Make groups to organize layers Tutorial
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Intro:
This tutorial will show you the very handy function "Groups" in the layers pallette.
Step 1:
Open photoshop and make a new file, doesn't matter which size and backgroundcolor.
I hope you can find the layers window, if you can't the default position is the bottomright.
If you can't see any window at all just click TAB on your keyboard, this will popup the default screens or the screens you had opened the lastime you used PS.
Now I'll just show you some screenshots on how to make groups and ofcourse with explanations.
Step 2:
As you can see I got all these different layers shown in the screenshot below:
I got 3 different type of layers:
- Shapes
- Shines
- And text layers
With the setup I have now it's very hard to find anything if your working on a design with lots and lots of layers.
It's very handy to organize each part of the site, for example: The header in 1 group - the left menus in 1 group, the content in 1 group and so on.
Step 3:
Make a group by clicking on the map icon in the layers window, shown below in the red circle.
Doubleclick this group to rename it, and give it a name so you know what the content is.
If you need to select ALOT of layers at a time to drag into the group, and if they are all in 1 row, you could easily select the top layer and hold shift, then click the bottom layer which you want to select to select ALL layers you need.
If the layers are all over the place you have select them with holding CTRL, but you have to avoid this by making groups first and then make the layers in the groups.
But there's allways a time you forgot to make a group and you have to drag them into the group, that's why I'm giving you these options.
Step 4:
Now i'll just show you how I fixed the layers organisement of the screenshot I showed before.
As you can see I collapsed the groups, this is very usefull when you don't need the layers for sometime, so you can work in another group. This way you work ALOT faster!!
Hope you enjoyed this photoshop tutorial.