All language subtitles for 2. Layers

Have you ever seen Harry Potter?

Even if you don't like it
from an artist's perspective,

that is a great movie series.

Let's take a look at this clip.

Remember the scene from
"Deathly Hallows part two?"

If you have seen the movie,

look at this.

It just looks like one
continuous camera move, right?

Just one location,
one image, right?

It's all one.

However,

if you look at the breakdown,

this my friend is the first layer.

This was created.

All right?

Let's look at the second layer.

Now the lights were added.

Let's look at the third layer.

See these objects were added.

Now this smoke was added, right?

So in different layers, different
elements are being added.

If you look at it closely,
then lights were added

around the smoke

and then a little
bit of color grading.

And the scene was complete.

Even if you look at this scene,

it looks like a lot of people are
running around with monsters and stuff.

So the first layer was this.

A lot of it was not even shown

and that my friend shows how
much details these artists go into to

make the scene look absolutely
stunning and realistic.

Let's look at the second layer.

Now this was added.

If you have a look
around the corner,

there's a green
screen right there,

just to ease up replacement
of the background.

And then all of these different
elements were merged

as you can see from right here.

Even this ghost was
captured separately,

the monster, whatever you
want to call it, right?

And the face was
separate as well.

So different layers,

different elements
merged together.

Want to see one more clip?

Have a look.

Look how much details
they have already made,

Most of these areas were
not even showing the scene,

but for ambience, they do it.

And probably for other scenes,
they had created this,

but this is some
real in-depth work.

Let's take a look.

On top of that,

this land was created, right?

And the smoke,

this was on a green screen

and it was added
later to that image,

to that composite.

So this is just like
a composite, right?

This is in fact composite.

Different layers,

different elements.

Right on the first layer

we had the background.

Then we had the land.

On top of that, we
had the monsters,

probably a little bit of color grading
to merge everything together,

creation of shadows,

different elements.

You're getting where I'm
going with this.

Now look at this scene
where Harry fights Voldemort.

This scene might look
simple, but look closely.

All right?

This is the scene.

If they break it down,

it's going to show you
how it's going to work.

All right.

They are just standing.

That it.

There's no lights going on,

nothing.

It this added later.

So this is the stock footage.

On top of that,

Some color grading was added.

Look at it.

Lights for added right here.

On another layer again.

Have a look.

This was another layer,

right?

Another flare was added.

Some more light
elements were added

and it just comprises
the entire scene.

There are lots of scenes

and VFX breakdowns
that you can watch online.

That's going to give you an
idea of what layers actually do,

even in video and images as well.

Remember this example
from the previous lesson?

This is also made
up of a lot of layers.

Let me show you how,
in terms of image,

this is depicted.

All right.

So at the very back,

we have the base.

And this is just a gradient

from light pink to dark pink.

That's it.

On top of that, we
have a rectangle.

This is on a separate layer.

On top of that, we
have the "SALE" text.

On top of that "50% OFF"

And on the very top,

we have our subject.

Now the advantage of having
them on separate layers

is that we can adjust
them separately.

We can move them.

You can make them
bigger or smaller.

We can apply filters.

Everything is separate.

Now, if I select the subject,

I can move it anywhere I want.

I can make it bigger
if I want to.

Smaller if I want to, right?

You have a lot of control.

If all of this was on one fixed layer,

you wouldn't have been able to

adjust them separately.

At the moment,

you can adjust even the text.

If you want to give a 75% off,

just you can double click
on the "T" of the text layer,

where it says "50% OFF" and just

simply change the number to 75.

That's it.

If this was all one layer,

you wouldn't be able to do that.

So what are layers and
why do we create them?

Well, layers are like
transparent sheets of paper

one on top of the other.

And these transparent sheets
of paper can contain a graphic

or even an adjustment.

Let me show you some
real world examples.

So here we have an illustration.

Think of this as a graphic on
a transparent sheet of paper.

This is just a layer.

Let's say you want to draw some
birds on this birds at the very top.

So instead of drawing directly here,

what if we create another layer,

which is another transparent
sheet of paper.

And on top of that,
we drop the birds.

Very simple birds.

Now let's see if we
want to adjust that.

We can simply move it
anywhere we want to,

If we are in Photoshop, we
can make it bigger or smaller.

Or if you want to
remove it, you can easily

take it away.

Now, if you do it
in the same layer,

there is no way we can erase it.

Because if we try to erase this,

those buildings at the
back will be erased too.

You see where we
are going with this?

Layers are the
heart of Photoshop.

Whatever we create

will be based on
one or more layers.

Now that we understand
how layers work,

let us understand practically
how they work in Photoshop,

back in the brilliant
world of Photoshop.

And this, my friend is the
layers panel.

If you cannot see the layers panel,
if it's closed, lost, or anything,

let's just bring it
out and close it.

There is no layers panel right now.

No need to panic.

All we have to do is to
go to "Window" right there

and just click on "Layers"

That's it.

It's going to come back.

And this is true with
any panel in Photoshop,

you can close it and bring it back
anytime you like.

Let's say you're
not using channels.

You're never using channels.

You can just close it and bring
it back whenever you need it.

Let's click on "Layers"

Now you're on the layers panel.

Right.

Now we have opened the image of the
beautiful Eiffel tower in Photoshop.

Now have a look.

As soon as we open an image,

a layer is automatically created.

What did we learn?

Anything you create will be
based on one or more layers.

You cannot create
anything without layers.

It's just there.

It's based on layers.

Whatever you create,
it's based on layers.

All right.

So this, my friend is the
"Base Layer"

and therefore they call
it the "Background Layer"

right now it is locked.

So what does that mean?

If we press "Ctrl + T" or
"Command + T"

the transform controls
are not showing up.

Even if you choose the
move tool and try to move it,

it's not going to move it.

Now, it's going to
give you a dialog box,

that says it's a background layer,
and you need to convert that

to a normal layer.

Let's cancel that.

Let me show you
how to do that anyway.

So this is locked right now,

which can be good,
which can be bad,

but to unlock it,

all you have to do is to click
on the lock button right there.

Now it's unlocked.

And now it's renamed
to "Layer 0" by default.

You can change
the name of the layer

very easily by double
clicking on the text

right there.

And you can change it
to whatever you want.

So I'm just going to name it
"Eiffel Tower"

Now let me show
you a quick trick.

You know what?

This Eiffel Tower looks like
the Leaning Tower of PISA.

You know why?

Because it's a little bent.

It's not actually bent, it's a
photographer's fault.

We need to straighten that.

It's not a fault.

It just happens.

We are human.

So press "C" for the crop tool,

now what did we learn
in the previous lesson?

Any tool that is selected,
the properties of that tool

will be shown at the top.

And one at the properties of
the crop do is straightening.

So click on "Straighten",

click on Straighten
icon right there,

and just draw a straight line.

Along the line,

which you think should
have been straight.

So

This line seems fine and
automatically it straightens it.

Hit "Enter"

And there you have.

Now you have the Eiffel
tower straight and nice.

Now, if you're new to Photoshop
and a little bit curious,

you might ask,

"What's beneath this
Eiffel Tower layer?"

Well, the answer is nothing.

If you turn off this layer and
the way we turn off layers,

is by clicking on the eye.

It just means when the
eye is gone, it's not visible.

It just makes sense, right?

And there is no eye,
there is no visibility.

And when there is
eye, there is visibility.

All right.

If we turn it off,

look at this checker box in Photoshop.

This checker box in Photoshop
just means that there is nothing.

It just simply means
that there is nothing.

That's nothingness.

That's how Photoshop shows
nothingness.

It cannot show
white as nothingness

because then there is something
and that is white.

It cannot show
black as nothingness

because there is something
and that is black.

But checker box is a symbol or
a pattern that shows that there is

nothing there.

All right?

Let's turn this layer back on by

clicking on this box right there.

And the eye shows
up, which means

the visibility comes back.

Now let's learn the basic
functions of the layers panel.

First,

let's learn how
to create a layer.

As simple as ABC,

all you have to do

is to click on this icon
next to the trashcan.

The design of this icon
might be a little different in

previous versions of Photoshop.

But just keep in mind,

This is the icon next to the trashcan.

All right?

Click on the plus.

This creates a brand new layer.

In this layer you can
do anything you want.

So if I paint on it,

let's increase the "Flow" to 100,

alright.

I'm painting on it with
whatever color I choose.

That's on a separate layer.

We can turn it off and turn it on.

It's not on one layer.

If I had drawn in
the Eiffel Tower layer,

you cannot erase it.

If you try to do that,

if you take the "Eraser tool"
right there

and try to erase that,

the image will be erased too.

You cannot bring it back,

Let's go back by pressing
"Ctrl + Z" or "Command + Z"

or "Undo"

All right,

anyway,

Now, if you do it
on a separate layer

and that layer is selected,

and in that layer, if you use
the eraser tool,

see?

Only that layer is being affected
because it's on a separate layer,

right?

To delete a layer,

you can just drag it
to the trashcan

it's deleted.

The other way is let's
create a brand new layer

is with the layer selected,

you can press the "Delete" key
to delete it.

One other way is simply
with the layer selected,

click on the trashcan.

It says "Delete Layer 1"

Yes.

You can also check don't show
this dialog box again if you want to.

Just hit "Yes"

And it is deleted.

So let's create a brand new layer
by clicking on the new layer button

right there.

And we can name it "White Solid"

We'll talk about adjustment
layers later.

So in this case, we're just
filling that layer simply.

Anyway, this was for
the advanced users.

For the beginners,

you don't have to concentrate
on what I just said.

With the White Solid Layer selected,
make sure that the foreground color

is white.

So this is the foreground color.

And that one at the back
is the background color.

You can set the foreground and
the background color to default colors

by pressing "D"

So let's say the foreground
color is something strange.

And the background color something
strange as well, something random.

And if you want to set
it to black and white,

press "D",

it will be set to default.

Then you can press "X"

to toggle between the foreground
and the background.

The background will become the
foreground and the foreground will become

the background when you
press "X".

"X" is for switch.

Now that it's white.

All you have to do is to press
"Alt + Backspace" on windows

"Option + Delete" on the Mac

to fill this layer with
the foreground color.

So "Alt + Backspace"

"Option + Delete"

It is now filled.

Now let's make this
layer a little transparent,

not completely transparent,

a little transparent.

And to do that, just
decrease the opacity.

And the word says
what it means, right?

If the opacity is 100%,

that layer would be a
100% opaque.

Opaque is the word.

If the opacity is zero,

that layer would be a
100% transparent.

All right.

As you decrease the opacity,

the transparency increases.

Look at this.

It looks beautiful, doesn't it?

So we're going to keep the
opacity to about 75%.

We're making a book cover.

Let's create a brand new layer.

Let's create a nice border for this.

So click on the "+"

And in this one,

we can choose the "Rectangle Tool"
right there.

Okay?

If you cannot see the extra
tools, which are grouped,

just click and hold,

and you will be
able to see this too.

Once you select that tool,

just let's create a rectangle

around the border,

just like this.

All right.

Now we want this rectangle
to have strokes.

We don't want to
fill this rectangle.

We just want borders
in this rectangle.

How do we do that?

Just make sure the fill is none.

So at the top,

what did we learn?

For every tool at the top,

we will have the properties
of that tool.

So right now the "Rectangle Tool"
is selected.

And the properties
are at the top.

So we don't want to fill
this with any color.

So click on the "Fill"
and click on "Cancel" icon.

So this will not be
filled with any color,

but we do want stroke, right?

So click on the "Stroke",

what color you want,

let's choose black

and let's increase the
thickness of the stroke

from 10 pixels to about 20 pixels.

How does 20 look?

That's nice.

What about 25?

Let's keep it at about 25

To make sure it's in the center,

we need to move it there.

And to move it, we
need to use what?

The move tool.

So, first of all, let's

choose the "Move tool",

and then press "Ctrl + A" or
"Command + A",

it will make the complete
selection of the canvas

because we need to choose the
center of what?

So let's select the
entire canvas first.

"Ctrl + A" or "Command + A"

once you do that,

you will see these tools
at the top will be active.

So make sure that the
rectangle layer is selected

and click on this button.

This will center it horizontally.

Click on that,

horizontally it's centered.

If you want to center it vertically,

click on this button.

Now it's centered vertically
and horizontally.

To de-select,

press "Ctrl + D" or
"Command + D"

"D" for: De-select.

Photoshop is simple guys.

"Ctrl + D" or "Command + D"

Now it is again, too much.

So you can decrease the opacity.

One easy way of
decreasing the opacity

or any values

all over Photoshop

is to hover over where
it says the "Text Opacity"

or "Fill", or any other property

and click and drag it to the left

or right to increase
or decrease it.

For me,

let's set this to about
35%

and now we are ready to
type in the text.

So we can create
a brand new layer

at the top,

or when you add text,
it's automatically going to

create a brand new layer anyway.

So once we create that layer

and let's name this "Title",
if you want to,

or the name of the text,
whatever you want to.

Choose "T" for the Text tool

and click on in here.

And let's write the title.

You can write anything.

So let's write for me,
I'm going to write

lost in Paris.

To change the color of the text,

double click on the "T"

Now the text is selected

at the top,

text tool is selected.

We can change the color of that

single click on that

and change it

to black.

Hit "OK"

You can change the font
from the top.

I'm going to choose a font called
"Bickham Script Pro 3 Regular"

All right.

Now let's make it bigger.

With the move tool selected,

"Ctrl + T" or "Command + T"

hold the "Alt" key or the
"Option" key

drag one of the corners
and make it bigger.

Now there's a lot of gap in
between, right?

So double click on
the "T" to select that.

Open up the character
properties right here.

Now gap is at 70.

Let's set it to zero.

Now this looks fine.

Have a look.

Wonderful, isn't it?

And at the bottom, we
can add one more text

and create a brand new layer.

Let's name this "subtitle"

and click on "T" again.

And we're going to add
one more text at the bottom.

Just make sure subtitle
is selected.

Click a little far away,

and let's name this

"Photographs from Paris"

or whatever you want to name it.

Double click on the "T"

and this time we're going to
choose a font called "Gilroy Light"

Okay?

With the help of the
Move tool, right there,

select that,

press "Ctrl + T" or
"Command + T"

let's make it a little

larger and place
it just beneath it,

just like this.

You can also use the arrow keys
to move it slowly and gradually,

hit "Enter" or return.

And I know we need to just
correct the spelling right there.

Okay.

Now there's very less gap
in there, right?

So double click on the "T"

to select all of that.

Now I'm going to teach you a shortcut,

which we're going to cover
in advanced sections later.

If you hold the "Alt" key

and the right arrow key, it will
increase the space between them.

You don't have to go to the
properties and change the space.

This is a very nice way
of changing the space.

This looks nice to me,

select the Move tool,

and then move it a little bit
to the left.

And there you go.

A beautiful book cover.

Wonderful, isn't it?

No, I think the Eiffel Tower
photo is a little distracting,

so simply increase the
opacity of the white solid.

So choose the white solid.

Let's increase the opacity
to about 85.

It's less distracting now.

What if you choose 90?

90 is nice.

There you go.

There have wonderful book cover.

We just quickly did it.

You can take all the time
in the world to design it.

And by the way, let me show
you a very interesting thing.

You can change the style
of different letters.

So let's say we choose
the title text,

alright?

And we can actually change
the "L" the "S" at the end.

So let's select the "L"

and we can change the "L"
to something like this,

and choose the "S" and we can
choose the "S" to something like that.

We will cover this in detail later,

but this is an amazing
feature in Photoshop

and only available
with some fonts.

Like the "Bickham Script Pro"

Now, as you begin
to create layers,

it can get a little messy.

For organizing purposes

and to apply a certain
effect to an entire group,

you can group a layer.

Right?

So to group a layer, let's say,

you want to group all
the text in right there,

the title and the subtitle.

Just select the "Subtitle" layer,

hold the Ctrl or Command

select the "Title" layer.

Now both of these layers
are now selected.

One other thing that you can do,
let's say you had one more text layer.

So let's type in at the very
bottom, the name of the author,

whatever your name is.

So I'm just going to type
Unmesh Dinda

and let's make it a little larger.

Try it there,

place it at the center.

And there you go.

Let's make it a little bold.

You want to be a little bold,

so

Little bold

and a little opacity.

Opacity,

let's set to 40%.

All right.

Select the top most layer
or the bottom most layer.

If you hold the "Shift" key

and click on the "Title" layer,

every layer in that series
will be selected.

So the first layer,

if you hold the "Shift" key

and click on this layer,

every layer in that series
will be selected.

But we only want to select
the text layers, right?

So select the first text layer,
hold the "Shift" key.

And the last one,

all of them are now selected

and then press "Ctrl + G" or
"Command + G"

Now the other way is of
course, as we discussed before,

select this,

hold the Ctrl or Command,

and you can choose
one other layer

and then maybe one other layer,
somewhere else, not in series.

You can click on that.

You get the point.

Anyway,

let's select all these 3

and then press "Ctrl + G" or
"Command + G"

keep in mind "G" stands for "Group"

And therefore we have "Ctrl + G"
or "Command + G"

That means simply command
to create a group.

All right.

Now we have a group.

You can name this group,

whatever you want.

So let's name this

"Text"

So this group

has all the text,

right?

Now we can make it larger
or smaller collectively.

We can add effects to it
collectively.

We can decrease the
opacity of this collectively.

So it's a "Collective" group.

You can always ungroup it

by right clicking on it
and choose

"Ungroup Layers"

Let's go back by pressing
"Ctrl + Z" or "Command + Z"

However you pronounce it.

Now let's say we want to change the
color of everything in this group.

It's also very simple.

So let's say we click on
the adjustment layer icon,

and then choose "Solid Color"

We are creating an adjustment
layer.

We'll learn about that later.

And choose a color.

Let's say we chose
something like red

and we hit "OK"

Now the entire image
is covered in red.

We only want to cover this group.

So hold the "Alt" key
or the "Option" key

and click on the line
between these two layers.

See this arrow right there?

This means that this red color is
now only being applied to this group.

Have a look.

Everything in that
group is now red.

Now you can double click on it here,
on the symbol of the adjustment layer

and change the color
to whatever you want.

You can change
it to blue, green,

whatever you choose.

Let's delete that.

We didn't need it.

There you go.

So that my friend was
the idea of grouping layers.

Just a quick little recap.

We learned how to create a layer by
simply clicking on the new layer icon.

We learned how to name a layer
by double clicking on the text.

If you double click on that, you can
rename the layer to whatever you want.

We learned how to unlock a layer
by simply clicking on that lock.

We learned how to delete a layer.

We learned how to group a
layer and to delete a layer.

You can just simply

click on the layer and press
the "Delete" key or drag it

to the trashcan,

or simply click on the
"Trashcan" icon.

We learn how to group a layer
and most importantly,

hide or unhide layers by
clicking on that "Eye" icon.

When the eye shows up,

it is visible because with
the eye visibility comes,

when the eye goes away,
there is no visibility.

Now let's talk about
layer properties.

Let's dig deep into it.

Let's understand what they are.

And the most important
layer property is "opacity"

We discussed it a little bit
already,

but let me give you one
more example to make it

absolutely clear.

So here we have a silhouette
of trees, right?

So let's say you want
to change the sky.

The sky is already bright.

All we have to do is to use a
darkening technique to apply a new sky,

First of all, it's bringing in the
new sky in a separate layer.

And to do that simply,

let's go to our finder or Explorer.

And in here, I'm going
to use this orange sky.

Let's drag it and drop it
into Photoshop.

You can also

use a smaller window,

drag it and drop it over the canvas

in that tree image, right?

Drag it over that.

Now it's going to open
up as a separate layer.

That's what we want.

Let's make it a little bigger
to adjust it accordingly.

Okay.

This seems to be about right.

Hit "Enter" or "Return"

Now guy in the background
is already bright and

all we want to do is darken it

because

these areas, these silhouette
areas are already black.

They can't be darkened further.

So instead of having
to all of the sky and

then erasing it,

let's just a darken the sky

with this orange sky.

Let's turn it back on.

Let's adjust it

and change the "Blend mode"

Now blend mode

of a particular layer,

determines how the layer
interacts with other layers.

It's like a projection.

How a layer is projected.

Is it projected as a normal graphic?

If you choose "Normal", which
is the default blend mode

right there,

it will be just like a normal
piece of paper.

If you change the blend
mode to something else,

it will be projected
differently.

So in this case,

we want to apply a darkening blend
mode, something which darkens stuff,

and one of those blend modes
and we're going to discuss that later

in later tutorials in very
in-depth detail.

In fact, we have a dedicated lesson
on each and every blend mode.

But for now,

let's choose the blend mode
"Multiply"

Multiply is a blend mode, which
darkens it.

Have a look at this.

Doesn't that look beautiful?

Now press "Ctrl + T" or
"Command + T"

I'm going to stretch it a little bit.

So old the "Shift" key

and

stretch it.

Just like this.

And decrease the "Opacity"

Now,

here is where we are learning
how opacity works.

If the opacity is at 100%,

it will be a 100% opaque.

If the opacity is at zero,

transparency would
increase to 100%.

So

Opacity at a 100% means
it's 100% opaque.

There is no transparency.

Opacity at zero means,

it's 100% transparent.

It's just not there.

And 0% opaque, which is
opacity.

So decrease it.

If you decrease it to zero,
it's nothing.

If we slowly and gradually
increase it,

the transparency goes
away slowly and gradually.

So for this image, we're
going to keep it at about 85.

And this looks nice to me.

Let's take a look at
the before and after.

So this is the before.

Very flat,

plain.

And this my friend,

is the after look, so dramatic,
isn't it?

Now that we have
understood opacity,

let us understand
how Fill works.

Just below Opacity, there is this
"Fill" option.

Let's take a look at that.

First of all, here we are
in Photoshop,

let's create a brand
new document

by going to "File"

"New"

and we can choose
any dimension we want.

Let's choose one for print.

And let's say, we're going
to choose an "A4" for paper,

click on that and let's create it.

All right.

Now let's create a base.

Let's fill this with something
you like,

or let's create a solid
color adjustment here

as we learned before.

So click on that adjustment layer
icon, and then choose "Solid color"

you're going to choose
a bright orange color.

Something like this looks nice.

Hit "OK"

So at the very background,

we have the background
layer, which is white and--

Well, we don't need the
background layer.

Let's drag it to the "Trashcan"

We have the orange base.

On top of that, let's write
something.

Click on "T" for the Text tool

click and then let's type in,

"Shadows"

Okay?

Let's make this a little bigger.

There we go.

Let's bring it

at the center.

Now, if we decrease the opacity,

of course,

the transparency increases

and opacity at zero means,
it's 100%

transparent.

Well, if you play with the "Fill",

it does the exact same thing, right?

Well, it looks as if it does
the exact same thing,

but there are some differences.

Let's add a shadow effect

to this text.

First of all, let's change the
text color to something else

so that you can see the shadow
properly.

So we're going to change
the color to something like,

something lighter,

which goes with this.

Yeah, that looks nice.

Hit "OK"

Now, double click on the
right-hand side of the layer.

Now this is a brand new thing.

We're going to talk about
that later in detail,

double-click on the
right-hand side of the layer,

or right-click on the layer

and choose "Blending Options"

The "Layer Style" dialog box

will show up.

There's a lot of style
that you can add with it,

like "Bevel & Emboss"

If you click on that, there will be
an emboss.

Let's uncheck that.

You can add a drop shadow.

So click on drop shadow, right?

Right now it adds a shadow.

You can control the properties by
clicking on "Drop Shadow" right there.

You can change the distance.

You can change how much it spreads.

I usually keep it at zero.

We can change the size.

This will control how much
blur there is in the shadow.

Okay.

Now you can also
change the angle

by using the "Angle"
tool right here.

Or you can simply

drag and move the shadow
that will change

the distance and the
angle automatically.

Okay?

Let's say I like this.

I like the shadow
applied this way.

Hit "OK"

Now, if you decrease
the opacity,

everything is becoming
transparent gradually.

However, if you decrease the fill,

the effect does not go away,

but the text goes away.

See what happened right there.

Now the text is absolutely
transparent,

but the layer style,

the drop shadow that
we applied is still there.

You can change the background
color to anything you want.

So this was orange.

I can change it to
yellow, green.

See?

It is transparent, right?

If we again, go to the
blending options

by right clicking on this layer

and choosing blending options,

we can move the shadow.

Let's click on the "Drop Shadow"

We can move the shadow.

And as you can see,

the effect is still there,

but the text has
gone transparent.

So that's one difference with fill.

There is one more difference.

And let me show you
what that is.

This difference is with how blend
modes react to opacity and fill.

And some of the blend
modes react differently.

So let's say if you want to
create a sun

right here, a hidden sun.

So,

click on the new layer
button right there,

take the brush.

And just paint in with orange

or yellow

right in there,

We're going to create
a sun right there.

It doesn't look realistic, right?

So we need to brighten it.

Select the blend mode,

"Color Dodge",

everything in this blend mode
group is about brightening stuff.

So let's choose "Color Dodge"

Now to give it an
overexposed effect,

like an area which has lost
the details,

you can double click on the
right-hand side of the layer.

This will open up the
"Layer Style"

This is another way of
opening the Layer Style.

Now just uncheck
"Transparency Shapes layer"

Now have a look at this.

Hit "OK"

Now have a look.

You can make it smaller.

A little bit.

And it looks interesting.

Now, if you decrease the opacity,
it just fades it.

However, if you decrease
the fill,

it will control the projection of it.

Let's make it a little larger.

Look at it again.

If we decrease the
opacity, it just fades it.

However, if you decrease the fill,

it controls the projection.

So let's say,

this is the projection I
want about 64 is good.

And there you go.

Before, after, before, after.

Right?

A bright spot right there.

To create a sun, you can
also do certain other things.

Let's create one more layer.

And this time let's sample
a yellowish color

right there.

And maybe we want to
create something like this

and this time change the
blend mode to "Screen"

for a good flare.

So very nice effect.

Okay.

Now, if you want
to create some reds,

you can just choose some reds,

something like this.

Maybe this is a good read,

or you can choose a red

from here as well.

Just make the brush
a little larger and dab.

Now, some of you
might be wondering,

"How am I making the
brush larger or smaller?"

All you have to do,

in windows,

you can hold the "Alt" key

and the right mouse button

and drag it to the
right to make it larger

and drag it to the left,

to make it smaller, right?

If you take it up,

it's going to make it softer.

If you take it down, it's
going to make it harder.

On a Mac,

You would have to hold
the "Option" and "Control"

and the mouse button,
and then do that.

Okay.

Create a brand new layer

and click on it.

Change the blend mode
from "Normal"

to "Screen"

there, we have created
something interesting

and you can just drag it
if you want to.

That's up to you.

Make it a little bit narrower.

Make it interesting.

And there we have created
an interesting sun effect.

Here's the before

here's the after.

Interesting, isn't it?

I think it's too long.

Let's make it a little short.

And there you go.

So you see the difference
between fill and opacity.

With certain blend modes and there's
this list of 8 special blend modes

with which opacity and
fill react differently.

Now it's time for us to discuss one
of the most exciting layer property.

And that is blend modes.

We have already
discussed it in a bit.

You see,

all of these layer properties,

they work together.

Opacity, blend modes, fill,

and it's not possible to talk about

one property without
talking about the others.

And that's why when we were
talking about opacity and fill,

we talked about a blend
modes a little bit already.

Blend modes control how the
layers interact with each other.

How they are projected.

We're going to discuss
that in depth later.

But for now,

just know they control how
layers interact with each other.

For example,

here we have an image
of a lady in forest,

and let's say we want to add
some flare, some texture, some

coloring to it.

So let's go to a finder or Explorer.

And I have a bokeh effect
image right there,

and I have the smoke image.

So first of all,

let's say you wanted
to add that coloring to it.

So let's drag it and
drop it over the canvas

and you can rotate it

the way you want it,

just like this or that,

however you want.

And let's make it a little larger,

something like this.

Now you can take the time
to learn the science behind

every single blend mode
and how they work.

That's essential.

But also

the great thing about blend modes
in the later versions of Photoshop

is that when you scroll
through them,

it's going to give you a preview

of how the resulting
image will look,

if you choose that particular
blend mode.

In this case,

"Soft Light" looks interesting, right?

So let's choose that.

Press "Ctrl + T" or
"Command + T"

let's flip it a little bit,

Click on it and choose
"Flip Horizontal"

we have flipped it just a little bit.

It looks interesting.

I like it.

If you want, you
can stretch it too.

Press "Ctrl + T"
or "Command + T"

and just stretch
it a little bit.

Light looks interesting.

The color looks interesting.

Now let's add some
smoke effect to that.

Now,

we're going to choose
this and drop it in right there.

You want it from the right side.

So right click on it

and then choose

"Flip Horizontal"

You want to flip it horizontally.

Let's make it larger.

Just like this.

Looks interesting.

Now,

one of the blend mode,

which hides everything,
which is black

and shows everything, which is
100% white is "Screen"

Now keep in mind.

Every blend mode has a
unique property,

and this is the property
of the screen blend mode.

That is, hide everything, which
is 100% black

and show everything, which
is 100% white.

If something is gray,

it will show it 50%.

You get the point.

It will only brighten stuff.

So change the blend mode
from "Normal"

to "Screen" and have
a look at this image.

If you want,

you can always decrease
the opacity of different layers.

But look at this.

If this doesn't look wonderful,

I don't know what does.

So here's the before.

Here is the after.

Now here's a little tip.

You can also try and
rearranging the layers

and see how the effect changes.

So let's say if we take
the smoke at the bottom,

see?

If you like this, you
can stay at this point.

If you want to
double the effect,

select the layer, press
"Ctrl + J" or "Command + J"

to double it.

But the doubling is kind of
too much.

So decrease the opacity

and slowly and gradually increase
it to the point where you like it.

So for me,

we're going to
keep it at about 20

or maybe even 15,

just a slight touch of it

and there you have
a little bit of match.

Now, layers are just not
of one type in Photoshop.

There are several
types of layers.

Let's talk about the 4 fundamental
types of layers in Photoshop.

And the very first
one is a simple

raster layer.

So raster layers are simple
layers where everything you do

is burned to pixels.

Whenever you click on the
new layer button,

it creates a raster
layer for you.

Let me show you how it works.

So let's create a brand new
document by going to "File",

"New"

and let's go to "Art & Illustration"

"1000 pixel grid" is fine.

All right, let's create that.

Interesting.

We can change the canvas background
by right clicking on the canvas

and then choose probably dark gray.

Now let's fill it
with something.

So we can create a solid
color adjustment layer.

And the advantage of solid color
adjustment layer is that you can

always change the color
to whatever you like.

So click on the adjustment
layer icon, and then choose

"Solid Color"

And we're going to choose
something like a dark blue.

That looks interesting.

Hit "OK"

Now let's delete the
background layer.

We don't need that anymore.

Create a layer on top.

This my friend is a raster layer,

Let's take the brush

and let's choose

your favorite brush, whatever
brush you like.

And let's write or
paint in something.

I'm going to make the
brush a little smaller.

You can also use the bracket keys
to make the brush smaller or larger,

and let's write something

or draw something.

So I'm going to write here

with white, let's choose the
white as the foreground color

press "D" to set
them to default.

Do not forget that.

Foreground color and the background
color is set to default by pressing "D"

pressing "X"

toggles them.

Alright.

Raster.

Let's write that properly.

Raster.

Interesting.

Now let's say,

the graphic that I
made right here,

let's name this "Raster Layer"
because that's what it is.

The graphic that we made here,
let's say,

it's made up of

50 pixels.

Let's say it's not
made up of 50 pixels,

it's way more than that.

But let's say this is 50 pixels.

Now, everything I painted here

is burned to the pixels.

If we make it smaller

by pressing "Ctrl + T" or
"Command + T"

Let's say we make it

very small.

Now this is made up of let's say,

5 pixels, because from 50,

you made it smaller.

Now let's say it's made up of
5 pixels.

We're just assuming

for understanding it better.

Now this has details worth
5 pixels.

Not more than that.

When we make it big again,

how are you going to get the
details from the rest 45 pixels?

Because we already lost them by
making it smaller in the first place.

So now when we make it bigger,

since that was burned to down
to the pixels, and we only had

5 pixels to work with,

if we make it off the size of
50 pixels,

Photoshop we'll try to guess
the rest of the pixels.

And it's not going
to do a good job

because you already lost all the
details, which were worth 45 pixels.

So if you make it big again,

it's going to be pixelated,

It's not going to look detailed.

And that's the thing
with raster layers.

When you make it smaller,

you're going to lose the
pixels because everything

there is in the raster layer
is burned to the pixels.

That's the story of
raster layers,

but there are several advantages.

You can paint on a raster layer.

You can change it
any way you want.

You have complete
freedom over it.

Now to counter this,
you have smart objects.

So let's go back.

Press "Ctrl + Z" or
"Command + Z"

a couple of times to go
back to where we were.

Now, this is a layer.

As we discussed before, however,

we can now convert this
into a smart object.

And that is the second type
of layer.

First one was a simple
raster layer.

Second is smart object.

Okay?

Now smart objects
are interesting.

If you right click on the layer

and then choose
"Convert to Smart Object"

And we're going to discuss
that in very detailed later.

Let's understand the basic
features of a smart object.

Now, this, my friend is a
smart object.

Now smart object retains the
pixel information within it.

Even if you make it smaller,

it might be burned down to the
existing pixels of the canvas,

but it retains all the details.

Press "Ctrl + T" or
"Command + T"

if we make it smaller,

no matter how small we make it,

If we zoom in, you will see

that the details are gone, but

it is retained inside.

If you press "Ctrl + T" or
"Command + T" again

and make it larger again,

see?

The details are back.

And that is the advantage
of a smart object.

But then why don't we
always work in a smart object?

You see, there's a catch.

With smart object,
you cannot paint on it.

You don't have complete
freedom over it.

If you try to paint on it,

it's going to show that cancellation
icon, you cannot do that.

When you try it,

it's going to tell you that you
cannot paint on a smart object.

Do you want to convert
it to a raster layer again?

If you hit "OK"

it's converted back to a raster layer.

To convert it back to a smart object,
right click on it,

and then choose
"Convert to Smart Object"

And how can you tell

what's a smart object and
what's a simple raster layer?

When you convert a layer
to a smart object,

you will see this logo right there.

When it's a raster layer,
logo is not there.

So if you rasterize this
by right clicking on it

and then choose "Rasterize Layer",

that logo will be gone.

Now this is a raster layer.

If you right click on it,

and then choose
"Convert to Smart Object"

this my friend is a smart object.

There you go.

Now, smart object has
several other advantages.

Let me show you
one more advantage.

When a layer is a smart object,

whatever filters you apply,
you can change the values later.

So let's say in this composite,

from the earlier example,

here we have the subject
and this is the subject layer.

On this, we can
apply certain filters.

So let's click on the filter
right there

and then choose
"Camera Raw Filter"

And we can do a lot
of changes into this.

We can make it a little darker.

We can decrease
the exposure a little bit

and we can increase the contrast.

So we did these changes.

Let's make it a little
black and white.

So let's decrease
the "Saturation",

or you can also make
it black and white

by choosing the profile
"Monochrome",

right?

Hit "OK"

We did some changes.

Now,

I cannot change the
contrast right now.

I cannot change it back to
color or increase the color.

I don't have access
to those controls again

at all.

I can, of course do undo

by pressing "Ctrl + Z" or
"Command + Z"

However,

we cannot change
the sliders back again.

We don't have control over it.

It's all burnt to the pixels,

because this is a raster layer.

Let's go back by pressing
"Ctrl + Z" or "Command + Z"

If we convert this

into a smart object
by right clicking on it

and choosing
"Convert to Smart Object"

Now,

the shadow has changed
a little bit because

that was applied with the
"Multiply" blend mode.

Anyway, to separate
the drop shadow,

let me just quickly
separate the drop shadow.

You can right click on the "Effects"

I had applied a drop shadow effect
earlier and choose "Create Layer"

hit "OK"

That way dropped shadow is
now on a separate layer.

So you don't have
to worry about that.

So with the subject selected,
right click on it

and then choose
"Convert to Smart Object"

Now, this is a smart
object right?

Now if you go to "Filter" and then
"Camera Raw Filter",

and now let's change the
profile to "Monochrome"

Let's decrease the "Exposure"
"Increase" the contrast, right?

Contrast is 46,
keep in mind.

Exposure is minus 0.6

And now if you increase
the "Clarity",

make it a little
more interesting

hit "OK"

Now we have done
all of these settings.

But right now I
have access to them.

I can change the
sliders anytime.

So if you click on
this arrow right there,

camera opens up.

If you double-click on
"Camera Raw Filter",

it will open up camera
dialogue box back again

with your values intact.

As you can see,
the contrast is at 46,

the exposure minus 0.6

You can change these values.

This is completely
non destructive.

Nothing is burned
down to the pixels

and you have access to all of
the controls at any point of time

while creating the composite.

Hit "OK" Once you're satisfied
with these values and the changes

both take place.

So what is the second
advantage of a smart object?

Whatever filter you apply,

you will be able to
change its properties later.

Let's look at another example.

So here in this,

first of all, let's click
on the lock to unlock it.

Right click on it, and then choose
"Convert to Smart Object"

Let's go to filter and
then "Camera Raw Filter"

Let's say, I want to
brighten up the shadows.

So let's increase the
shadows right here,

simple stuff.

And then we can increase the "Clarity"
to make it a little more dramatic

"Texture", a tad bit.

"Dehaze" a little bit, right?

And then let's decrease the
highlights to bring details.

And then if you want, you
can also increase the "Contrast"

and then increase the "Temperature"

Just random editing
here and there.

If you want to change anything,

you can just double click
on the camera,

the camera shows
up with the exact

same settings that
you dialed in.

You can change it to any value.

Let's say you think you decrease
the "Highlights" way too much.

You can just bring it
back to where it was.

So we can increase it

and keep it at our desired value

and maybe increased
the "Whites" instead

hit "OK"

So, and the changes
will take place.

Now let's talk about
Adjustment layers.

As the name suggests,

adjustment layer simply adjust.

What do they adjust?

The properties of everything
that is beneath that layer

or instance.

Right now on top of me,

there is an adjustment layer.

If you take it away,

let's take it away.

This is the original video.

If you bring it back on,

this is an adjustment layer,

which color grades me.

So let's say in this image,

I want to change
the color from blue

to red.

So click on the
"Adjustment Layer" icon

right there in the layers panel,

or there's also an adjustment panel.

If you go to "Window"

and then click on "Adjustments",
there's this adjustment panel

that you can open up right here
and from there,

you can also add some

adjustment layers, but I
prefer to do it the other way,

by clicking on the
"Adjustment Layer" icon,

and then let's choose
"Hue/Saturation"

Now this is a "Hue/Saturation"
adjustment layer at the top.

Doesn't add any graphic
to the image,

but adjust the Hue and the
Saturation of everything, which is

beneath it.

Now keep in mind, this
is just a projection.

This doesn't change the
individual pixels of that layer.

It's not burned down to the pixels.

You can change anything
at any point of time.

So let's say if we just decrease
the Saturation,

the colors are gone.

However, if you look at the actual
layer, it's still there, right?

It just is a projection

of how everything
that is beneath it

is interpreted by you.

If you turn this off,

that goes away.

It shows that this
is a projection.

So let's turn it on.

Now, whenever you find yourself,

not in the properties of
that adjustment layer to

bring in the properties,

just click on that symbol
of the adjustment layer,

the properties are
going to show up.

Let's reset it by simply clicking
on the "Reset" button right there.

We only want to change
the blues.

So from the dropdown,

let's choose blues

and we can simply change
the Hue to whatever you like.

Now, not all of blue is selected.

We can actually

extend the range

by using this range
slider at the bottom.

We're going to discuss Hue/
Saturation very much in detail later.

So don't worry about that.

So we just increased the range.

Now you can change the
color to whatever you like.

So for this example,
let's choose red.

That one looks interesting.

You can also control the
Saturation of how much

red you want on it.

And there you go.

Looks interesting, doesn't it?

You can change it to any color
of your choice.

You can also make it

a little brighter.

Like gray, can also
make it black.

So let's make it a little darker

and decrease the Saturation
to make it

you know, a dark
color, black color.

This looks interesting as well.

So these are adjustment layers.

They make adjustments to
everything that is beneath it.

Combination of everything
that is beneath it.

They do not manipulate the
big source of those layers,

but only changes
the way you see them.

That's it.

If you turn it off,

all of the changes are gone.

Now, imagine it this way.

Let's say you have a beautiful
picture of the landscape.

Now you took a
colored gel paper.

It has a little bit
transparency.

It's red in color.

You put it over that landscape.

Now the landscape
will appear what?

Red.

But it's not actually red.

If you take that color
gel paper away,

it's going to bring it back
to its original color.

That's what adjustment
layers do.

Let's say, if we add one
more adjustment layer,

click on the "Adjustment
Layer" icon, and then choose

"Brightness Contrast"

And in this, we just
increase the contrast

or decrease the contrast.

This my friend is
just an adjustment.

We can turn it off,

which means taking away
that color gel paper.

We can turn it on,

it's bringing that back.

Again, there's an entire
lesson on adjustment layers.

Let's move on to the
fourth type of layer,

that is shape layers.

Shape layers are vector layers
in a raster canvas.

Now, what did we learn
in lesson 1?

Photoshop is a raster
graphic editing software.

However, you can import vectors,

but at the end of the
day, the canvas is raster.

It's of a defined dimension.

However,

you will have some advantages
of over vector shape.

Let me show that to you.

So if you click on in here,

you can find the
"Rectangle tool",

the "Ellipse tool",

the "Polygon tool"

all of these are shapes.

So let's choose the "Ellipse tool"
and draw an ellipse.

This my friend is a shape layer.

How can we tell?

Look at the symbol right there.

This is the symbol
of a shape layer.

We can fill it with
whatever we like.

So click on it

and let's fill it with this
color or lighter color.

We can add "Stroke" to it.

We learned this before.

We can add black stroke to it.

This isn't like a vector,

but on a raster canvas.

If you zoom in on it,

you will still see pixels.

However,

let's press "Ctrl + T" or
"Command + T"

you can make it bigger.

It will not pixelate.

See?

It will not pixelate.

It is only limited

by the number of
pixels of the canvas.

That's it.

But it's not pixelating
when we make it bigger.

Let's press "Ctrl + T" or
"Command + T" again,

let's make it smaller, very small.

And let's bring it

right here.

It's now small.

Let's make it big again.

See?

It's not pixelated.

So that is the advantage or
working with shapes in Photoshop.

So that is one of the major properties
of working with shapes in Photoshop.

They are like vectors,

but on a raster canvas,

you can change the
thickness of the stroke,

the color, we already
learned how to do that.

There are lots of
shape properties,

so let's delete this.

So if we create,

let's say a rounded rectangle,

We can control.

First of all, let's change
a brighter orange color.

We can control the roundness

along the edge,

by simply increasing
these values.

See?

You can decrease these
values, increase these values,

and they control the
roundness around the edge.

We can control them separately.

If you just click
on that link button,

all of them will be unlinked.

And now you can control
the roundness separately

on different areas and create
some interesting shapes.

Now, there are some
custom shapes as well.

Let's delete this.

If you click and hold, there
are some custom shapes.

If you click on that
arrow right there,

again, what did we learn?

Properties of every
tool will be at the top.

Once you choose this tool,

the properties are at the top.

There are lots of shapes
that you can try.

"Leaf trees",

"Wild Animals"

So let's choose this shape

and let's make a tree.

If you hold the "Shift" key,

it will maintain the proportions.

Let's change the fill to about

green.

And that looks interesting.

Again, this is a vector.

If you make it big,

it feel not pixelate.

But keep in mind, this
canvas is a raster canvas.

Look at this.

It's not gunna pixelate.

It's only limited by the
pixels of the canvas.

Now keep in mind, you cannot
paint on a shape layer as well.

As we learned, it is like a vector

on a raster canvas.

So

Painting is actually a raster activity
because we are filling up the pixels.

That's not a nature of vectors

because vectors are
not based on pixels.

So if we take the brush
and try to paint on it,

it will not let you paint.

It will ask you to convert
it into a raster layer

or simply rasterize it,
in other words.

If you hit "OK"

that symbol is gone.

Now this is a raster.

Now you can paint on it
and do whatever you want.

Erase it, paint on it,

manipulate the pixels.

There you go.

Now let's do an exciting project.

How about we create
a realistic reflection

in the eye?

Doesn't that sound interesting?

No, we need to keep
in mind to understand

and nail realistic effects,

the best way is
to look at images,

which are creating those effects
realistically.

Makes sense?

So suppose we were to create
reflections of the eye.

The way to do it better is to first
study how those reflections are created,

and to study it.

It's pretty simple.

So I just type,

"eye close up"

over at "Pexels.com", which is a
great source for free stock photos.

And if you look at the photos closely,

you will see how
reflections are created.

Look at every image closely.

Look at this.

The reflections are created
by the window, which is again,

a light source.

So what did we learn from this?

Reflections are created by light
sources and they are created

all over the eyeball,

not just on a particular area.

You can look at more images
to understand that better.

Now let's open an image that we
have right here of a human eye.

Let's drag it into Photoshop

and drop it in right there.

Now on top of it,

we want to create a reflection,

but that reflection must
have a light source.

So looking for images,

I came across this one.

This is a pretty emotional
image as well.

And I would like to add that.

So let's click and drag
and drop right there.

Now in this image, the light is
coming from the right hand side.

But if you look at the eye, the light
is coming from the left hand side.

So we need to flip it.

Right click on it and choose
"Flip Horizontally"

This looks to be nice.

Let's make it a little larger.

All right?

Now, one of the things we
learned from those examples,

for that, the reflections
were a little distorted.

So we need to distort this too.

Press "Ctrl + T"
or "Command + T"

Right click on it,

and then choose "Warp"

Now from the warp dropdown
at the very top,

choose "Fisheye"

And then you can distort
it a little bit as well.

Look at the bulge
that we created.

Okay.

Hit "Enter" once you're satisfied,

and then you can make it a
little smaller, if you wish to.

"Ctrl + T" or "Command + T"

make it smaller, make
sure everything fits in.

Now,

this is a light source.

We want to brighten it

Now, what is the blend mode?

That brightens stuff.

We already learned this.

That is "Screen"

change the blend mode
from "Normal"

to "Screen"

Now it's beginning to
look interesting.

So,

let's make it this way.

Yeah, that looks amazing,
doesn't it?

Hit "Enter" or "Return"

Now, one of the things we're going
to learn in the next lesson is about

Masks.

Masks, hide and show different
areas of the layers.

Let me give you a little preview
of that.

So with the father and
child layer selected,

if you click on this
button called "Mask",

it's going to create
another box right there.

And that is a mask.

Right now the box
is completely white.

Make sure that box is
selected by clicking on it.

If you take the brush,

if you paint with black and
certain areas, let's choose

the "Soft Round" brush.

If you paint with black,

I changed my foreground
color to black by pressing "X",

to switch the foreground
and the background.

Those areas will be hidden.

If I paint with white,

those areas will show up.

As we paint with black,

have a look.

Those areas are being
painted black,

and those areas are being hidden.

So you can use that feature
to hide that extra areas.

Here,

here as well,

and

create a nice

gradient.

Something like this.

So very nice reflection.

Looks interesting.

Now you can adjust the size.

Now we don't want to move
the mask along with the layer.

At the moment, both are linked.

To break the link, and we're
going to discuss that in detail

in the second lesson,
don't worry about it.

Click on the link

to unlink the mask
and the layer.

Now select the layer.

And then we can take
it a little bit to the right

and maybe make
it a little smaller.

Just like this.

And there you have a very
interesting reflection.

We can come back
to the mask and then

paint away these areas

and areas at the bottom as well.

Just like this.

And there you have it.

An interesting reflection

for the eye.

So there you go.

We just discussed the most fundamental
and useful things we need to know

about layers in Photoshop.

The next lesson is
about Layer Masks.

We showed a little
preview right now

and it's going to open up

immense possibilities for you.

So stay tuned for that.

Layer Masks are inevitable.

Whether it's crucial utilitarian
applications

or creating beautiful pieces
of art and composites

layer masks are something
you will need

all the time.

It's impossible to create
amazing non-destructive art

without layer masks.

They give you the flexibility
to adjust your composite

any way you want

at any time.

So don't miss on that.

It's going to completely change the
way you edit photos in Photoshop.

See you in the next lesson.

Until then, stay tuned
and make sure that you

keep creating.