Adobe Photoshop Layer Menu
This menu has controls for working with your document layers. From here you can add and delete layers, create layer masks, and merge layers, among other things.
Available Submenu in Layer Menu
New
This command adds a layer or layer group to your image.
Duplicate Layer
This option does just what its name implies: Makes a copy of the current layer.
Delete
Choose this item when you want to delete a layer. You can also select a layer and press the Delete key (Backspace on a PC). This is new in Photoshop CS4.
Layer Properties
This option lets you rename the current layer and assign it a color. It’s a handy way to organize your ever-lengthening Layers panel.
Layer Style
Go here to set the blending options for the current layer and to apply effects like drop shadows, glows, and gradient overlays.
Smart Filter
This option lets you delete or disable a Smart Filter mask. Chapter 15 has the scoop on using Smart Filters.
New Fill Layer
Go here to create a layer and fill it with a solid color, transparent color, or gradient.
New Adjustment Layer
This option makes a new Adjustment layer so you can apply nondestructive changes to your images.
Layer Content Options
If you need to change an Adjustment layer’s settings, you can choose this command, but it’s a lot faster to simply double-click the Adjustment layer in your Layers panel.
Layer Mask
From here you can show, hide, delete, and apply layer masks.
Vector Mask
This option works much like Layer Mask item above, but it lets you work with vector based objects instead.
Create Clipping Mask
This command converts a layer into a clipping mask.
Smart Objects
The Smart Objects option includes tools for working with Smart Objects—editing them, duplicating them, and so on.
Objects
Video Layers this item lets you add, remove, and paint video layers. If you have Photoshop CS4 Extended, you can also use this item’s options to restore video frames, manage color, edit video and animation layers, and set when video layers appear in a timeline.
Type
This option lets you convert text to a shape, warp text, and much more.
Rasterize
This command converts text, vector-based objects, Smart Objects, shapes, 3D objects and video frames into raster-based objects. Chapter 2 explains the difference between raster and vector objects.
New Layer Based Slice
This item adds slices for Web layouts to the currently selected layer based on its content.
Group Layers
Use this command to group selected layers together. The layers will appear in their own folder in the Layers panel.
Ungroup Layers
This command removes layers from a group and deletes the group (but doesn’t delete the layers).
Hide Layers
Use this command to hide layers or layer groups temporarily so you can see and work with objects in complex images.
Arrange
This item lets you change the order of layers and layer groups in your image.
Align
This option lets you align objects that are on different layers.
Distribute
This item aligns the contents of three or more layers along the object’s edges or center points.
Lock All Layers in Group
This command lets you lock selected layers in a particular group so you don’t accidentally edit or change them. If you select layers that aren’t grouped, the menu item changes to “Lock Layers”.
Link Layers
Use this command to hook layers together so they move as if they were a single layer. You can still edit linked layers, and you can unlink them, too.
Select Linked Layers
Choose a linked layer and then use this menu item to select the layers linked to it.
Merge Layers
This command combines selected layers or layer groups into a single layer.
Merge Visible
Use this command to blend all your image’s visible layers into a single layer.
Flatten Image
This command merges all your image’s layers into the Background layer.
Matting
This option removes the extra pixels surrounding an object’s edge after you’ve selected it and isolated it from another larger image. After you apply matting, the item’s edge should look cleaner and more natural.