RIGHT-PANEL TOOLS

For this tutorial, we are working mainly with the right-hand panel of tools. At the bottom, you can see buttons for FX, used for glows, overlays, and blending options, then the Mask layer icon is next to that. This is heavily used in this tutorial to add and subtract elements of an image. To understand the Mask layer easier, replace the word “mask” with “transparency.” There is already a Transparency/ Opacity slider, but what that does is apply the opacity to the whole layer. A Mask layer enables you to choose exactly what part you want to be seen or not.

Next along is the Adjustment layer. It adds a layer to the top, which gives you multiple options. These include: Hue/Saturation (used in this tutorial); Invert color, Levels, Black and white, Brightness/Contrast. The options for what Adjustment layer you select will appear under the Properties tab above the layers, seen in the image we have here. It is a nice and quick way to apply effects to a layer and fine-tune them.

The folder icon is the group button. Instead of using Ctrl + G, select the multiple layers you want while holding Shift, and click this to group them. The last two icons are easy enough to remember; the plus icon is to add a new layer, and the bin icon is to delete the selected layer you are on. Simple enough, right?

The last thing to mention is that if any layer has another box thumbnail next to the image, then it is likely that a mask is in use. When there are black boxes you can see where the image has been drawn on by the white markings, just like a preview.

These are the main areas focused on in this issue’s tutorial, which will hopefully find themselves being used in your own projects.