Help for newbie please, can't use layers properly
Keiron Carroll
fully understand (I think) the concept of layers I cannot use them in
PSP7 for the life of me. I basically want to do a simple layer job,
putting one photograph on top or mostly on top of another, simple eh?
I open up PSP7, open my image which becomes a background. Now I created
a new layer, layer1. Do I now fetch another image? I have and then use
SELECTION/SELECT ALL to copy it, then paste as a new layer, I've found
it doesn't go into layer 1 but another layer2. So back to start again,
open an image-goes to background. Open another image, background only
shown at this time in layer pallette. I need to get the 2nd pic to
become layer1. I use SELECTION/SELECT ALL (don't know if this is what
I'm supposed to do) then I copy and then paste as new layer. The layer
pallette now shows Background and layer 1, great but when I look at the
thumbnail on them they both show my 2nd picture, my first one isn't
there any more. AAAAhhHHHH!!
Could some kind soul please hand hold me in stages how to put one pic on
top of another. How come I'm having such difficulty?? I'm very p.c
literate and I feel that this part of the program is not user friendly
at all despite reading all about layers in the help facility. I'm a
newbie to PSP7 but after spending over a day on trying to sus this (I
did in fact do it one time but don't know how I managed it) I'm truly
disheartened,
Any kind soul willing to help and is there a third party tutorial on
this, I've been to so many sites but they haven't refered to putting one
pic on top of another but more like drawing things and adding them, not
quite the same. Also do I have to select NEW from the off when the
program first loads or is this just for drawing purposes? Or am I beyond
help?
Much appreciated,
Keiron Carroll
Kris Zaklika
>
> Please take care with me, I've read help files, FAq etc and although I
> fully understand (I think) the concept of layers I cannot use them in
> PSP7 for the life of me. I basically want to do a simple layer job,
> putting one photograph on top or mostly on top of another, simple eh?
>
> I open up PSP7, open my image which becomes a background. Now I created
> a new layer, layer1.
Why did you do this? You've just made an empty layer (Layers >
New Raster Layer) or a duplicate of the original background
layer (Layers > Duplicate), depending on how you created the
layer. What use is this if you actually want to create this
new layer from some second image?
> Do I now fetch another image?
Obviously you need another image if you want to have something
different to paste as a layer on your first image.
> I have and then use
> SELECTION/SELECT ALL to copy it, then paste as a new layer, I've found
> it doesn't go into layer 1 but another layer2.
That's because the operation is Edit > Paste AS NEW Layer, not
Edit > Paste INTO EXISTING Layer. (The latter operation does not
exist in PSP.) So, the result appears as a new layer - in your
case Layer 2, because you already made a Layer 1 before. Just
highlight Layer 1 in the Layer Palette, right click, and select
Delete from the menu to get rid of this unwanted layer. Next
time, just skip making this Layer 1.
> So back to start again,
> open an image-goes to background. Open another image, background only
> shown at this time in layer pallette. I need to get the 2nd pic to
> become layer1. I use SELECTION/SELECT ALL (don't know if this is what
> I'm supposed to do)
It's what you are supposed to do if you want ALL of the
second picture to become a new layer. If you want PART of
the second picture in the layer you are trying to create,
then you must select part of the picture. (That's logical,
isn't it?) To select part of an image use the Selection
Tool or the Magic Wand.
> then I copy and then paste as new layer. The layer
> pallette now shows Background and layer 1, great but when I look at the
> thumbnail on them they both show my 2nd picture, my first one isn't
> there any more. AAAAhhHHHH!!
This isn't complicated. It just needs a little care and
attention. Let's suppose what you want to do is to open
Image1 and Image2 and then to paste Image2 as a new layer
over Image1. Here's what to do:
1. Open Image1
2. Open Image2. Make sure this is the active image. The
title bar of the image window will be highlighted if it
is.
3. Do Selections > Select All, then Edit Copy. This puts
the contents of Image2 on the clipboard.
4. Click on the title bar of Image1 to make it the active
image.
5. Do Edit > Paste As New Layer. This copies the contents
of the clipboard into a new layer in Image1.
That's it.
I suspect you didn't activate Image1 when you did the Paste
As New Layer.
>
> Could some kind soul please hand hold me in stages how to put one pic on
> top of another. How come I'm having such difficulty??
I can't explain this. Most users find this trivially easy.
> I'm very p.c
> literate and I feel that this part of the program is not user friendly
> at all despite reading all about layers in the help facility. I'm a
> newbie to PSP7 but after spending over a day on trying to sus this (I
> did in fact do it one time but don't know how I managed it) I'm truly
> disheartened,
Don't be. People here are very helpful.
>
> Any kind soul willing to help and is there a third party tutorial on
> this,
It's really too simple for a tutorial, as I described above.
> I've been to so many sites but they haven't refered to putting one
> pic on top of another but more like drawing things and adding them, not
> quite the same. Also do I have to select NEW from the off when the
> program first loads or is this just for drawing purposes? Or am I beyond
> help?
>
> Much appreciated,
>
> Keiron Carroll
>
> kei...@kedah.demon.co.uk
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Kris Zaklika Jasc Software, Inc. The
Product Ideas: id...@jasc.com Power
Customer Service: customer...@jasc.com To
Technical Support: tec...@jasc.com Create
----------------------------------------------------------------------
JoAnn
"Keiron Carroll" <kei...@kedah.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:PYyTjEAg...@kedah.demon.co.uk...
> I open up PSP7, open my image which becomes a background. Now I
created
> a new layer, layer1. Do I now fetch another image? I have and then
use
> SELECTION/SELECT ALL to copy it, then paste as a new layer, I've found
> it doesn't go into layer 1 but another layer2. So back to start
again,
> open an image-goes to background. Open another image, background only
> shown at this time in layer pallette. I need to get the 2nd pic to
> become layer1. I use SELECTION/SELECT ALL (don't know if this is what
> I'm supposed to do) then I copy and then paste as new layer. The
layer
> pallette now shows Background and layer 1, great but when I look at
the
> thumbnail on them they both show my 2nd picture, my first one isn't
> there any more. AAAAhhHHHH!!
Well, you are on the right track. Once you have both images open,
select the one you want to copy onto the other one...i.e. click on it's
title bar so it's the active image. From the Edit menu, select copy.
Then click on the title bar of the other image (so it's now the active
one) and, again from the Edit menu, select paste. You should now have
one image on top of the other....one as the background and the other as
Layer1.
Jo
Trev
"JoAnn" <joannw...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:05Po7.5131$Na6.2...@e3500-atl1.usenetserver.com...
>
> "Keiron Carroll" <kei...@kedah.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:PYyTjEAg...@kedah.demon.co.uk...
>
Just a thought, after you have both images on top of one another you will
either have to lower the opacity of the top layer to see the one underneath,
or change the blend mode, try them all but screen may be our best
Keiron Carroll
seems so easy, incredibly so, I feel so humbled. I've had fun altering
the opacity of both to get the right image.
Many thanks for the very helpful replies
Keiron Carroll