To remove a style from a layer:

1In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the style you want to remove.

2Do one of the following:

•In the Layers palette, drag the Effects bar to the Trash button.

•Choose Layer > Layer Style > Clear Layer Style.

•Select the layer, then click the Clear style button at the bottom of the Styles palette.

•(ImageReady) Select an effect in the Layers palette, and choose Delete All Effects from the Layers palette menu.

Converting layer styles to layers

To customize or fine-tune the appearance of layer styles, you can convert the layer styles to regular image layers. Once you have converted a layer style to image layers, you can enhance the result by painting or applying commands and filters. However, you can no longer edit the layer style on the original layer, and the layer style will no longer update as you change the original image layer.

Note: The layers produced by this process may not result in artwork that exactly matches the version using layer styles. In Photoshop, you may see an alert when you create the new layers.

To convert a layer style to image layers:

1In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the layer style you want to convert.

2Choose Layer > Layer Style > Create Layers.

You can now modify and restack the new layers in the same way as regular layers. Some effects—for example, Inner Glow—convert to layers within a clipping group.

Using adjustment layers and fill layers (Photoshop)

Adjustment layers and fill layers add another level of flexibility to working with layers. Adjustment layers allow you to experiment with color and apply tonal adjustments to an image; fill layers allow you to quickly add color, patterns, and gradient elements to an image. If you change your mind about the results, you can go back and edit or remove the adjustment or fill at any time.

Original, adjustment layer applied to zebra only, and adjustment layer applied to entire image

About adjustment layers and fill layers

Adjustment layers let you experiment with color and tonal adjustments to an image without permanently modifying the pixels in the image. The color and tonal changes reside within the adjustment layer, which acts as a veil through which the underlying image layers appear. Keep in mind that an adjustment layer affects all the layers below it. This means that you can correct multiple layers by making a single adjustment, rather than making the adjustment to each layer separately.

Note: Adjustment layers can be applied and edited only in Photoshop; however, they can be viewed in ImageReady.

Fill layers let you fill a layer with a solid color, a gradient, or a pattern. Unlike adjustment layers, fill layers do not affect the layers underneath them.

Creating adjustment layers or fill layers

Adjustment layers and fill layers have the same opacity and blending mode options as image layers and can be rearranged, deleted, hidden, and duplicated in the same manner as image layers. By default, adjustment layers and fill layers have layer masks, as indicated by the mask icon to the left of the layer thumbnail. If a path is active when you create the adjustment or fill layer, a vector mask is created instead of a layer mask.

To confine the effects of an adjustment layer to a group of layers, create a clipping group consisting of these layers. You can place the adjustment layers in or at the base

of the clipping group. The adjustment will be confined to the layers inside the group. (See “Creating clipping groups” on page 319.) Alternatively, you can create a layer set, and have the set use any blending mode other than Pass Through.

To create an adjustment layer or fill layer:

1 Do one of the following:

•Click the New Adjustment Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette, and choose the layer type you want to create.

•Choose Layer > New Fill Layer, and choose an option from the submenu.Then name the layer, set other layer options, and click OK. (See “Setting opacity and blending options” on page 295 and “Creating clipping groups” on page 319.)

•Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer, and choose an option from the submenu. Then name the layer, set other layer options, and click OK. (See “Setting opacity and blending options” on page 295 and “Creating clipping groups” on page 319.)

Note: To confine the effects of the adjustment layer or fill layer to a selected area, make a selection, create a closed path and select it, or select an existing closed path. When you use a selection, you create an adjustment layer or fill layer confined by a layer mask. When you use a path, you create an adjustment layer or fill layer confined by a vector mask.

2 Choose from the following layer properties, and then click OK.

Solid Color Specify a color. (See “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on page 261.)

Gradient Click the gradient to display the Gradient Editor, or click the inverted arrow and choose a gradient from the pop-up palette. (See “Creating smooth gradient fills” on page 245.) Set additional options if desired. Style specifies the shape of the gradient.

Angle specifies the angle at which the gradient is applied. Scale changes the size of the gradient. Reverse flips the orientation of the gradient. Dither reduces banding by applying dithering to the gradient. Align With Layer uses the bounding box of the layer to calculate the gradient fill.You can use the mouse to move the center of the gradient by clicking and dragging in the image window.

Pattern Click the pattern, and choose a pattern from the pop-up palette. Click Scale and enter a value or drag the slider to scale the pattern. Click Snap to Origin to position the origin of the pattern with that of the document window. (See “Using rulers, columns,

the measure tool, guides, and the grid” on page 43.) Select Link With Layer to specify that the pattern moves with the fill layer as it is relocated.When Link With Layer is selected, you can drag in the image to position the pattern while the Pattern Fill dialog box is open.

Levels Specify values for the highlights, shadows, and midtones. (See “Using the Levels dialog box” on page 137.)

Curves Adjust the intensity values of pixels along a 0–255 scale while keeping up to 15 other values constant.For more information, see “Using the Curves dialog box (Photoshop)” on page 139.

Color Balance Drag a slider toward a color you want to increase in the image; drag a slider away from a color you want to decrease in the image. For more information, see “Using the Color Balance command (Photoshop)” on page 146.

Brightness/Contrast Specify values for Brightness and Contrast. (See “Using the Brightness/Contrast command” on page 150.)

Hue/Saturation Choose which colors to edit, and specify values for Hue, Saturation, and Lightness. (See “Using the Hue/Saturation command” on page 147.)

Selective Color Choose the color you want to adjust, and drag the sliders to increase or decrease the components in the selected color. For more information, see “Using the Selective Color command (Photoshop)” on page 149.

Channel Mixer Modify a color channel. For more information, see “Mixing color channels (Photoshop)” on page 271.

Gradient Map Choose a gradient and set gradient options. For more information, see “Using the Gradient Map command (Photoshop)” on page 155.

Invert Invert adjustment layers don’t have options. (See “Using the Invert command” on page 153.)

Threshold Specify a threshold level. (See “Using the Threshold command (Photoshop)” on page 154.)

Posterize Specify the number of tonal levels for each color channel. (See “Using the Posterize command (Photoshop)” on page 154.)