Layer Basics 4

Previous Layers Activity

• This set of tutorials  is Meant to augment Chapter 5 of Classroom in a Book. Get it! Learn It! Live it!

Flattening & Saving | Layer Sets | Adding type | Alternate text & Dictionaries | Spell Checker

Flattening and Saving files

Flattening a file reduces its file size but only do this when you are happy with your work. Notice on the Info bar (at the bottom left of your application window) how the file size changes. Here you will make a duplicate to flatten.

1. Make sure the type tool is not currently selected by clicking on any other tool for now. Then choose File > Save, to be sure to save all your changes.
2. Choose Image > Duplicate.
3. Name the file Layers2Flat.psd then click Save.
4. Close the layers2.psd file and leave open the layers2Flat.psd file.
5. On the Layers palette menu, choose Flatten Image.
6. Choose File > Save.
7. Click Save to accept the default settings and save the flattened file.

You can now work on a smaller file size and add more layers. If you want to flatten only some layers you can turn off the eye on other layers and then choose Merge visible on the Layers palette menu.

Creating a layer set and adding a layer

You can nest layers with the Layers palette. This helps especially when working with larger files. It is like having sub-folders inside of folders.

1. In the layers palette menu, choose New Layer Set.
2. In the New Layer Set dialog box, Type “Conf Info”, and click OK in the Layers palette, a Conf Info folder appears above the Background Layer.
 

Adding type layers to a flattened background

Here you are going to work on two text layers each in a different language.

1. In the toolbox, select the type tool (T)
2. In the tool options bar, set the following type specification:
Font family = Adobe Garamond (of another serif font)
Font style = Italic
Font Size = 24 pts.
Be sure that the Crisp option and the Center Text icon are selected
Click the color swatch to open the color picker and select R=255, B=255, G=0 then click OK to close the picker.
3. Select the Conf Info layer set on the layers palette. Then click the type tool (T) in the upper right area of the image window and type “Developng Webs” (typo on purpose). Then press Enter and type "Conference".
4. Select the move tool and drag the text so that it is centered Under the phoenix 2004 in the sunlight.
5. Select the “Developingwebs……” layer in the layers palette and drag it to the New Layer button at the bottom of the palette. When you release the mouse button, a duplicate of the text layer appears, also nested in the Conf Info layer set.

Creating alternate text and designating dictionaries

1. In the Layers palette, click the eye icon for the unselect copy of “Developng…” text layer to hide that layer. Leave the other copy selected.
2. Drag the type tool to select the words Developng Webs Conference, and type "Conference Sur Le Developpement De Pages Web" to overwrite the upper line of the original text.
3. Choose Window> Character to open the Character palette.
4. Make sure that the Conference Sur Le Developpement De Pages Web layer is selected in the Layers palette. Then, on the dictionary pop-up menu the lower left corner of the Character palette, select French.

Using the multilingual spelling checker

Photoshop 7.0 now includes the power of a spelling checker that can selectively reference dictionaries for various languages.

1. In the Layer palette, click the eye icon for the unselected copy of “Developingwebs Webs Conference” layer without selecting it, so the both text layers appear in the image window. Since these are right on top of each other you won’t be able to read them.

2. Choose Edit > Check Spelling. The check spelling dialog box appears, indication that the word Conference is misspelled in French because it lacks an accent over the letter e.

3. Click the Change button to accept the suggested replacement by hitting the change button.

4. Accept the other accent changes it asks you to make by hitting change with each finding.

5. Developng comes up in the check spelling window also. Select the correct spelling and hit change.

6. If a message appears indicating that the spell check is complete, click OK.

7. Alternately click the eye icons on and off for the Conférence Sur Le Développement De Pages Web text layers to see the two versions of the text.

8. Choose File > Save to save the image with one flattened layer and two un-flattened text layers.