Layers are a powerful feature of Photoshop that allow you to work on one part of an image without disturbing the rest of it. While the concept of layers may seem intimidating at first, once you get the hang of using layers you’ll wonder how you ever survived without them!

The transparent parts of any layer, shown by the checkered grid, allow the layers underneath that layer to be seen through. You’ll be able to show and hide each layer in an image by clicking its corresponding eye icon in the Layers palette.

To organize your layers, you can arrange them into layer groups by going to Layer / New / Group…. Each layer group displays in the same way as any ungrouped layers on the Layers palette. A layer group is signified by a folder icon. You can collapse or expand layer groups by clicking on the triangle to the left of the folder icon, and nest layer groups within each other by dragging one folder icon into another.

See below for 10 quick Layer Shortcuts:

1. Rename layers by double-clicking the layer title.

2. Choose a layer using the keyboard shortcuts Alt-[and Alt-] (Option-[and Option-] on a Mac).

3. Merge a layer into the one beneath it by pressing Control- E (Command-E). For those who’ve selected layers, this shortcut will put those selected layers together.

4. Customize the transparency of a layer by changing its opacity using the Opacity slider or typing a value to the Opacity box (it is shown if you have the Selection, Move, or Crop tools selected).

5. Duplicate a selected layer by pressing Ctrl-J (Command-J on a Mac). You can also duplicate a layer by dragging it while pressing the Alt (Option) key.

6. Choose multiple layers by holding down Control (Command on the Mac) and clicking the layer names. This forms a brief link between the chosen layers that enables you to move them as one unit, delete them all, and so on.

7. You may also link layers together. Choose layers by clicking them while holding lower Shift or Control (Command on a Mac).

8. To unlink all the layers, select among the linked layers and go to Layer / Unlink Layers.

9. To temporarily unlink a layer, long press Shift and click its link icon (a red “X” will appear in the link icon).

10. Reactivate the link by long pressing Shift and clicking the link icon again.

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