User's Manual

411
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2
User Guide
To specify a blending mode for a layer or group
1 Select a layer or group in the Layers palette.
2 Choose a blending mode:
• In the Layers palette, choose an option from the Blend Mode pop-up menu.
• Choose Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options, and then choose an option from the Blend Mode pop-up menu.
Filling new layers with a neutral color
You can’t apply certain filters (such as the Lighting Effects filter) to layers with no pixels. Selecting Fill With (Mode)-
neutral Color in the New Layer dialog box resolves this problem by first filling the layer with a preset, neutral color.
This invisible, neutral color is assigned according to the layer’s blending mode. If no effect is applied, filling with a
neutral color has no effect on the remaining layers. The Fill With Neutral Color option is not available for layers that
use the Normal, Dissolve, Hue, Saturation, Color, or Luminosity modes.
Specifying knockout options
Knockout options let you specify which layers “punch through” to reveal content from other layers. For example, you
can use a text layer to knock out a color adjustment layer and reveal a portion of the image using the original colors.
As you plan your knockout effect, you need to decide which layer will create the shape of the knockout, which layers
w
ill be punched through, and which layer will be revealed. If you want to reveal a layer other than the Background,
you can place the layers you want to use in a group or clipping mask.
Farm logo with shallow knockout to Field layer
To create a knockout
1 Do one of the following in the Layers palette:
• Position the layer that will create the knockout above the layers that will be punched through, and make the layer
youwanttorevealthe Background.(Choose Layer > New > Background From Layertoconvert aregular layerto
the background.)
• Place the layers you want to use in a group. The top layer in the group will punch through to the bottom layer in
thegroup or thebackground. If youwanttorevealthe background,makesurethatthe blendingmodeofthe group
is set to Pass Through (the default setting).
• Place the layers you want to use in a clipping mask. The top layer in the group will punch through to the bottom
layer in the group or the Background. (See “To create a clipping mask” on page 437.) If you want to reveal the
bottom layer in the group, make sure that the Blend Clipped Layers As Group option is selected for the bottom
layer. (See “Grouping blend effects” on page 412.)
2 Select the top layer (the layer that will create the knockout).