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Align Active Layers

Lesson 20 from: Adobe Photoshop: The Complete Guide Bootcamp

Ben Willmore

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Lesson Info

20. Align Active Layers

Lessons

Class Trailer
1

Introduction To Adobe Photoshop

04:05
2

Bridge vs. Lightroom

06:39
3

Tour of Photoshop Interface

18:21
4

Overview of Bridge Workspace

07:42
5

Overview of Lightroom Workspace

11:21
6

Lightroom Preferences - Saving Documents

08:19
7

How To Use Camera Raw in Adobe Photoshop 2020

05:10
8

Overview of Basic Adjustment Sliders

13:09
9

Developing Raw Images

30:33
10

Editing with the Effects and HLS Tabs

09:12
11

How to Save Images

03:37
12

Using the Transform Tool

04:48
13

Making Selections in Adobe Photoshop 2020

06:03
14

Selection Tools

05:55
15

Combining Selection Tools

07:37
16

Using Automated Selection Tools

17:34
17

Quick Mask Mode

05:07
18

Select Menu Essentials

21:28
19

Using Layers in Adobe Photoshop 2020

13:00
20

Align Active Layers

07:29
21

Creating a New Layer

06:15
22

Creating a Clipping Mask

03:02
23

Using Effects on Layers

11:24
24

Using Adjustment Layers

16:44
25

Using the Shape Tool

04:39
26

Create a Layer Mask Using the Selection Tool

04:39
27

Masking Multiple Images Together

15:15
28

Using Layer Masks to Remove People

10:50
29

Using Layer Masks to Replace Sky

10:04
30

Adding Texture to Images

09:11
31

Layering to Create Realistic Depth

05:35
32

Adjustment Layers in Adobe Photoshop 2020

05:29
33

Optimizing Grayscale with Levels

10:59
34

Adjusting Levels with a Histogram

03:37
35

Understanding Curves

06:18
36

Editing an Image Using Curves

18:41
37

Editing with Shadows/Highlights Adjustment

07:19
38

Dodge and Burn Using Quick Mask Mode

07:14
39

Editing with Blending Modes

08:04
40

Color Theory

05:59
41

Curves for Color

16:52
42

Hue and Saturation Adjustments

08:59
43

Isolating Colors Using Hue/Saturation Adjustment

13:33
44

Match Colors Using Numbers

16:59
45

Adjusting Skin Tones

05:25
46

Retouching Essentials In Adobe Camera Raw

10:52
47

Retouching with the Spot Healing Brush

07:53
48

Retouching with the Clone Stamp

06:51
49

Retouching with the Healing Brush

04:34
50

Retouching Using Multiple Retouching Tools

13:07
51

Extending an Edge with Content Aware

03:42
52

Clone Between Documents

13:19
53

Crop Tool

10:07
54

Frame Tool

02:59
55

Eye Dropper and Color Sampler Tools

08:14
56

Paint Brush Tools

13:33
57

History Brush Tool

06:27
58

Eraser and Gradient Tools

03:06
59

Brush Flow and Opacity Settings

04:17
60

Blur and Shape Tools

11:06
61

Dissolve Mode

09:24
62

Multiply Mode

15:29
63

Screen Mode

14:08
64

Hard Light Mode

14:54
65

Hue, Saturation, and Color Modes

11:31
66

Smart Filters

11:32
67

High Pass Filter

13:40
68

Blur Filter

05:59
69

Filter Gallery

07:42
70

Adaptive Wide Angle Filter

04:43
71

Combing Filters and Features

04:45
72

Select and Mask

20:04
73

Manually Select and Mask

08:08
74

Creating a Clean Background

21:19
75

Changing the Background

13:34
76

Smart Object Overview

08:37
77

Nested Smart Objects

09:55
78

Scale and Warp Smart Objects

09:08
79

Replace Contents

06:55
80

Raw Smart Objects

10:20
81

Multiple Instances of a Smart Object

12:59
82

Creating a Mockup Using Smart Objects

05:42
83

Panoramas

13:15
84

HDR

11:20
85

Focus Stacking

04:02
86

Time-lapse

11:18
87

Light Painting Composite

08:05
88

Remove Moire Patterns

06:11
89

Remove Similar Objects At Once

09:52
90

Remove Objects Across an Entire Image

05:46
91

Replace a Repeating Pattern

06:50
92

Clone from Multiple Areas Using the Clone Source Panel

10:27
93

Remove an Object with a Complex Background

07:49
94

Frequency Separation to Remove Staining and Blemishes

12:27
95

Warping

11:03
96

Liquify

14:02
97

Puppet Warp

12:52
98

Displacement Map

10:36
99

Polar Coordinates

07:19
100

Organize Your Layers

11:02
101

Layer Styles: Bevel and Emboss

02:59
102

Layer Style: Knockout Deep

12:34
103

Blending Options: Blend if

13:18
104

Blending Options: Colorize Black and White Image

06:27
105

Layer Comps

08:30
106

Black-Only Shadows

06:07
107

Create a Content Aware Fill Action

08:46
108

Create a Desaturate Edges Action

07:42
109

Create an Antique Color Action

13:52
110

Create a Contour Map Action

10:20
111

Faux Sunset Action

07:20
112

Photo Credit Action

05:54
113

Create Sharable Actions

07:31
114

Common Troubleshooting Issues Part 1

10:23
115

Common Troubleshooting Issues Part 2

07:57
116

Image Compatibility with Lightroom

03:29
117

Scratch Disk Is Full

06:02
118

Preview Thumbnail

02:10

Lesson Info

Align Active Layers

Now, what I'd like to do is select the four layers that make up the top four images in this document, and so I need to find them, and I could look in the layers palette to figure it out. Or I could attempt to use that choice of auto select layers. The problem is, I don't want it on all the time, So let's figure out how to target on and off as needed. Watch what happens to the auto select option in the upper left of my screen. When I hold on the command key and a Mac control on Windows for the length of time that I haven't held down, that check box gets turned on. When I release the command key, it gets turned off, and therefore I can automatically switch which layer is active as long as them in the move tool And I hold on the command key. So that means I command click. When I want to make this layer active, I command click when I want that layer active, and therefore I can target layers as I please, but they'll never change without me purposefully holding down the command key and click...

ing But in my case, I need four different layers to be active at the same time. You can do that in the layers panel. Ah, a couple different methods. One is if I already had this layer active, and that's the last layer I've clicked on. If I hold down the shift key and click on another layer, it's going to select all the layers in between. The last one I had made active and the one I was clicking on when I had the shift key held down and I can add more hold, shift and click here, and it should extend it all the way down there to end up de selecting individual layers. I can hold down the command key and click that's controlling windows, and then I can toggle a layer so it's either selected or not for active or not, I should say so. That's how I could do it here in my layers panel. The problem is working in your layers panel. It's not always easy to tell what's in each layer. It's much easier most of the time to look within the main document window, so now let's figure out how to do that same thing using auto select layers. So remember, I have auto select layers up here turned off. So therefore, I have to hold on the command key and click control on Windows to switch to another document. But I want not just this layer active. I want the one next to it. If I just command click on it, it will switch which layer is active, but it won't make them both active. So here's what I do. Just add the shift key. So I'm holding down Command, which is controlling windows to say auto select, and then shift means add to or take away from what I already have. So we'll do that to the other layers that are here and now I have a total of four layers highlighted in my layers panel. Four layers are active. Well, when I have four layers active or just any time of more than one layer active up here in my options bar, I'm going to see options for aligning my layers. So if I were to click on this, it would make sure that the top edges of all those layers are in the same position. If I chose this, it would make sure the bottom edges are, or this one would center them vertically. When I want to do, though, in this case is to choose this option, and that's going to make sure the amount of space there is between these images is the same. So now we have the same amount of white space between them. I want to do the same thing to the images of the bottom. So now I need to select those four layers, and I could use the same technique command. Click on one layer to make it active than add shift. Click on the next one and the next one and the next one. But sometimes you have a large number of layers. Let's say that was 15 layers side by side. How could I get all 15 selected without having to click 15 times? Well, here's how it could be done. If you have an empty area in your document that doesn't really contain a layer, it's empty information you can command. Click as if you're using auto select layers, but then drag in. If you clicked within an empty area, then is the drag. It's going to select which ever layers this Breck tangled touches. So it should now make that layer active, this one, that one. Keep going and I could get multiple layers like that. And that was on Lee If I started my mouse in an empty area. The document and by empty I'm in an area that either contains what's known as the background. So if you look in your layers panel, this bottom, most thing that called background contains that or it looks like a checkerboard. Then I'm able to do that. I have those all selected. I'll go to the top of my screen up here where I find my alignment controls and I'll tap the one that equally spaces these horizontally. In this case, it didn't quite do what I wanted, and that's because I have mawr layers down there than I need. There were two layers that were kind of right on top of each other, and so I have more layers than I need in this pile. I'm gonna get rid of one of those layers. I'm gonna get rid of this one on the far right to get rid of a layer. Just click on its name in the layers panel and either click the trash can at the bottom of the layers panel or dragged layer to the trash can. Or if you're in the move tool. Just hit the delete key on your keyboard and you'll delete it. They don't move this over groups. Sorry. Move this over and then I'm going to select all those in, say, equally spaced them. I want to get these spaces a little closer together, so I'm going to get just one layer active, this one here, drag it over. I would say about their then get the other selected until it equally spaced them with the icon of the top of my screen. Then what I'd like to dio is now I want these two, ah, top and bottom rose to take up the majority of the width of my document. So before, when we brought over an individual layer, if we wanted to change its size, we used free transform, and when we did it change the size of just one layer. Well, if you have more than one layer selected like I currently have now, you can also go up to the edit menu, choose free transform and now you're going to be re sizing multiple layers so I can get those to span the width of my screen press returner enter. When I'm done, I want to do the same thing for the images at the top. I need to get them active. I can do that many different ways, but one of which was to hold on the command key, which means auto select layers. Click within this empty area and just drag across. Then I will transform free transform and get those to be spanning the whip press returner enter to say, I'm done now, I'd like to move this one down. I'll command click on it because remember, command click means auto Select layers and now we have that filling a good portion of our screen.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Lessons 1 - 6 - Handbook 1: Introduction to Adobe Photoshop
Lessons 7 - 12 - Handbook 2: How to Use Camera Raw
Lessons 13 - 18 - Handbook 3: Making Selections
Lessons 19 - 24 - Handbook 4: Using Layers
Lessons 25 - 30 - Handbook 5: Using Layer Masks
Lessons 31 - 38 - Handbook 6: Using Adjustment Layers
Lessons 39 - 44 - Handbook 7: Color Theory
Lessons 45 - 51 - Handbook 8: Retouching Essentials
Lessons 52 - 59 - Handbook 9: Tools Panel
Lessons 60 - 64 - Handbook 10: Layer Blending Modes
Lessons 65 - 70 - Handbook 11: How to Use Filters
Lessons 71 - 74 - Handbook 12: Advanced Masks
Lessons 75 - 81 - Handbook 13: Using Smart Objects
Lessons 82 - 86 - Handbook 14: Photography for Photoshop
Lessons 87 - 93 - Handbook 15: Advanced Photo Retouching
Lessons 94 - 98 - Handbook 16: Warp, Blend, Liquify
Lessons 99 - 105 - Handbook 17: Advanced Layers
Lessons 106 - 112 - Handbook 18: Actions
Lessons 113 - 117 - Handbook 19: Troubleshooting Issues
Practice Images 1: Introduction to Adobe Photoshop
Practice Images 2: How to Use Camera Raw
Practice Images 3: Making Selections
Practice Images 4: Using Layers
Practice Images 5: Using Layer Masks
Practice Images 6: Using Adjustment Layers
Practice Images 7: Color Theory
Practice Images 8: Retouching Essentials
Practice Images 9: Tools Panel
Practice Images 10: Layer Blending Modes
Practice Images 11: How to Use Filters
Practice Images 12: Advanced Masks
Practice Images 13: Using Smart Objects
Practice Images 14: Photography for Photoshop
Practice Images 15: Advanced Photo Retouching
Practice Images 16: Warp, Blend, Liquify
Practice Images 17: Advanced Layers
Practice Images 18: Actions
Practice Images 19: Troubleshooting Issues

Ratings and Reviews

Noel Ice
 

I am an avid reader of photoshop books, and an avid watcher of photoshop tutorials. I have attended (internet) several hundred of presentations. In the course of this endeavor, I have found my own favorite photoshop websites and instructors. Creative Live is probably the bargain out there as well as among the top three internet course sites. I have to say with great enthusiasm that the best Photoshop instructor is Ben Willmore. There are many great ones, but truly, he is the best I have come across, and, as indicated above, I have watched literally 100s of tutorials on Photoshop. I have seen all of Ben's courses, I think, and among them, this one is the best by far, and that is saying a lot, because that makes this course the best course on Photoshop to be found anywhere. I am going back and watching it twice. Not only is it comprehensive, but Ben is so familiar with his subject that he is able to explain it like no other. This is crème de la crème of Photoshop classes. I have been wanting to write this review for some time because I have been so thoroughly impressed with everything about this class!

ford smith
 

Highly recommended if you want to take your Photoshop skills to the next level. Ben Willmore is clear, concise, and professional. He also has a good speaking voice that is not distracting but also keeps you engaged. Lastly, I would recommend that as you become more advanced, increasing the speed of the video (one of the options given on the menu)...especially if you've gone through the course once before and maybe want to watch it again. The double speed is very efficient as you become more advanced in Photoshop. Thanks for the help Ben!

a Creativelive Student
 

Wow. I cannot communicate the value of this course!! The true value in this course is how the instructor identifies workflows you'll need before you'll ever realize it, repeats important information without it becoming annoying, and explains the "why" behind the techniques so well that even if you forget the exact method, you can figure it out via the principles learned. Excellent value, excellent material, excellent instructor!!!

Student Work

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