By Charlotte Reeves

Introduction to Layers

Understanding layers in Photoshop is an essential editing skill, but one that is often glossed over as common knowledge in most editing tutorials. We've had so many requests for this topic that I've created a special 5-part Editing Toolbox series focusing on everything you need to know as a pet photographer, about Photoshop layers.

In this first episode, I cover what layers actually are, how they work (including a super helpful analogy) and the different types of layers that it's possible to create.

Feel free to skip through the video using the chapter links below, or watch from start to finish for a complete overview.

0:00 Introduction

1:49 Making the Layers palette visible

2:09 Tweaks for optimising the Layers palette

3:56 Revealing the artboard

4:07 The Layer Analogy

5:10 Layer order

6:07 What is destructive editing?

6:55 Using Adjustment layers for non-destructive editing

8:02 Types of Adjustment Layers

8:42 Solid colour layers

Watch the rest of the videos in this free 5 part series: 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

If you like these quick tutorials, you'll love our premium Unleashed Edits - full start-to-finish editing tutorials in Lightroom and Photoshop. These are available in our membership (along with a tonne of amazing pet photography education). We hope to see you there!