Introduction | Creating and Opening an Image | Editing an Image | Understanding and Switching Between Layers
Cropping and Resizing Images | Moving and Selecting/Deleting Parts of Images | Adding Text
Altering Your Images | Rotating and Drawing Shapes | Eyedropper and Zoom Tools | History
Brightness & Contrast | Layer Styles | Filters | Saving

Layer Styles:
You can do much more with layers other than piling images on top of each other. Once you have added images or text to a layer, you can add distinctive styles to them, making them stand out even more.

Once you've added an item to a layer (such as text), click the "Add a layer style" button in the "Layers" window. A list of styles will appear which you can add to your layer.

The most common layer style you will see and use is the traditional "Drop Shadow." Click "Drop Shadow" to bring up the "Layer Style" window, which will automatically open to the "Drop Shadow" section.

"Opacity" refers to the transparency of the shadow (how well can you see it / see through it). The "Angle" is the angle at which the imaginary light is coming from to create the shadow. "Distance" is the amount of space near or away from the object or text the shadow appears. "Spread" refers to the thickness or solidity of the shadow. "Size" is, simply, how big the shadow is. Experiment with the different settings. You'll notice that as you adjust these settings, your image on the canvas will take on the changes. This is just a preview; none of the changes will actually take effect until you click "OK."

There are a wide variety of layer styles. Experiment with the different layer styles to find one (or a combination of some) that suit your needs. For example, "Inner Glow" will create textures and colors within your text or objects, while "Outer Glow" will do the same outside your objects (similar to a Drop Shadow).

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