping mask
1 In the Layers panel, select any layer other than the base layer in the clipping mask.
2 Choose Layer > Release Clipping Mask.
Layer styles
About layer styles
Layer styles let you quickly apply effects to an entire layer. In the Effects panel, you can view a variety of predefined
layer styles and apply a style with just a click of the mouse.
Last updated 1/27/2011