Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 6-6. To get rid of a layer, either drag it onto the Layers panel's trashcan icon (circled) or
activate the layer and then click the trashcan. If you use the latter technique, Elements asks wheth-
er you want to delete the active layer; click Yes and it's history. After you delete a layer, as long as
you haven't closed the file, you can get that layer back by using the Undo command (page 25). But
once you close the file, the layer is gone forever.
Duplicating Layers
Creating a copy of a layer can be really useful. Many Elements features, like filters and
color-modification tools, don't work on brand-new,
empty
layers. But if you apply such
changes to your original photo layer, they alter it in ways you can't undo later. The work-
around is to create a
duplicate
of the image layer and then make your changes on the copy.
That way, you can ditch the duplicate later if you change your mind, and your original layer
remains unchanged. If you use layer masks (
Layer Masks
)
, you'll often duplicate existing
layers while working with them.
If all this seems annoyingly theoretical, try activating a new, blank layer and then going to
Enhance→Adjust Color→Adjust Hue/Saturation, for example. When you do that, you see
the stern dialog box shown in
Figure 6-7
.
