Photoshop Finishing Touches

Adding Editable, Scalable Effects

If you want to add a little something to a layer, layer styles provide a simple way to add an effect that is easy to edit and completely scalable—and can be re-used in other documents with one click. In this example, I copied the Background layer and then used the Image>Canvas Size command to add extra canvas to the document. Since the copied Background layer (Layer 1, in my example) has transparency around it, I can add layer styles. I clicked on the Add a Layer Style icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and chose Drop Shadow from the pop-up menu.

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The changes you make in the Layer Style ...