Image Editor guide

Layers, masks and blend modes in Image Editor

Layers keep each part of a picture apart, so you can change one without the others. This guide covers the Layers panel, blend modes and masks.

Open Image Editor

The Layers panel

Each layer has an eye to show or hide it, a thumbnail and its name. Click a layer to work on it. Drag a layer up or down to change the order: layers higher in the list are drawn on top.

The buttons at the bottom of the panel are, from left to right: Lock / unlock layer, Layer style, Add layer mask, Merge down, Duplicate layer, New layer and Delete layer.

1. Click New layer (Shift+Ctrl+N) to add an empty layer.
2. Paint on it with the Brush (B). The layer below is not changed.
3. Double-click the name to rename it.

Blend modes and opacity

The list at the top of the panel sets the blend mode of the selected layer, such as Normal, Multiply, Screen or Overlay. The Opacity slider makes the layer see-through.

Layer, New Fill Layer, Solid Color (foreground) adds a layer filled with your foreground colour. Set it to Overlay or Soft Light to tint the whole picture.

Hide part of a layer with a mask

1. Select the layer and click Add layer mask, then choose Reveal All. Layer, Mask, Add has the same choices.
2. The mask appears next to the layer thumbnail. Black on the mask hides the layer, white shows it.
3. Press D for black and white, then G for the Gradient Tool, and drag across the picture. The layer fades out along the drag.
4. Layer, Mask has Invert, Apply, Disable and Delete.

Tip: A mask never deletes pixels. Paint the mask white again to bring the layer back.

Merge and flatten

Merge Down (Ctrl+E) joins a layer with the one below it. Merge Visible (Shift+Ctrl+E) joins all the visible layers, and Flatten Image makes one layer.

Download as Photoshop (.psd) in the File menu keeps the layers. PNG, JPEG and WebP exports are flat.

Keyboard shortcuts