YouTube Screenshot/Alien Skin Software
Using layers as part of your editing workflow is an excellent way to get creative with your images without impacting the original image itself.
That is, each layer is added to the file - think of it like a stack of pancakes - each of which contains a different edit.
One layer might brighten the image while another might enhance the vibrancy. You can adjust the opacity of each layer, use masks, and perform a variety of other tasks with layers to get a custom look.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use layers to fulfill your creative vision. To illustrate this process, we’ll look at layering in Exposure by Alien Skin Software.
The video above offers a detailed demonstration of the process. Below, I’ve outlined that process step by step.
Table of Contents
- What are Layers and How are They Used?
- How to Create Layers in Photos
- How to Manage Layers in Photo Editing
What are Layers and How are They Used?
YouTube Screenshot/Alien Skin Software
As noted above, layers are used to add adjustments to an image without impacting the original image itself.
In Exposure, each layer includes two elements, as shown above - the adjustments you make (on the left) as well as a mask (on the right).
Regarding adjustments, they can be made in one of two ways. First, you can use Exposure’s editing panels to select the appropriate adjustment. Second, you can apply a preset to the layer. Presets are available in Exposure’s Presets panel, as shown below.
YouTube Screenshot/Alien Skin Software
Part of the beauty of using layers is that they can be applied to the entire image (i.e., by adding a preset to a layer) or they can be applied to just a portion of the image that you select.
The process of applying a layer’s adjustment to a part of an image is straightforward.
YouTube Screenshot/Alien Skin Software
In the screenshot above, you can see how a Blue and Yellow preset has been applied to this photo by Norwegian photographer Anne Helene Gjelstad. Notice how the preset has been brushed on the leaves in the background and does not influence the appearance of the boy in the center of the frame.
This is because the mask determines which areas of the layer will display the selected adjustment.
If you look at the thumbnail of the mask, you can see which areas of the photo have been affected by the mask. The light areas represent the portion of the photo to which the adjustment has been applied. The dark areas are unaffected.
Think of the function of the mask as controlling the brightness of the layer’s effect - if the mask is bright, the adjustment will appear more strongly. If the mask is dark, not as much (if any) of the adjustment will come through.
YouTube Screenshot/Alien Skin Software
While the mask shows you where the adjustment has been applied, the thumbnail preview of the image gives you details about the image at the present stage of editing. If you click on it as shown above, you can see a list of the adjustments that have been made thus far.
Furthermore, you can use the Opacity Sliders on each layer to determine how robust the layer’s effect is on the image.
Dragging the Opacity Slider to the left decreases the effect while dragging it to the right increases the layer’s effect.
Quick Tip: Not all adjustments can be added to a layer. For example, you can’t crop or rotate an image in a layer, nor can you perform lens corrections or spot healing. These adjustments must be made before adding layers to the image.
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How to Create Layers in Photos
YouTube Screenshot/Alien Skin Software
Adding layers is a simple matter of clicking the Add Layer button. With an infinite number of layering possibilities, there is no end to the creative output you can create by adding them to an image.
Once the layer is created, you’ll want to click on the mask thumbnail, which opens the Brushing Panel. Using a brush allows you to select which areas of the image will be impacted by the layer’s effect.
In this case, the Enhance Iris tool is selected and the flow is set at 50 percent, as you can see on the right side of the screenshot above.
At this point, you just brush the effect onto the image. If the effect needs to be changed, you can do so by reducing the opacity of the layer as described earlier.
YouTube Screenshot/Alien Skin Software
To apply a preset to the entire image, you simply click Add Layer again, select the desired preset, and it will be applied. In this instance, the Kodachrome preset was selected.
Remember, this preset has been applied to the entire image. This is because the layer mask thumbnail was not selected beforehand.
Quick Tip: When adding layers to a photo, it’s best to make basic adjustments first (i.e., exposure, saturation, contrast, etc.), then add a preset, then make brushing adjustments, and finally adding details like grain or light leaks at the end. This is important because each layer influences the layer below it.
How to Manage Layers in Photo Editing
YouTube Screenshot/Alien Skin Software
Layers don’t just give you flexibility in terms of the adjustments you can make to the image. They also offer various controls for enhancing their effects.
For example, as shown above, if you right-click on a layer, you’re presented with various options, like layer, adjustments, or mask, and from there you can choose to further manipulate the selection.
YouTube Screenshot/Alien Skin Software
So, if you want to duplicate a layer, you can do so. You can also toggle layers on and off. As shown above, Exposure even allows you to make adjustments to layers on more than one image. This is handy if you need to apply the same kind of layer to more than one photo.
YouTube Screenshot/Alien Skin Software
If you get confused as to what layers you’ve added, Exposure’s History Panel gives you an overview of each change you’ve made. What’s more, you can revert the image back to any point in the history if need be.
Quick Tip: You can save layers as a custom preset, that way you can apply those specific changes to images in the future. Programs like Exposure allow you to select which adjustments are saved, that way more unique adjustments that might not be applicable to other images can be left out.
So, as you can see, adding and managing layers to an image is a quick and simple process, yet it can have a profound impact on the images you create!
Better still, you can learn how to use layers and experiment with Exposure all at the same time. Head over to their website to get a 30-day free trial and get your creative groove on!
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