Course Description

Layers are one of the most important skills you can learn in Photoshop Elements! Their understanding is essential in using the program successfully, yet they are often one of the hardest concepts for users to grasp. This class will get you going with layers: you will learn to use the layers palette, what it means to merge layers, and how to make new layers, as well as the difference between a background and layer. We will learn about transparent gifs and pngs, and how to make a simple animation using layers and PSE. You will learn to use layer masks and make collages and great Out of Bounds (OOB) effects that will have people asking you how you did that! We will be doing six weeks of hands-on projects so you work with layers and really understand how to use them and why they are so important. At the end of this course, you will wonder why you ever thought layers were hard! This is a 6 lesson, self-paced, online course. LVS is a Corel Training Partner. LVS students may purchase Corel products at a significant savings. Follow this link for details. LVS students are eligible to receive software and hardware at a discount. Follow this link for details. Students are also eligible take advantage of special offers made available specifically for LVS by famous software developers such as Andromeda, AV Bros, Extensis, Harry Heim, namesuppressed, Nik Multimedia, and Ulead. Details are provided in the classinfo link found in the confirmation of registration. Show off your LVS Online spirit with an item from the LVS Store If you would like to receive more information regarding this course, click on the "Contact Us" link in the Information section and we'll try to answer any of your questions within the day.

Course Requirements

You must have Photoshop Elements installed on your Mac or PC. This class was written using Photoshop Elements 8, but will work with 6 and 7 as well, and differences will be noted. Photoshop Elements for Mac You need to understand the basics of using Elements, such as making selections and using the tools in the toolbox, because this is an intermediate course and the basics will not be covered. Free tutorials are available: Basic HTML page WS_FTP SmartFTP Students should have working knowledge of their operating system and must understand directories and paths: Free Windows Class Here Directory Structure Tutorial Here Zip files may be necessary to complete the exercises provided each week. WinZip, PKZip, Windows Compression or similar program is required to unzip these files. Winzip Tutorial Here Windows Compression All lessons are available in PDF format. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view/print the lessons. Plan to devote 3 - 4 hours per week on the lesson and assignment; on this class that may vary according to how much experimenting you choose to do with actions and the other subjects of the class.

Course Prerequisites

Photoshop Elements Basics This is an intermediate course so you need to understand basic Elements operations such as opening an image, creating a new one, and working with the tools in the program.

Course Syllabus

Lesson 1 What are Layers? Why Should You Care? Using the Layers Palette Fill Layers Merge Down, Merge Visible, Flatten: Why and When? Group with Previous Changing Layer Content Lesson 2 Adjustment Layers New Adjustment Panel in PSE 8 Layer Blend Modes Vignettes Darkened Portrait Effect Placing Objects Behind Other Objects Weaving a Shape into a Photo Lesson 3 Displace Filter Light Rays Layer Masks in Elements Fading Images Together Photo Edges Using Layers Lesson 4 What Makes a Good Collage? Finding Inspiration for Your Compositions One Image Montage Creating a Triptych Lesson 5 Thinking Outside the Box: Out of Bounds Images Portrait Retouching Basics Lesson 6 Working with Vector Shapes and Vector Layers Vector Layer Masks Transparent GIF and PNG Images Animations

Course Excerpt

Merge Down, Merge Visible, and Flatten Image: What and Why? At the bottom of the layers menu are three commands that confuse a lot of new Elements and Photoshop users: Merge Down, Merge Visible, and Flatten Image. They work differently, and they also may work differently depending on how your image is constructed. These commands can be reached from either the Layer menu or the More menu on the layers palette. (Note: This menu changes according to the kind of layer selected so don't panic if you see an extra command or one is different than listed here.) Exercise 4 Step 1. Open the file merge.psd from this week's zip file. This file has a solid yellow background, a solid blue layer, one flower layer, and one layers of text. I used Arial Rounded MT Bold, which comes with Windows so everyone should have it. Merge Down Merge Down (CMD/CTR L + E, or More > Merge Down on the layers palette) combines the active layer with the layer below it. (Note: If you have more than one layer selected, the Layers menu will read Merge Layers rather than Merge Down). Step 2. Target the type layer in the merge.psd file, and choose Layer > Merge Down.or CMD/CTRL + E. The text layer and the blue layer below it become one layer. Note that you cannot merge a pixel-based layer like the flower layer down into a type, fill, or adjustment layer. If you try to do so, nothing will happen. You can, however, merge type, fill, or adjustment layers with pixel-based layers below them, but use this sparingly as it removes the ability to edit these layers. If a linked layer is selected, this command becomes "Merge Linked"; more about this in a minute. Merge Visible Merge Visible (SHIFT +CMD/CTRL + E) merges only the layers that are visible, and ignores hidden layers. Click the blue layer (Layer 2) to target it, choose the text tool (T) from the tool box and click in the image. Type "blossoms" to add a text layer. It will be added above the blue layer. Text is always added above the targeted layer. Click the visibility icon beside the flower layer to hide the flower layer. To use the Merge Visible command, one of the visible layers must be selected. The "blossoms" text layer is the targeted layer. Go to Layer > Merge Visible (or More > Merge Visible on the layers palette, or the keyboard shortcut SHIFT + CTRL + E), and the blossoms text and Layer 2 merge with the background. The flower is still a separate layer because it was hidden. Because the yellow background was below Layer 2, it is replaced by Layer 2, which then becomes the new background. This command should be used cautiously because it combines all visible layers regardless of content as one pixel-based image layer and removes any ability to edit text or adjustment layers. Flattening an Image When you flatten an image, all visible layers are merged into the background and hidden layers are discarded. Because when you close the image you will lose your undo history, flattening an image is irreversible. Therefore, you should never flatten an image unless you are sure you have no further need to edit it. Turn on the flower layer again and the flowers are visible in the image. Right click on either the background or flower layer and choose Flatten Image. (Or choose Flatten Image from the more menu, or go to Layer > Flatten Image).The flower layer will merge with the background. You can close this practice image without saving changes. Continued... Please note: Lessons provide step-by-step instructions with detailed screen captures.

Course Goals

By the end of this course, you will have an understanding of layers and how important they are so you can realize the full potential of working in Photoshop Elements. We will work with many hands-on projects so you not only get a feel for working with layers, but understand why and when to use them.