Layers Confusion

Hi All....am just learning photoshop and am trying to wrap my head around layers!......why are changes happening to a layer that is locked and not selected??? i am trying to copy and move things and NOTHING is happening in my selected layer but in the locked background layer any thoughts? i am working on cs4

Hello!
The background layer is not totally locked, its position and transparency parameters are.
Where, what are you copying from and to? is there a selection somewhere, and the only targeted layer is not the background one?

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Bit of layers confusion with drop down menu

Hi guys.
I have been teaching myself web design for about 4 months,
and am still pretty clueless about a frightening amount of stuff.
I am really in a bit of a mess and am hoping someone can help
me out it.
I am doing a web site that needs to have a tabbed drop-down
menu running along the bottom of the banner.
I started doing this using some HTML and CSS code I found
online, but ended up having problems with displaying correctly in
IE. So I have scrapped it in favour of doing one in flash.
The only thing is, directly below the banner, I have a div
that contains image links. When my drop downs, expand they will go
well ontop of the area containing the image links. So my question
is , does the flash drop down's page size automatically have to be
big enough to contain the menu when expanded, or is it possible to
have the flash page size expand according to whether the menu is
expanding or not, so that there is still clickable access to the
link images underneath,when the menu is not expanded.?
Sorry if this is a very convoluted explanation. If someone
understands what I am trying to achieve and help me find any way to
make it happen, I would be hugely grateful, as I have a client who
is blown away by the design, and i dont wanna sour the relationship
by being unable to sort out this functionality.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.

I happen to have the same problem. However I cannot find the two files in step two:
2.
Trash the following two files in the Macintosh HD > Library > Caches folder:
* com.apple.LaunchServices-0140.csstore
* com.apple.LaunchServices-014nnn.csstore
I did input my UID number as you are told to do so in the instructions. The only I can find is the one in step six a:
6.
Verify that the problem is solved. If not:
1. Trash the com.apple.LaunchServices.plist file in the Home > Library > Preferences folder of the affected account. See Note [3].
Is there a reason as to why I cannot find those files? Oh and I did delete it; all it did was reset the file associations.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. May your loins be blessed with fertility.
PowerBook6,8 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

In Photoshop Elements 11 attempting to blend two photos ( layering one on another) when I click on a brush, I get a smart brush which doesn't do what the instruction say it should do. Instead I can get the eraser to do what I need to do. Why the confusion

In Photoshop Elements 11 attempting to blend two photos (layering one on another) I click on brush and get a smart brush which doesn't do what the instructions say it will do. I can get the eraser to do what I want. Why the confusion???

I click on brush and get a smart brush which doesn't do what the instructions say it will do.
The Brush tool (Keyboard B) has several different brushes in the same slot. Right click on the brush icon and you will see them, or press B sequentially.
The Smart Brush tool (Keyboard F) has two items in the slot.
Since you did not provide reference to "the instructions", it is difficult to remedy the "confusion." that exists.
I suspect that the recipe calls for a mask, and painting with a black brush to mask out certain areas.
It would help if you post the instructions and what your goal is with more specificity.

Opening older documents text layers are confused

When opening older documents, why does PS CS6 mess up my text layers when I select them?
I open the .psd from CS5 in a file with many text layers, the text is correct when opeinging the file but when i click on it to edit it, data from another layer replaces the selected text!
This is very frustrating, hours of work will be waisted getting things back normal!

We still need to verify whether Photoshop is correctly updated to 13.0.1, go to help>System info and paste the content here.
What I do not get is when you state that CS5 does it, I do not recall it ever hitting that version.
Could you post about your issue, if it still happens under 13.0.1 in this discussion: http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1018589

Confused about layers DW CS4

In several books on "how to build web pages" they mention layers as a good thing to use...
But... it seems that the option is grayed out and not available... From Insert > Layout Objects I have options to insert DIV Tags; AP Div: then some Spry stuff.. but the "Layout Table" and "Layout Cell" are grayed out and thus unavailable.
Am I doing something wrong, some other menu choice, or is there a preference setting I have messed up.
And, speaking of messed up when I first started playing with DW the properties dialog box would pop up automatically... now I have to select it and then it stays up even if the page is closed

In addition to Vinay's good advice, I'll post a link for you to read so that you do not use AP Divs unless you understand they way to use them.
"Layers' have now been renamed to AP Divs. So if any of your books refer to layers, they will be referring to AP Divs.
Why do APDivs move?
http://forums.adobe.com/message/2181263#2181263
You may find other posts of interest (usually often asked questions) in the Dreamweaver FAQ as you progress with your learning of Dreamweaver.
Nadia
Adobe® Community Expert : Dreamweaver
Unique CSS Templates | Tutorials | SEO Articles
http://www.DreamweaverResources.com
Web Design & Development
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http://twitter.com/nadiap

Layers got me confused?

Okay so I made a little character on Photoshop, then moved it onto after effects. The character had many layers. How do I - let's use the arm as an example - move the arm's layer separately?

Layers in AE work the same as they do in PS or AI.
To import a layered PS or AI file into AE, go to File>Import>File navigate to the file and select it. In the Import As drop down choose Composition - Retain Layers. When you add this item to your timeline all of the corresponding layers will appear.
In the timeline, click the arrow to expose the options for Position, Scale, Rotation, etc, to make changes to that layer. Here's a link with tutorials for working with layers Build compositions with layers | Adobe After Effects CC tutorials.
Now if you are asking about animating the arm, say to wave, take a look at Understanding animation | Adobe After Effects CC tutorials.

Different size text in a shape/view shape/layers...help!

Hi all, I am trying to work with a heart shape and I am having problems. I know how to write in it to make it the same shape but I am trying to get a heart outline, which I can remove when the text is done, but I want to add words as new layers so I can move them and free transform them into the heart so I can have a big tall word and a short fat word for example. I tried to just make the font bigger on certain words but it effected the gap between the lines obviosuly. I'm not sure how to describe it and the 'add image' thing is not letting me add one to show you so here is a link to show the sort of thing I mean....http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/love_quiz/
I feel I am making it more confusing....?! Basically, I want to free transform words (each a different layer) into the shape of a heart but when I try to do this, it puts the word on the same layer as the heart, or if I do manage to get a word on a different layer, when I go to free transform, I cant see the heart layer so cant see what I am doing. Hope this makes sense, any help would be MASSIVELY appreciated. Thank you xx

When adding words, to start it is better to click away from the heart as it can assume you want the heart path to be a bounding box for the text, (think of a paragraph of all one size formed to that shape)
Then you can drag the text over top of the heart and format it as you wish.

How do i move all layers at once in my GIF

hi, I have recently switched to adobe fireworks, and its
really confusing to me. I was wondering how to move all layers at
one time in my animated GIF. I like moving each frame individually
and it is taking a LONG long long time! In image ready, it was a
lot easier for me, in this I cannot seem to figure it out.
Also how do i move all layers at once onto another image?
Thanks

after calling this
JComboBox CB = new JComboBox();
CB.addItem("Jan");
CB.addItem("Feb");
CB.removeAllItems();
do this
CB=null;
now when u want to add again
do this
CB=new JComboBox();
CB.addItem("bla bla ..");

Un-confuse me: sharing images with other apps.

Hi. I've gotten flummoxed (not unheard of) now that I'm using some of my images in other apps. I would like to understand all of the options/behaviors for moving images from Aperture to other apps.
My confusion comes from at least three things
. in Aperture, one has access to both the Master image, and the Version
. the behavior may change based on the availability of the Master (is it on-line?)
. Aperture keeps Previews of images, and uses these (sometimes) to share with other apps
. this behavior changes based on the availability of the Preview (does it exist?)
. the file format may or may not play a role in having the image show in another app.
Is the shared image from the Master or a Version? Is it a Preview or something else? Does it have a file format, and if so, which?
Here is a (partial?) list of how one can share images currently stored in Aperture:
- Export via Export dialog (creates new file, user sets format and other parameters)
- Mail direct from Aperture via "{Option}+e" or equivalent
- Drag to the Finder (or Desktop)
- Drag to another app
- Open from another Apple app via the Media Browser
- Open from another app via the "Media" category is the OS "File Open" dialog sidebar (How does one control what shows there?)
- Open from another app via the OS "File Open" dialog and select a file currently tracked in the Aperture Library
What are the differences?
To cut this down to size -- here is my current need. I am starting to sketch using Autodesk's Sketchbook Pro. I would like to put an Aperture image on one of the layers. All I need is a good web-quality image (and I prefer to avoid large files). What is the best way to do this?
The Media Browser is not available to Sketchbook Pro. The "Media" sidebar category is there, but often doesn't list Aperture, and often lists an Aperture Library other than the one I want (there does not appear to be a way to switch the Library shown).
Thanks in advance.
Kirby.

FUQuestion: Is there an on-line source for learning/sharing inf. about using/customizing SBP? I am a natural media artist (viscous colored mud, a/k/a oil paint) who recently became passionate about photography, and just discovered drawing with a computer -- and I got baskets of questions about SBP (it is thrilling to use). The AutoDesk SBP forum is moribund. Additional thanks in advance for your answer.
Kirby,
I ran into SBP about 1-1/2 years ago when I found Painter to be filled with too much legacy code making it slow. I am an avid Illustrator fan and use it professionally, but it is not great for quick sketching. After checking out ArtRage, I decided to try SBP 2010. IMHO, it is the best program for quick sketching around, bar none.
Since many consumers are just starting to become aware of it (outside of professional design circles), it may prompt more online resources to begin.
There are some tutorials here (some or all of which you may already have seen):
http://www.lynda.com/home/displaycourse.aspx?lpk2=62087
http://area.autodesk.com/sketchbook/sketch2010prv
And this link, which requires some additional clicks to land at the tutorial:
http://www.carbodydesign.com/tutorials/2d/sketchbook-pro-tutorials/
Here is an older site for the transitional period between Alias and Autodesk ownership:
http://aliasdesign.autodesk.com/learning/tutorials/?product=7912&mode=7937
Note - some of these tutorials are the same as other linked sites.
A great place (IMHO) for art advice and technique is here:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/
Hopefully, the program will promote more online resources for free.
Have fun!

Is there a way to combine layers into precomp AND trim them

Hi. I have a bunch of image sequences that I bring in from a 3D program. Each sequence may have a separate set of images for Shadow, Specular color, Ambient Color, Glow etc - so clip A could have several layers, each with identical length. The same would hold for each other clip.
Ideally, I would like to put all the Shadow, specular, ambient, and glow images of clip A into a precomp, and the same for clips B,C, D, and so on.
When I do this, however, the precomp suddenly occupies the whole timeline, and if I manually trim comp back to correct size, the precomp goes to beginning of the timeline and I have to mannually reposition it. This can quickly get tedious.
Is there a way to automate this process? Or something to use other than precomps that would essentially group the layers/lock them together so all the A clips function as one unit, and all the B clips as another?
Andrew Kramer (at Video Copilot.net) has a script to automatically trim compositions, but I can't figure out if there's a way to use it in this instance where I need to combine multiple layers first.
Thanks for any suggestions.

I'm not where I can look but there is a script that takes the in and out point of a bunch of layers in your Pre-comp, trims the pre-comp, then trims the pre-comp and keeps it in the right place.
I usually don't take the time to do this. Instead I set timeline markers for the in and out points of the pre-comp, then, if the comp starts getting really confusing, I'll just set an in and out point for the pre-comp rather than change the length of the pre-comp. This makes my ELAT (edit this look at that) workflow easier if I have to dive into the pre-comp to make changes.
Let me make another observation. From your description it sounds like you are trying to make too long a movie in AE. AE shines at making shots, and occasionally, making sequences. Even Pixar renders out shots and then moves those shots into a NLE to turn them into a sequence, then a scene, then a movie. When I do the kind of compositing you're doing I treat each rendered 3D shot with all of the render passes as a single composition. I render the result, and then edit the sequence in a NLE. Only on rare occasions will I do the editing of the sequence using a bunch of pre-comps as layers in AE.
Hope this helps.

Open multiple images as one layered file

Hi!
I'm doing a gif animation in PS and have five pictures that I need to have as layers on the top of each other. At the moment I'm opening them and copy-pasting them on one of the images to make layers, but this is slow and sometimes confusing with all the images open at the same time.
Is there any way to just tell Photoshop to open all the files so that they are automatically stacked on the top of each other as layers? Please tell me this is possible!
Any help would be highly appreciated! Thanks!

Yes this a CS3 feature, although I remember it being avaiable as a separate download somewhere - it works w/CS2 (and 7 I think). I'll copy it below, save it in Notepad, name it "Load Files into Stack.jsx" (no quotes) and put it in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS2\Presets\Scripts\ // (c) Copyright 2006. Adobe Systems, Incorporated. All rights reserved. /* @@@BUILDINFO@@@ Load Files into Stack.jsx 1.0.0.0 */ // // Load Files into Stack.jsx - does just that. // /* // BEGIN__HARVEST_EXCEPTION_ZSTRING <javascriptresource> <name>$$$/JavaScripts/LoadFilesintoStack/Menu=Load Files into Stack...</name> <about>$$$/JavaScripts/LoadFilesintoStack/About=Load Files into Stack ^r^rCopyright 2006-2007 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.^r^rLoads multiple files into a stack object.</about> </javascriptresource> // END__HARVEST_EXCEPTION_ZSTRING */ // debug level: 0-2 (0:disable, 1:break on error, 2:break at beginning) //$.level = (Window.version.search("d") != -1) ? 1 : 0; // This chokes bridge $.level = 0; // debugger; // launch debugger on next line // on localized builds we pull the $$$/Strings from a .dat file $.localize = true; // Put header files in a "Stack Scripts Only" folder. The "...Only" tells // PS not to place it in the menu. For that reason, we do -not- localize that // portion of the folder name. var g_StackScriptFolderPath = app.path + "/"+ localize("$$$/ScriptingSupport/InstalledScripts=Presets/Scripts") + "/" + localize("$$$/Private/LoadStack/StackScriptOnly=Stack Scripts Only/"); $.evalFile(g_StackScriptFolderPath + "LatteUI.jsx"); $.evalFile(g_StackScriptFolderPath + "StackSupport.jsx"); $.evalFile(g_StackScriptFolderPath + "CreateImageStack.jsx"); /************************************************************/ // loadLayers routines loadLayers = new ImageStackCreator( localize("$$$/AdobePlugin/Shared/LoadStack/Process/Name=Load Layers"), localize('$$$/AdobePlugin/Shared/LoadStack/Auto/untitled=Untitled' ) ); // LoadLayers is less restrictive than MergeToHDR loadLayers.mustBeSameSize = false; // Images' height & width don't need to match loadLayers.mustBeUnmodifiedRaw = false; // Exposure adjustements in Camera raw are allowed loadLayers.mustNotBe32Bit = false; // 32 bit images loadLayers.createSmartObject = false; // If true, option to create smart object is checked. // Add hooks to read the value of the "Create Smart Object" checkbox loadLayers.customDialogSetup = function( w ) { w.findControl('_createSO').value = loadLayers.createSmartObject; if (! app.featureEnabled( localize( "$$$/private/ExtendedImageStackCreation=ImageStack Creation" ) )) w.findControl('_createSO').hide(); } loadLayers.customDialogFunction = function( w ) { loadLayers.createSmartObject = w.findControl('_createSO').value; } // Override the default to use "Auto" alignment. loadLayers.alignStack = function( stackDoc ) { selectAllLayers(stackDoc, 2); alignLayersByContent( "Auto" ); } loadLayers.stackLayers = function() { var result, i, stackDoc = null; stackDoc = this.loadStackLayers(); if (! stackDoc) return; // Nuke the "destination" layer that got created (M2HDR holdover) stackDoc.layers[this.pluginName].remove(); // Stack 'em up. if (this.createSmartObject) { selectAllLayers( stackDoc ); executeAction( knewPlacedLayerStr, new ActionDescriptor(), DialogModes.NO ); } } // "Main" execution of Merge to HDR loadLayers.doInteractiveLoad = function () { this.getFilesFromBridgeOrDialog( localize("$$$/Private/LoadStack/LoadLayersexv=LoadLayers.exv") ); if (this.stackElements) this.stackLayers(); } loadLayers.intoStack = function(filelist, alignFlag) { if (typeof(alignFlag) == 'boolean') loadLayers.useAlignment = alignFlag; if (filelist.length < 2) { alert(localize("$$$/AdobeScripts/Shared/LoadLayers/AtLeast2=At least two files must be selected to create a stack."), this.pluginName, true ); return; } var j; this.stackElements = new Array(); for (j in filelist) { var f = filelist[j]; this.stackElements.push( new StackElement( (typeof(f) == 'string') ? File(f) : f ) ); } if (this.stackElements.length > 1) this.mergeStackElements(); } if (typeof(loadLayersFromScript) == 'undefined') loadLayers.doInteractiveLoad();

Fonts used in some text layers not available...

I've been gettting the following message lately when opening Photoshop files at work: "Fonts used in some text layers are not available for activation. You will need to replace these fonts before the layers can be used for vector based output".
But when I check my text layers, there are no indications that any fonts are missing. I double click on every text layer to see what font is being used and double check Suitcase Fusion to make sure it is activated.
I'm using OSX Maverick 10.9.2. I'm using Suitcase Fusion 5 version 16.2.0. And I'm using Photoshop CC 14.2.1. It's more of an annoyance than anything, but would like to know why it keeps telling me fonts are not available when they are currently activated in Suitcase. Not sure if it's an Adobe issue or a Suitcase Fusion issue.
Anyone have any ideas on this?
Thanks!
Steve

DrStrik9, I opened up the file, clicked on each text layer and selected all to make sure there wasn't any character using a different font. There wasn't. I clicked on the font being used, tried changing it to a different font, then back to the font that was being used. I saved and closed the file, then reopened it, and that seemed to cure it for that file. Not an efficient way to go about it though.
I then tried another file that was giving me the same error, clicked on each text layer, changed the font to a different one, then back to what was being used, saved, closed and reopened it, and still got the same message. So it didn't work for that one. I then tried changing the font to a system font, Times Bold true type, saved, closed, reopened, and got the message again. So not sure what is going on. The fonts used in the first file were DIN and DINEngschrift postscript font, which were loaded and active in Font Fusion.
The 2nd file I tried was using Gotham Bold postscript font, which also was active in Font Fusion. I've run Font Doctor on the fonts and found no issues.
Even though I'm getting the error message when I'm opening these files, none of the text layers have that Exclamation point indicating there is an issue with the layer, so it would seem the text layers are fine. Just really annoying to get that error every time I open the file.
Another thing I tried is I created a new Photoshop file and just made some text layers using Gotham Bold. Saved, closed and reopened the file and did not get the message. So, I don't know why I would get it with one file and not another. Very confusing/frustrating. Any other ideas?
Thanks in advance,
Steve

Why does Illustrator CS4 merge layers when saving document?

Woking in Illustrator CS4, I have a document with four layers. The first three contain (1) Background (2) Background effects (3) Pictures and the (4) contains text. When I save the document and then re-open it, all the layers have been merged into the latest, 4th layer. All the previous layers are empty. It's as if everything has been grouped into the text layer, no element can be independently selected, and it is therefore impossible to do further work on the document.
Can anyone tell me why this is happening? Am I not saving this correctly?
And even more important, is there any way of restoring the different layers once this has happened?

Can anyone tell me why this is happening? Am I not saving this correctly?
Well, to what format are you saving? The native AI format should always retain layers. Other formats such as EPS or older PDF Levels may indeed enforce flattening. also make sure you are not confusing layers with groups/ objects. There's a crucial difference between the two.
And even more important, is there any way of restoring the different layers once this has happened?
Well, you can manually add new layers and drag&drop your objects and groups into the new layers in the layers panel, but if you save it again to the wrong file format, that is wasted effort, so for the life of it make sure you get that figured out first.
Mylenium

Can't get layers in After Effects

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbuXctVWKqg
I posted a link to show my problem.
Basically I had an EPS file from a designer that had the logo in it. I tried to import these into photoshop to touch up the layers but it always imported as a flat image. (even tried first going to an AI format then to photoshop but still a flat image) So I painfully copied and pasted all the layers from AI to PS and reconstructed the logo. Now I want to take that into AE to animate the logo, but everytime I import it imports it as a flat image (I tell it to import as a compostition not footage and I still get the same result)
What am I doing wrong, on most videos I see of PSD being imported another box pops up after the import for more options on how to handle the composition settings, but I am not getting this.
I've tried with both vextor layers and rasterized layers and I get the same results both times.
I feel like I'm missing something painfully obvious.
Thanks for the help.

I'd go back to Square One in Illustrator. There's nothing that says you can't create as many layers as you need in Illustrator, and move the appropriate paths and whatnot into those newly-created layers.
Make sure you give these new layers names. It helps a lot when you're in AE. Most Illustrator folks I know skip this step, much to their confusion later.
If your brand-new Illustrator document doesn't import properly as a comp, it's not you, it's AE Weirdness. I'd start by doing the easy stuff first: quitting all applications and starting them up again, restarting the machine if that failed, shutting down the machine if restarting failed... you get the idea.
And I know you didn't intend it to be so, but that youtube movie of yours darned near induced motion sickness in me. But you were in a hurry. I understand that.

Opacity Masks in cs4 can't find layers with main objects on it.

I created image with flag and did clipping mask with some text. Now when I do a opacity mask my other layers disappear and i can't seem to bring them back. I use the transparency to mask and clip. After that my layers with the first original items I can't find them or get back to them. Can someone tell how I can resolve this problem.
Thank you!

Once you start editing your opacity mask, you have to go back into normal editing mode by clicking on the object on the left side in the transparency panel. Click on the right to edit the mask, click on the left to get back out of that to editing the rest of your document. It's a bit confusing the way it's set up - there's no obvious indication that you're editing your mask and are isolated from the rest of your document...

Layers Confusion

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