I am working on the layers day 21 bonus

[Crissyc]

I have finally gotten to the last step before the text. I wouldnt want anyone to know how many times i watched it to get to this point. anyway I have the levels adj. layer below the photo and have them linked together. I am ready to use the brush to do the edge and elements wants me to simplyfy my layers. No way! What am I not doing that Matt is? By the way Matt is a great teacher.

[billz]

Hi Crissyc -

One thing to check is that your active layer is the adjustment layer and that you have selected (clicked inside) the mask. Hope that works.

Bill

[Crissyc]

Im off to start all over. Ill try your suggestion. My computer had had it with me switching back and forth between my photo and the video.

[kimi_boo]

Crissy, I had never worked the Bonus at the end of my lesson. So, I did it yesterday after your post. It worked fine. At the end it did ask me to simplify my layer but I had not grouped the two together...

I did watch the video and write down all the steps first.
I'm sure you will work it out. :)

[Crissyc]

Ihave tried and tried. When I paint with white it only show on the thumbnail. I have linked the layers to gether. The only difference is my background is a copy of the photo not a blank layer. I dont know how to make that. when i create a new blank i cant drag it below the backgrond . Do you think this is my problem?

[Wendy]

Hi Crissy ...

First lets deal with the background layer ...

Go into the layers palette ... click on the background layer and then do Edit>Fill ... used white.
Now your layers palette should look like Matts.

Lets just go over this again ... You have created your levels adjustment layer below the image and you have grouped the image with the adjustment layer.
Now just click on the white mask (the white square in the layers palette).

Select your paintbrush and paint on your image in Black to make the edge (not white)

Let me know how you go on :)

Wendy

[Crissyc]

I finally did it. All i can think is that it was the background layer.

[kimi_boo]

knew you could do it!! :D :D

[Crissyc]

I love this forum!!!

[karen donnybrook]

Well done Chrissy. After the bonus lesson, I went through it again and listed every step and printed it out - also put in a copy of the before and after and a screen shot of the palette bin :D

[Wendy]

Crissy ...

So pleased that you did it ...

It was the background layer that was causing the problem ... as you painted away the edge of the image that let the layer below show through. You had the same image below so it looked as though nothing was happening .. once you put a white layer below you can see the changes :)

Wendy

[Litespeed]

I'm confused at the very beginning. I am trying to do it with one of my pictures. I have gone to make a new "blank file" as my background layer. Then when I open up a picture, it makes the picture the background layer, unless I drag the photo into the white background layer. He doesn't drag the picture into the background layer--what am I doing wrong?

[Wendy]

Hi Litespeed ...

Don't worry about it ... that wasn't covered in the class as you started off with the two layers already there for you in the psd file you downloaded.

You can either drag your image into a new file ... or a much easier way is to.

Open up your photo
Double click on the background layer thumbnail (in the layers palette) to rename it.
Just accept the name it gives you.
Now create a new layer below the photo (hold down Control and click the new layer icon at the bottom of the layer palette ... Mac users hold down Command)
Then used Edit>Fill to fill that layer with white.

Do let us see your image when it is done :)

Wendy
EDIT ... Corrected the keystrokes ... Thanks Bayla :)

[Bayla]

Now create a new layer below the photo (hold down Alt and click the new layer icon at the bottom of the layer palette ... Mac users hold down Option)
Wendy

I'm confused. When I want to create a new layer below I hold down the CTRL key & click on the new layer icon.....

Bayla

[Wendy]

Bayla ...

Its OK ... its me typing when I am half asleep :)

It is indeed Control on Windows Command on the Mac ... I have now corrected the message ... thanks for letting me know :)

Interesting shortcut ... If you hold down Control and Alt when you press the icon you get the option to name the layer before it creates it ..

Wendy

[Bayla]

Wendy,

I discovered that one by accident this morning when I was trying to work out which one of us was asleep:)

Bayla

[Litespeed]

I did my picture, but the only thing it does NOT seem to want to do, like in the tutorial is actually put (or take away) part of the background when I paint with the paint brush. I used the same brush as him and painted on the Layer Mask. It showed what I had done but it's like it just went on top of it. Don't know if you can see that in the photo or not. Also, when I put my Inner Shadow around the selected area, it wasn't nearly has big or soft as his, I had to make mine a bigger size. What could have caused that?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/Litespeed/Wedding-picture_edited-1.gif

[Wendy]

Hi Litespeed ...

The shadow size depends on the size and resolution of the image you use ... so if yours was a larger image than the one Matt used then you will need to adjust the shadow size. :)

I'm not too sure about the other query and its difficult to see what you mean ... it may be easier if you take a screen shot of the layers palette that will make is easier to sort out the problem ...

Wendy

[Wendy]

Bayla ...

The way I find out most of the shortcuts is when accidently press the wrong keys :eek: :D :D

Wendy

[skicat]

Hi I too have enjoyed the layers course. I eagerly awaited 8:00 every night to see what Matt had up his sleeve for the day!

I am having a little problem with the bonus, day 21 as well. I duplicated everything Matt said & produced a "final copy" that looked just like his! then when I went to put my own picture in, I some how lost the white border. I still have the scrubby edge, but my photo goes to the edge of the canvas, with that on top. What am I doing wrong?

Also, can you rotate your whole "template" before you add a photo that is landscape?

Thanks in advance. Skicat

[Wendy]

Hi Skicat ...

Yes you can rotate the image before you add your photo ... no problem at all with that one.

Now you say that you have lost the white edge and that your image goes right up to the edge of your canvas ... sounds as though your photo layer may be above your white edge layer. Just check the layer order in your layers palette and see if that solves it :)

Wendy

[skicat]

It's between the original photo layer & the hue sat. adjustment layer!?

[Wendy]

Hi Skicat ...

I have just been back again to view the class ... it sounds like your photo is larger than the other so it is covering the whole of the canvas.

Just try using the move tool to make the photo smaller and you then should be able to see the white area around it :)

Not sure if you know how to resize using the move tool ... just select the move tool then when the bounding box comes up around your image click in one corner of the box and drag inwards.

If that doesn't solve the problem just let me know :)

Wendy

[skicat]

That was it! Thanks, Wendy!

[Wendy]

Hi ...

Oh I am so glad that it worked ... :)

Do let us see the finished image ...

Wendy