How to combine layers in Photoshop into one or combine them into a group. Merging Layers in Photoshop
There are several ways to group layers or, in other words, to combine them into groups based on certain characteristics. Let's consider these very methods.
Now I'll create a canvas and draw some colored circles and squares to serve as an example, and then let's start grouping the layers:
Let's say we decide to create two groups. The first group will be called "Circles" and the second group "Squares".
Combining layers into groups involves creating a folder and placing the selected layers in it. This procedure is very similar to the procedure for creating folders on the computer desktop or some of your own named folders, and then placing them in the main folders: My Documents, Videos, Favorites, Libraries, etc. The only difference is that in Photoshop, a group folder is not just a folder, but a layer folder that stores the layers we have selected, instead of various files and the group is located - a layer among other layers in the window for working with layers.
We can approach combining layers into groups in different ways. We have a choice. We can first create a group folder and give it a name, and then place certain layers into it. Or we can select (select) all the layers of the future group and, by giving the command to create a group, immediately receive a group folder with the selected (selected) layers placed in it. This approach is my favorite. Forgive my faux pas, but let's start with my favorite approach to creating a group of layers.
Let's create a group "Circles". The group folder-layer appears above the layer highlighted in blue (I said this just in case).
Move your palm cursor over the “Red Circle” layer and do a regular mouse click (left button). The layer is highlighted in blue (ready to fulfill any of our wishes):
Now let's press the key Shift and, continuing to hold it, move the cursor up and left-click on the last layer, which belongs to the circles - “Yellow Circle”:
With these actions we warned the program that we were going to work with all the selected layers at the same time.
Let's release the key Shift and press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+G :
In this way, we simultaneously created a group folder and placed layers in it. For convenience, it is better to assign names to the group, and layers in general. This will avoid confusion and help you better navigate the layers when there are many or many of them.
Let's now sign the folder with a name we already know, that is, “Circles.” To this end, let's move the cursor over the one that appears in automatic mode the inscription “Group 1” and we’ll do double click, with the left mouse button, calling up the input line while simultaneously highlighting the inscription in blue highlighting:
Move the cursor to the number “1” and click the left mouse button to place it in front of the unit and, continuing to hold left button, let’s select “1”:
Let’s release the left mouse button and start writing the word “circles” using the selected unit:
When you finish writing the name, press the key Enter or simply click the mouse anywhere, but outside the line in which the group name was entered. And this is what we got as a result:
It goes without saying that we assign a name at our discretion and use familiar and convenient techniques for highlighting and removing unnecessary characters.
Let's check if the circle layers are really in group folder. Click on the arrow to open the folder. For a good view, I’ll lift the window up a little, partially covering the shapes and slightly stretching it vertically:
All circle layers are, indeed, members of one group, which we called “CIRCLES Group”. This is evidenced not only by the fact that by collapsing the folder, the circle layers will again “hide” in it, but also by a slight shift to the right relative to the location of the square layers.
As a result of repeating all the grouping actions that we did with the circle layers, but now in relation to the square layers, we will get this view of the layers palette (layers window):
If necessary and desired, we can, in the same way, combine already created groups into more general groups. Let's do just that.
By left-clicking, select the “Circles” group:
Now let's press the key Ctrl and, holding it, left-click on the “Squares” group layer, thus making a blue selection:
Until now, that third “mouse click” has not been made. Instead, a combination of two keys was used - Ctrl+G . Using the example of combining two existing groups into one common group, let’s do this with the very third click.
So, the two layer groups are ready to be combined into a common group. Now to the main thing top menu Click the “Layers” button and in the window that opens, move the cursor to the first item called “New”. At the moment you hover the cursor, another new window appears, in which we will select the “Group of layers” item:
After this choice, a settings window appeared before our eyes:
Let’s enter, for example, the name “Shapes” in the group name entry line and we won’t make any other settings:
Let’s press the “Ok” button and look at the window (palette) with layers:
And so the groups “Circles” and “Squares” merged into one group “Shapes”. If we click arrow after arrow, opening the layer folders one after another, we will see all their contents:
The main way to organize your layers palette is to organize your layers into folders. In Photoshop this function is called layer group.
A layer group is a folder located in the layers palette. You can place any number of layers and even other folders in it (more on this below in the text). This group of layers can then be collapsed (for a compact display) and, accordingly, expanded to show its contents.
Pay attention to the screenshot above. The arrow next to the folder shows us whether the folder is open or closed. Open folder- means that the contents of the layers palette will become visible. A closed folder is a collapsed group of layers. Convenient for compact display of palette contents. This is relevant when there are a lot of layers in the project, for example, 100. To systematize this entire volume, it is assumed that the user will combine homogeneous layers into groups.
So, the arrow icon pointing down indicates that the folder is open. The contents of the folder are shown with a slight left indentation from the edge of the palette. This is important to remember because this is how you will distinguish whether a layer belongs to a folder or not.
As I noted above, you can place another folder inside a group of layers, and another within it, and so on. Multi-level nesting is possible. Some say that it is delimited by 5 levels, but this is not so and the example below confirms this.
This list can be continued further. It should be taken into account that the palette does not have horizontal scrolling. This means that in order to see all the contents of the palette, which tends to go to the right, you need to expand its area. This takes away valuable space from your workspace.
You can perform the same actions with groups of layers as with ordinary layers: delete, rename, merge, and so on.
To delete a group, select it and press the Delete or Backspace button.
If you delete a folder, all nested layers will be deleted along with it. Be careful!
To rename a group, after a short delay, make two clicks on the folder name. A field for entering a name will appear.
Merging a group of layers is a process in which all layers included in this group merge into one single layer. To do this, select a folder and right-click on it. A context menu will appear, in which the very last item is the command Merge Layers. Process retroactive effect does not have.
How to create a layer group
There are 3 ways to create a folder in Photoshop. How you create it is influenced by how you want to place the layers there.
Method 1 Folder icon at the bottom of the layers palette
Click on the icon (fifth from the left) and the folder will immediately appear on the palette. By default it is created empty. This means that you now need to drag the desired layers into it.
The principle of dragging is quite familiar, like working with files on a computer - hold down the layer with the mouse and, without releasing the mouse button, drag it directly on top of the folder. Release the key. It should work!
Method 2: Drag a layer onto the layer group icon
This method repeats the previous one. The only difference is that you need to drag layers not into the newly created folder, but directly onto the group creation icon itself. By the way, . After this, a folder with the selected layers nested in it will appear in the palette.
The main thing is to look carefully when you drag onto the icon; you must release the mouse button when you see that the icon will take the form of a depressed button.
Method 3 Through the program menu
By tradition, all commands scattered across palettes and panels of Photoshop are duplicated in the program menu.
First you need to select the layers you need, then go to: Layers - Group Layers(Group Layers). At the same moment, a group filled with the selected layers will appear in the palette.
There is also an action in the program menu Ungroup layers(Ungroup Layers) is the reverse process, allowing you to remove a folder and move all its contents to a directory above.
If you notice an error in the text, select it and press Ctrl + Enter. Thank you!
Web design*
There are many secrets when working with Photoshop, knowing which you can significantly increase your productivity. When creating a website design, the harmonious placement of objects on the page, correct indentations and the presence of empty space play a role important role to perceive the design, and this is achieved by moving design elements. At the same time, switching between layers and operations to move them sometimes takes up to 80% of the time, and only the remaining part goes to drawing and entering information. Therefore, in this mini educational program, I want to touch only on the tricks of working with the Layers tab as the most popular.
So let's start from the beginning.
Create layers
Try not to sculpt everything into one layer (especially the Background layer). Make it a rule to create new layer every time you want to add something new. For each individual object (even a simple line), you must create a new layer. In the future it will be easier to move, adjust, apply filters, transparency, and temporarily disable the layer. It is recommended that some layers be given an identifier that you can understand (unlike Layer10) to make them easier to find later. Well, you yourself will figure out which layers are important to have a name when you start looking for them and don’t find them.
To create a new layer, click on the icon in the Layers tab. Hold Alt to be able to immediately set a name. You can also create a layer by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Alt+N (or Ctrl+Shift+N to be prompted for a name).
Group layers
As soon as you want to move several elements at the same time, then most likely you are operating with some new entity, do not be lazy to group these layers and label them clearly. This should also become a habit. Groups allow you to quickly move component elements, quickly hide them, and (most importantly) quickly clone them. To create an empty group, click on the icon in the Layers tab. Similarly with layers, hold Alt to immediately set a new name.
But usually empty groups are not created, but already existing layers/groups are combined into them. To instantly group existing objects: select the ones you need in the Layers tab and click on them while holding Shift (or just press Ctrl+G). As a result, all selected layers will automatically be included in the newly created group. By analogy with layers, if you also hold down Alt, you will be asked to enter a name for the group. If names would be nice for layers, they are already quite important for groups. It is especially important to name the group before cloning it (there will be less hassle later).
There is another implicit way to group existing layers. After selecting the desired layers, grab one of them and drag it to the button at the bottom of the Layers tab.
As a result, Layers already looks like a collection of folders in your file system. And this structuring is very convenient for moving and cloning related objects. Once again, I insist that you immediately try to name the folders speaking names. It will be convenient to change the source even in six months, not to mention in the next half hour.
Select layers/groups
Before you do anything with a layer (or group), you need to select it in the Layers tab. However, when the number of layers exceeds a hundred, searching there becomes problematic. Fortunately, there is another, very simple method for selecting the desired layer. Switch to mode (by pressing V), and then click on some drawing area:
Ctrl + Left Click - instantly select the group (if not, then the layer) to which the area belongs.
Alt + Right Click - instantly select the layer under the cursor (the topmost one if there are several of them).
Finally, if you can’t catch the desired layer in any way (for example, it’s deep under everyone), use:
Ctrl + Right Click - call up a menu-list of all layers that belong to the point under the cursor (this is where proper names will be very useful to you). Select the one you need from the list and voila.
Move/Clone Objects
Once you have selected a layer/group (for example, using the method above), as you know, you can move it using the drag-and-drop method. To clone a group/layer while moving, hold Alt (while holding it down before moving). You can also hold Shift to move/clone exactly vertically/horizontally/diagonally from the starting position (you can hold and release Shift at any time).
Change less, overlay more
Photoshop is a raster editor, so the more you change the original, the (irreversibly) worse it becomes. It would be a good idea to use the “measure seven times” principle when working with clipart. However, some things can be done above the layer without changing the original:
Firstly, using Blending Options (double-click on the layer name), which you most likely already know and use. There are various visual effects and it’s very convenient that they can always be corrected or completely disabled.
Secondly, you can correct the gamma, contrast, brightness, adjust the white balance and so on by creating an Adjustment Layer (from the Layers->New Adjustment Layer menu or by clicking on it in the Layers tab). Any changes you make this way can be undone simply by deleting the Adjustment Layer from the current layer. In addition, you can always adjust the settings later and this will not affect the quality, because the original layer remains intact. If you suddenly decide to change color scheme layout, you won't have to redo it again.
You can also crop the clipart or make any area of it invisible/visible (either gradient, even in the form of a star, even in the form of text) by creating a Layer Mask (by clicking on ). Now by drawing in this area (or applying any tools/filters to it) you can influence the degree of visibility of the layer to which you applied. Black areas hide parts of the original, gray areas are made translucent, the lighter the less transparency. To return to the original simply remove the Layer Mask.
In cases where you have to change the original (for example, when reducing its size), I recommend doing this above the cloned layer. Leave the original and make it invisible. This way, if you end up going a little overboard with your changes, you can always start with the original image.
The reason I put these five layers in a group called "Logo" is because these layers create the design of the logo located on the left top corner my document (green, with the inscription "Bud's GARDEN CENTER"):
One of the additional benefits of using layer groups, besides keeping things organized, is that they make it easy to rotate, move, or turn off multiple layers in a document at once. Usually, to turn a layer on or off, we click on the visibility icon of this layer (“eye”) located in the Layers Panel on the left. We can do the same with layer groups. Each group also has its own visibility icon. By clicking on the "eye" I will temporarily disable the "Logo" group:
After turning off a group, all five layers within the group are not displayed in the document. To enable them all again, you need to click on the group visibility icon again. The picture shows that the logo is not displayed:
Creating a new layer group
Let's look at how to create a new layer group. The fastest and easiest way to create a new group is to click on the “Create a New Group” icon located at the bottom of the layers panel. This icon looks like a folder:
After clicking on the icon, Photoshop will create a new group of layers, assign it a default name, in in this case, “Group 1” (Group 1) and will place it directly above the active layer or group when you click on the icon. In my case, the "Logo" group was active, so Photoshop created a new group above it:
The problem with creating a new group this way is that the program creates an empty group with no layers inside it. To place layers in it, we will have to select and drag them manually. I'll press Ctrl+Z on my keyboard to undo the last step and delete the group I just added.
If you want to create a group with some layers from the Layers panel already placed there, it is better to use another method.
We must first select all the layers that we want to place inside the group. Let's say that I want to combine all the text layers into a group, there are six of them in total. I hold down the Ctrl key and click on the layers I need one by one, as a result all the layers I need are highlighted:
Once I'm done making my selections, I click on the menu icon in the top right corner of the Layers panel (in earlier versions of Photoshop The menu icon looks like a small arrow):
In the menu that opens, select " New group from layers" (New Group from Layers):
After which a dialog box opens, asking me to enter a group name, set the label color in the layers panel and select a blending mode. You can enter nothing and leave the ones suggested by Photoshop by default (name - “Group 1”, color - “do not show”, mode - “Skip”). I entered the name "Text" and the color of the label - orange:
As a result, in the Layers panel I have a new group called "Text" with an orange label, located under the "Logo" group. As I mentioned earlier, a new group is created private by default, so its nested layers are currently hidden from view:
If I want to see the layers that are inside a group, I should open that group by clicking on the triangle icon located to the left of its icon:
I'll close the group again to reduce space in the layers panel.
Just like before with "Logo", I can now turn off all the layers inside the "Text" group at once by clicking on the group's visibility icon.
Besides turning visibility on/off, there are a few other things we can do with a layer group in Photoshop. We can move all the layers in a group at once using the Move Tool, and we can resize all layers at the same time using Free Transform. We can even add layer masks for groups.
There is another one quick way creating a group of layers, read about it.
Removing a layer from a group
Note. This does not mean deleting the layer completely, but moving the layer from the group to the stack of the layers panel.
If, after you have grouped the layers, you need to ungroup them, the easiest way to do this is to right-click anywhere on the groups in the Layers Palette, which will open a menu where you should select "Ungroup Layers" .
This will return the layers back to their original condition, and the group itself will be deleted.
If you need to remove one layer from a group, open the group and drag the layer outside of it with the mouse.
Groups nested within groups
Not only layers, but also other groups can be placed in a Photoshop group. Let's look at two examples.
Example 1
I want to take two layers from the "Text" group and place them inside another new group, which in turn will be placed inside "Text". Grouping within a group is no different from the usual grouping of individual layers.
First, we must select and open the desired group. Then select the desired layers, click on the menu icon in the upper right corner and select “New Group from Layers”:
It also opens a dialog box where I set the name to "Two Layers". As a result:
Example 2
Also, I can place both existing groups "Logo" and "Text" top level to a new group, the actions will be exactly the same, only for convenience I should close open groups.
I select, holding Ctrl, the necessary groups, click on the menu icon, select the item “New group from layers”:
As a result:
Ungroup such a group in the same way as described above about a regular one.
And finally. For quick grouping you need to select the necessary elements and press the key combination Ctrl+G; to quickly ungroup, select the desired group and press Ctrl+Shift+G.
Duplicating layer groups
In order to duplicate (clone) a group, you just need to drag it in the Layers Panel with the mouse onto the icon for creating a new layer:
Good day to everyone, my dear friends! Today we continue our extensive topic, so I will tell you how to combine layers in Photoshop into one or combine them into a group using different ways. Imagine that you have a document with many layers, and there are so many of them that you can simply get confused. Or you need to do the same effects. It is for such cases that unification and grouping will be needed.
So, let's look at each method separately. I will show you everything using familiar images of the stork and the sky, and will also add an eagle and an albatross.
The very first and most primitive way of combining is to simply stupidly select several pictures at once. The point is that you will be able to move them at the same time and you will even be able to simultaneously work with images on these layers, for example, or move them, etc.
But as soon as you remove this selection, for example by selecting a layer separately, then from that moment on everyone will be on their own again.
Basically, to do all this, you will need to select only the desired thumbnails in the panel with a single left-click. But at the same time you must have the key pressed CTRL.
If you need to select several layers at once that follow each other, then it’s easier to do it differently. Hold down the key SHIFT, then click on the first and last thumbnail. Then not only they will unite, but also those who are between them.
But this method is only suitable for making some single general edits, for example, moving objects, but so as not to lose the distance between them. For permanent job It's better to use other methods.
Linking without merging
Linking is very similar to the previous example, only if you remove the selection, the connection between the layers will not be broken and they will not be broken until this connection is removed. By using this method you can do the same thing as in the previous one. The difference is that the link will not be reset if you deselect it and when you hover over any of the linked miniatures, all the others in the link will be active.
Linking images without merging is very easy. Again, you need to select all the layers, as described in the first method. After that, right-click on any of the selected thumbnails (not on the image thumbnail, but somewhere on the name). Well, then just select the “Link Layers” item and you will see that a link icon appears at the end of each of them.
You can cancel the connection in the same way. Right-click on the selected layers and select "Cancel connection".
Grouping
This is very interesting way. Its essence lies in the fact that you create a separate folder in the panel, and then put the layers you think you want into it. For example, if you are drawing a person, you can create a “face” group, and create or move from outside drawings such as “eyes”, “mouth”, “nose”, etc. The point is clear, I hope?
Let's figure out what is the convenience of combining layers in Photoshop into groups:
- You reduce the working space on the panel, so there is no clutter.
- You can work either with the whole group or with individual images within each of them.
- It’s just the convenience of combining miniatures with similar meanings.
- You can change any at once for the entire group
Let's try it. I select all the available birds in the panel (eagle, albatross and stork), then right-click on them and select "Group of layers". After this, you will be asked to name the group. Let's call it "Birds". You can also combine them into a group using a hotkey combination CTRL+G. The essence is the same: first select, and then press the keys.
After this, you will see that the “Birds” folder (group) has appeared in the panel, and if you click on the small arrow, the group will open and you will see everything that is in it.
If you want to add another layer to the group, then hold down the left mouse button and simply drag it to a folder in this panel.
If you want to work with the entire group at the same time (zoom in, zoom out, apply filters, etc.), then select the folder itself with the left mouse button. After this, the entire group will be at your disposal. And if you want to work with a separate layer, then expand the group and select exactly what you need. It's very simple.
Well, to remove litter from the group, select the folder, right-click and select "Ungroup Layers". Very convenient, right?
How to merge layers into one
If you are sure that you have finished working with some layers and are not going to work with them anymore, you can combine (merge) them. The essence of this method is that you permanently combine several layers into one and you cannot separate them back, since they are already one image (only if you go back a few steps in history). So make sure you don't need to work on each one connected separately.
And the convenience of this method lies in the fact that resources are freed up (i.e., Photoshop's work speeds up due to less data), and thumbnails also take up less working space on the panel, which makes navigation much more convenient.
To combine layers in Photoshop into one, you need to select the ones you need using CTRL and right-click on any of them. After that, select an item from context menu "Merge Layers".
Now look. I merged the stork, the albatross and the sky into single image and now instead of four miniatures I only have two left. But I repeat once again, make sure before doing this that you will not need to work with each of the merged images separately, because they are one whole.
How to merge only visible layers
The essence of this function is the same as the previous one. Only you can not select the images that you want to merge, but remove visibility (click on the eye) only where you do not want to participate in the merge. Those. your eye should be active only where you want to connect the pictures.
Well, then right-click on any of them and select the item "Merge Visible". Well, as you understand, only those images that were visible in at the moment.
How to connect layers in Photoshop online
Naturally, not everyone has the opportunity to install bulky Photoshop on their computer. There are various reasons for this: weak computers, problem with downloading and installation, etc. But this does not mean that we cannot perform the same functions in Photoshop online. Of course, the web version is very neutered, and most of the functions are simply not here, but the most important thing is that there are a couple of ways to combine layers in Photoshop online. Is it true this function works here in a rather specific way.
Go to the site online-fotoshop.ru and either open multiple images in one document, or just create several different layers so that you have something to work with. I want to say right away that here you cannot combine, link, or even simply select several miniatures at once. Forget these chips.
Now, let's right-click on any thumbnail in the panel and look at the available functions, of which in our case there are only three:
- Merge layers. In this case, there is a connection of only two layers, namely the one on which we stand with the one that stands behind it.
- Merge visible ones. Well, everything is clear here. Only those images that are currently visible are merged. And if in the program the eye on the thumbnails is responsible for this function, here this role is played by checkmarks, by clicking on which you hide the pictures from view, and they are no longer involved in the connection.
- Perform mixing. In this case, absolutely all layers are merged, and it doesn’t matter whether they are visible or not.
Of course, it’s a pity that there is no group function here, but what can you do? Thanks for that too.
Now you see how much convenient ways have you prepared photoshop for us? Simply a wonderful program. And in life it will be very useful to know it by heart. Therefore, I recommend that you strongly use this feature so as not to litter your panel and then not to convulse because you cannot find this or that miniature.
Also, I highly recommend that you watch and study excellent video course on working in Photoshop. Everything is told superbly and looks in one go. The lessons are structured clearly and there is no confusion. Everything you need has been sorted down to the smallest detail. Overall, be sure to check it out.
Well, I guess I'll take my leave. Hope you received useful information from this article, so don’t forget to subscribe to my blog updates to always be aware of all the most interesting things. See you. Bye bye!
Best regards, Dmitry Kostin.