Introduction to layers

Layers are a feature found in Elements that I think will dramatically change the way you edit your pictures. More importantly, they will also significantly expand your creative potential.

Layers are used when we want to include more than one element in a file (image, text, or graphics) or when we want to edit individual parts of an image without affecting the rest of the picture. The following illustration shows a depiction of how layers work in an image:

The preceding illustration is a rather scary 3D representation of a regular multilayered Photoshop file. This collage contains 50 different components, sitting on 40 separate layers. Each component can be moved, resized, and edited using any of Elements' tools independently of everything else.

Perhaps the best way to understand how layers work is to start at the beginning.

A single photo, irrespective of its dimensions, resolution, or color mode, occupies a single layer...