How to copy a layer in photoshop. How to copy in Photoshop. Copy a layer to a new document

The main work when editing and correcting an image is to create selected areas and objects. Photoshop has a convenient way to store objects - LAYERS. Any image in Photoshop has at least one layer - BACKGROUND (Background). Single-layer images are produced by scanning or opening a document in most graphics formats. The background is different from other layers in that it cannot have transparent areas. For example, if we create a selection on the background layer and use the EDIT-CLEAR command, then instead of a transparent area in place of the deleted image, the selection will be filled with the main color. The background layer is always located under other layers and serves as a background for objects that are on these layers. To convert the background layer into a regular one, double-left-click on the layer line, call up the “New Layer” dialog box and in the NAME line enter the name of the layer or leave it as default and click OK. Now this is no longer a background layer, but a regular layer that can have transparent areas.

Use the LAYERS palette to manage image layers.

Divide the image into layers

If you need to work with individual parts of the image, it is more convenient to place them on separate layers, then you can edit them independently. In order to place an object on a separate layer, you need to select it in the image using any selection tool, then right-click on the selection, bring up the menu and select “Copy to new layer”, then the object will remain on the layer from which we copied it and will appear on a new layer. Or select the “Cut to new layer” item, then a transparent area will remain on the layer from which we cut, and the object will appear on a new layer.

Give the layers names

Although the LAYERS palette displays thumbnails of layers, when working with a document that has many layers, it can be difficult to understand what a layer is, so it is better to name them meaningfully to avoid confusion. To do this, right-click on the layer that you want to rename, call up the menu and select “Layer Options” in it, a window of the same name will appear, enter the required name in the NAME line.

Or double-click with the left mouse button on the line of the layer that needs to be renamed, in the place where the layer name is written, then enter the name of the layer directly on the layer line and press Enter.

Create a new layer

To create a new layer, click on the "Create New Layer" button at the bottom of the LAYERS panel. A new layer will appear, to which the program will automatically assign a default name. The new layer will immediately become active, all your further actions (Commands, filters) will be applied specifically to this layer until you make another layer active.

Layer Visibility

When working with an image, sometimes it becomes necessary to turn off the visibility of a layer or several layers. To do this, you need to click on the eye icon, which is located on the left side of the line of the layer whose visibility you want to turn off. If you need to leave only one layer visible and disable the rest, then it will be easier to click on the eye icon of this layer while holding down the Alt key, then only this layer will remain visible.

Layer order

When working with a multi-layered image, the order of the layers is important. The image of the top layer is visible in its entirety, the image located on the bottom layer is only partially visible, through the transparent areas of the top layer, and if the bottom image is small, then it may not be visible at all. If you change the order of the layers, the situation will change. To change the order of a layer, you need to drag it with the mouse to the desired place. For example, the layer with the inscription was between the background and top layers, part of the inscription was covered by the image of the top layer, drag the layer with the inscription to the very top and now we see the entire inscription.

Linking layers

Sometimes in the process of work it is necessary to link several layers to the active layer in order to move them or transform not individually, but all connected layers. Linking layers is simple - place a paperclip icon to the left of the row of the layer that you want to link to the active layer. Now when layers are linked, the transformation or displacement will be applied to all linked layers.

Removing layers

Layers take up space in your computer's memory, so if you no longer need a layer, delete it by dragging the layer row to the "Delete Layer" icon at the bottom of the LAYERS panel.

Copy layers between documents

There are several ways to copy layers between documents. The first way is to use the clipboard. 1.Open the document from which we want to copy the layer. Activate the required layer (click on it). Select the entire layer using the SELECT-ALL command. Now copy EDIT-COPY or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C.

2.Now we activate the document into which we will transfer our layer and use the EDIT-PASTE command or the Ctrl+V key combination.

A new layer line appears in the document with the image we copied. Copying a layer via the clipboard does not save its name for the layer, so if you want to save its name for the layer, you will have to enter the desired name for the layer again.

The easiest way to copy a layer from one document to another is to drag and drop. Open the document from which we want to copy the layer and drag the thumbnail of the desired layer into another document with the mouse. The moment the pointer is in the window of another document, an inverse frame appears, then you can release the mouse button - the layer has been moved. Copying a layer by dragging preserves the layer's name in another document. To ensure that the layer ends up exactly in the middle of the new document, hold down the Shift key while dragging.

Copying layers within a document

When working with a document, there is often a need to get a copy of an existing layer. There are several ways to copy layers within a document. The first way is with the help of a specialized team.

1.Click on the line of the layer that needs to be copied in the LAYERS palette.

2.Using the LAYER-CREATE DUPLICATE LAYER command, open the window of the same name.

There are two areas in this dialog box. The name of the layer copy is entered in the upper one, and the document into which the layer will be copied is entered in the lower one (the COPY LAYER command is also used to copy layers between documents), that is, the name of the current document. Click OK and we have a copy of the layer with the name that you gave to the layer.

If you are not interested in the name of the copy of the layer, then the easiest way to make a copy of the layer is to drag the line of the desired layer onto the “Create a new layer” icon, which is located at the bottom of the LAYERS panel. The copy of the layer will have the name of the original layer with the suffix copy added in parentheses.

Is there a way to copy layers from one Photoshop document to another?

I previously worked on a project that required this, but I didn't know how it could be done.

(The procedure is not as simple as in Illustrator, where a simple Ctrl | Cmd + C and Ctrl | Cmd + V would work.)

Atav32

Did the answers solve your problem? If not, could you edit the question to give more information? If so, don't forget to mark the accepted answer =)

Answers

jhocking

You can simply drag a layer from the Layers panel and drop it into a new document. This can be tricky, however, if your view is set up so that the two documents are not side by side (see below for a description of how to do this using tabs).

Another way to transfer layers between open documents is to use the Duplicate Layer function. By right-clicking on a layer in the Layers panel you can select Duplicate Layer... from the menu. The Duplicate Layer dialog box will then ask you which document to use as the Destination item.

In Tabbed View: Select the layers you want in the Layers panel, take the Move tool (V), click and hold in the document window(not on the Layers panel, just on the image itself), drag the cursor to the title of the desired tab and wait for the document view to change (don't release the left mouse button yet), move the mouse cursor into the document window and release the left mouse button (hold down the Shift key) to place the layer in the center of the document).

Kevin Bomberry

When dragging layers from one document to another, pressing Shift while releasing the mouse will align to the center of the target document. Hooray! (^_^)

counterbeing

This is something that has always bothered me about photoshop, I don't see a reason why they wouldn't implement a duplicate for layers... Anyway, the duplicate trumps all my coordinates when I want to move something :) Thanks!

jhocking

Copy-paste shrug applied to pixels, this is a copy of the layer. It's probably better if they make this a separate button since it's a separate operation.

IROEGBU

Let's say you want to copy from tab A to B, just drag from A to B (B will switch to become the active tab) and then drag to the canvas.

leugim

I always make a duplicate route:

You select the layer(s) and then either

Layer → Duplicate...
or via Duplicate... in the Layers Palette Options button.

In the dialog box, select the destination where you want to copy them. This has the added benefit that you can even choose to duplicate to a new document, which automatically creates a new image with your copied layers.

The whole drag business is not my thing. I'm often afraid that it will be handled incorrectly or at least strangely.

Anthony

Upvote for your answer. I agree that dragging a business is not my thing either. It's often hit or miss.

lawndartcatcher

The easiest way is to select the layers you want to copy and drag them into a new document.

Stacy Lane

Similar to jhockings' answer, but a little faster: you can always right-click on the layer(s) you want to copy and select "duplicate layer". From there you will get a dialog box and you can select the destination of the layer. The current document is selected by default, but you can change it to an open document or a new document.

If you want to place the duplicated layer in a specific location in an open document, make sure you select the folder you want to place it in before duplicating the layer. You do this by literally selecting the desired folder in the Layers palette for the final document.

If you find that you need to repeat this action many times, you can always make a new action for it. Open the action palette and create a new action - set a hotkey (I use F2). Then, to record the action, click the Options button (in the upper right corner of the palette window) and select Insert Menu Item. Choose Layer > Duplicate Layer. Then click Okay. Now when you press F2 while the layer is active, it will bring up a double dialog box. Select your destination and you're done! Just be careful when choosing hotkeys because it may override some of Photoshop's default actions.

leaveswater02

You can just drag a layer from one project to another, just open two projects and go to Window, Arrange and 2up Vertical, highlight the layer you want to copy and just drag it across

Crys

As mentioned, you can simply extract the layers from the Layers palette and place them in a new document if the windows are located next to each other. There's a trick you can use if you're not viewing them side by side:

Make sure you are using the Move Tool (V)
Select your layers
Drag them to the destination tab, starting from somewhere inside the image itself (not from the layers palette).
Wait a moment and the destination image will open on the screen. You can then remove the layers in this image.

This trick works in CS4 and CS5; not sure about earlier versions.

Crys

I should have specified that you should drag them from the image window and not from the layers palette. You can select them in the palette, but then drag them from the image to the tab. I'll edit my answer to reflect this.

Adam Elsodany

Here's my must-have Javascript macro for copying layers from one Photoshop document to another for anyone familiar with Photoshop scripting. Tried and tested in CS 5.5 on a Mac.

sourceDocumentName , targetDocumentName and layersToCopy are the only variables you need to edit to suit your needs.

On a Mac, you can simply save as something like copyLayersBetweenDocs.jsx and then drag the script file onto the Photoshop icon in the dock to run it. On Windows, you should save it in the scripts folder C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Startup Scripts CS5\Adobe Photoshop and open it from Photoshop.

#target photoshop app.bringToFront(); var sourceDocumentName = "source-doc"; var targetDocumentName = "target-doc"; // populate this array with whatever the names of the layers // you want to copy are var layersToCopy = new Array("road-scenery", "car", "wheels", "front-passenger", "rear-passenger" ); // alternatively, specify the name of a layer group containing // the layers you want to copy over. // Just uncomment the following line //var layersToCopy = "layer-group-to-copy"; copyLayers(layersToCopy, sourceDocumentName, targetDocumentName); /** * Copy layer from one document to another * @param (string|Array) layersToCopy * @param (string) sourceDocumentName * @param (string) targetDocumentName */ function copyLayers(layersToCopy, sourceDocumentName, targetDocumentName) ( var sourceLayer, targetLayer , sourceGroup; var sourceDoc = app.documents; var targetDoc = app.documents; if (app.activeDocument != sourceDoc) ( app.activeDocument = sourceDoc; ) if (typeof layersToCopy === "string") ( sourceGroup = sourceDoc. layerSets.getByName(layersToCopy); targetLayer = sourceGroup.duplicate(targetDoc, ElementPlacement.PLACEATBEGINNING) ) else if (Object.prototype.toString.call(layersToCopy) === "") ( for (var i = 0; i< layersToCopy.length; i++) { sourceLayer = sourceDoc.artLayers.getByName(layersToCopy[i]); targetLayer = sourceLayer.duplicate(targetDoc, ElementPlacement.PLACEATBEGINNING); } } }

Farray

Link the layers in the Layers palette and make sure you link the layer masks as well. Then drag (perhaps holding Shift if the documents are the same size or you want to center the layers) onto another document.

If you want to line up the cover exactly, place them in a folder and select an exception in blending mode, then transform.

Bikal Gobena

This is a quick way if you want to export some parts of your design to PNG or JPG:

Select the layer you want to copy
Right click to convert it to smart object
Double click the layer, you will be prompted with the smart object details.
Click Ok, then you have a layer in the new document.

You will get all the layer styles provided to you and the canvas size will be automatically cropped according to the width and height of the layer. From here you can save it as a new PSD file or export it to another format.

This would be very useful for a web designer when exporting web elements where you want to export individual elements individually. Disadvantages of this method: When you create a Smart Object, Photoshop stores your layer in a separate file, which can result in additional memory usage.

Tracy Ebert

To be able to copy and paste, I do this. Open the layer I want to copy, in most cases my logo, and select Select All (Ctrl + A). Then right-click on the layer and select Rasterize Layer. Then press Ctrl + C to copy, go to a new document and press Ctrl + V to paste. Works for me.

Tom Auger

Sorry Tracy, but this is actually pretty bad practice. If you have to rasterize a layer so you can copy it, that means you're destroying any resolution-independent vector information that was in that layer. You should really try some of the other methods listed above to reap the benefits of saving your information. I'm sure your technique is "working for you", but why not try a new (and hopefully better) way of doing things?

John Fiala

I do what Tracy lists, only without the Rasterize step. But then I'm pretty new to this. I need a tutorial for Photoshop that tells a web developer how to get design and icon information from a file. :)

A more or less experienced user of Adobe Photoshop is already familiar with the concept of layers. Layers are an important component of a graphics editor, which makes image editing easier and also provides a great advantage when working with images. Not everyone knows all the functionality of the layers panel, although some functions will be useful for professionals. For example, how to copy a layer in Photoshop CC to another image? In addition to this issue, we will consider duplicating layers, moving them and shifting them.

How to copy a layer in Photoshop

As mentioned earlier, layers are the most important element that you need to know how to use. Without it, it would be impossible to retouch photographs and create graphic objects at the proper level. And it often happens that you have to copy and duplicate layers.

When designing a project, you have to resort to creating new documents, where you need to transfer all the developments that were there earlier. Before copying layers in Photoshop, you must use the following instructions:

Open two images in different documents, which will be hidden in tabs (let’s assume that the first image is the original, and the second is where you want to move the layers).
On the first layer, we select the layers necessary for the user.
At the final stage, you can use one of the three proposed methods. The first method is to reformat all the layers into one and select all the elements in the image, and then paste the copied image into a new document. The second is to select the layers and use the mouse to move them from one directory to another. The last method is to select the Move Tool from the Quick Access Toolbar and drag the desired layer onto the new image.

You can also consider one of the questions: how to copy a layer in Photoshop using the keyboard? You need to select the one you need and press the button combination on the image itself: Alt + left mouse button.

Duplicating layers

Let's look at the duplicate function from two positions: inside an image and between images. The second method is practically no different from copying a layer in Photoshop. Once the user masters these functions, editing images will become much easier.

Inside the image. You need to select the one you want in the layers section and right-click on it, then select “Create a duplicate layer.” in which you should specify the name of the new layer.
Between images. Open two images (as in the case of copying). Select the layer (or group) we need and create a duplicate of the entire list of selected elements. The final touch will be to transfer from one to another using one of the methods that were indicated in the section “How to copy a layer in Photoshop.”

Changing the order

The Photoshop environment obeys a certain rule - layers seem to be superimposed on each other. This means that the bottom one will be hidden behind all the others. Working with layers involves changing this order - changing them in Photoshop is as easy as pie. Just use the cursor and simply move the layers to a new location. But it is worth keeping in mind that new ones will be added on top of the selected one, and not all layers combined.

Other operations with layers

It will be useful to highlight some more actions with layers that can definitely be useful in practical activities.

Blend options. This feature allows you to edit a layer, change its transparency, stroke, shadows and much more.
Rasterize the layer. If you work with vector graphics or smart objects, then you may need this function to further work with them.
Convert to Smart Object. Helps the user edit any objects without losing image quality.

Congratulations to the future Photoshop master!

From this article you will learn the most important operations that can be performed with layers, for example, copy, duplicate, delete, select.

We continue to work with our multi-colored avatars.

1. Copy a layer to a new document

For example, let's copy the layer with the red avatar into a new document.

Make the desired layer active.

Press key combinations: Ctrl+A(select all), then Ctrl+C(copy)

In the main menu select File - Create or just click Ctrl+N

The menu appears:

Choose Clipboard and press the button Create.

A new document appears with the dimensions of the copied layer.

Press the keys Ctrl+V(the copied image is pasted into a new document)

2. Duplicate a layer

First, select the layer to copy and make it active. Then call up the menu:

And press Duplicate Layer. A window appears:

Enter the desired name, then click OK.

The cloned layer appears directly on the next, but new, layer.

3. Removing a layer

First, make active the layer that needs to be deleted and call up the same menu as in the previous paragraph.

Choosing a team Delete layer.

You can also delete a layer in another way: by simply dragging it into the trash.

- it is located at the bottom of the Layers palette.

4. Selecting an image on a layer

To select an image on a layer, you need to hold down the Ctrl key and hover the mouse over the layer’s thumbnail image (a white palm appears with a selection), and click on it:

You can do whatever you want with this selection: fill it with a different color, move it to a new document, etc.

See you in the next lesson!