Photoshop layer styles are very valuable tools that can come into play in a number of different situations. Essentially, they can add effects without destroying the fabric of the layer itself. The truth is that you can do absolutely anything if you can master layer styles. That’s why graphic designers, photographers, and illustrators need to know all about them if they are to provide professional work that radiate expertise. Take a look to find out exactly how you can use them to the best effect.
What Are Layer Styles?
Photoshop layer styles were originally implemented in version 6 of Photoshop. They were designed to allow people to add various different effects to layers without having to actually create them by manipulating the layer itself. Now they can be switched on and off at will without impacting anything that was manually set-down by the user. Using a simple interface of options with checkboxes and figures you can create dazzling effects to add a new flavour to your creations. Photoshop even has the ability to save these effects so that they can be implemented with a click of a button later on.
When they were first implemented, however, people didn’t understand what could be done with these styles. Of course, there were the preset styles that could be implemented, but this quickly grew tiresome and the use of them was often the mark of somebody who was unprofessional or who was discovering the program for the first time. Now, the true value of them has been discovered and users are taking advantage of them to really add an injection boost to their artistic endeavours.
Applying Layer Styles
Actually applying layer styles, on its most basic level isn’t difficult. Even the most novice users can apply them. Where it gets complicated is actually using them to create custom effects that aren’t built in to the original version of Photoshop.
Using a preset is the easiest way to apply a layer style. Start with a new Photoshop document and just keep everything as it is. Create a new line of text to add something to the document that can be changed. Navigate to the main menu and go to Styles under the Window dropdown menu. The Styles Palette should now be open. With the right layer selected, in this case the text layer, click one of the preset thumbnails inside the Layers Palette. Click through them until you find the one that’s right for the picture.
The way to create and apply custom layer styles is to start from scratch and create a line of text, just like before. This time when you go to the Layers Palette you should right click the correct layer and then navigate to an option known as ‘Blending Options’. A Layer Style box will now be available and this is where you will be creating your own effects for use. Take a few minutes to get acquainted with the various options, even if you don’t fully understand them at this point, because you will be using them a lot. It really can do that much, and already you should be able to see the true power that layer styles hold for users of Photoshop.
On a side note, you can check exactly which effects you’ve added to each layer by looking at the dialogue box in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Click the small eyeball icon if there’s nothing there and the list will appear, or disappear if the list is already there.
Saving and Loading Your Presets
The best way to learn how to master layer styles is to just play around with all the options. There are a lot of guides out there that will teach people how to create certain styles, but it won’t show people how to be creative and to do things on their own. When you are playing around with different styles it’s a good idea to save some of them for later so that you can alter them as you please. Firstly, here’s how to load any styles you create, which will also come in handy if you download any custom styles from the web.
Any downloaded files should be saved into the relevant Photoshop folder on your computer, which can be found in your program files and is entitled ‘Styles’. Now, you will be able to load this file directly from your program. You can do this by clicking and dragging the .ASL file and taking it over to your Layers Palette. Drag it and drop it into your Photoshop program. At this point it will become one of the imported files in your Styles Palette. With a lot of styles you may even notice some extra presets. This happens because they naturally contain multiple files that can be used by users. Remember, you might just be getting more than you could have ever bargained for!
Saving presets is just as simple. The Styles Palette can help you with this as all you have to do is to use the dropdown menu to click ‘Save Styles’. Pick a name for your specific style and you can then load it up anytime you want.
Tips for the Road
- Layers can be resized. Some layer styles only look good at a certain size. If you have a style that works well at a smaller size then all you have to do is right-click your list of effects on the Layers Palette. Click on ‘Scale Effects’ and you can then determine the percentage that will resize the layer style itself.
- Copy and pasting between layers in one document is possible, and it can even be done between different documents. To do this, simply right-click the layer in the Layers Palette. A menu will then appear with an option called ‘Copy Layer Style’. Press this and right-click on the layer that you want to paste the style to. Click ‘Paste Layer Style’ and if everything was done correctly you will be able to see your styles pasted in the correct location.
- You can see the effects on their own without seeing the layer content. It can help you to create some more of the advanced effects, such as the glass effect. Simply select the layer you want from the Layers Palette and select the Fill at the top of the Layers Palette. Change the figure to 0% and you can see your effects without any interference. M.A.H.
