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View Full Version : Tip for 1/24/06 - Linking layers


angedawn
01-24-2006, 03:00 PM
Todays Photoshop tips is about linking layers.

Linking layers is useful when you want to move a set of objects all at the same time. It's also very helpful when you want to resize a group of objects. Lets say you have an alpha that has spelled out the name "ANGE". If you want to resize the alphabet down to 75% of it's orginial size, you could do each layer separately, or you could link they layers and just resize the whole group.

Here's how to link: In CS 2 you have to use your Control key to first highlight all the layers that you would like to be linked. Then click on the little arrow at the top right of the layers palette that brings up the additional menu, and select link layers. To unlink one particular layer, you can Shift Click on the little "chain link" that now shows up by the layer name. To unlink all you can again select all the layers using Control, and then go to that same menu and select Unlink Layers.

In PSE (I know this works in PSE 2 - not sure about other versions), you can click on any one layer to make it the active layer, and then click the little chain link (next to the visibility eyeball) on any other layer to link them to that layer. To unlink, you just click off the chain link symbol.

Hope this is something new for you! Have a wonderful week! :)

happyrobyn
01-24-2006, 03:03 PM
Great tip! Linking is one of those "must know" things. You just can't do without it.

Tiffbrady
01-24-2006, 03:54 PM
I hadn't even thought about linking things and resizing, lol. The simple things that you don't even think about!

Thanks Ange:)

pbrooks
01-25-2006, 04:24 PM
Thank you so much Ange! :D I have been wanting to know how to link layers.

emmyscraps
01-25-2006, 04:50 PM
I will be using this one a lot. No more merging layers for me. Linking is much more versatile! I love it when you make my scrapping easier!

bellbird
01-26-2006, 01:07 AM
OMG! Thanks so much - would u believe I have been able to link for ages but couldn't figure out how to unlink just one thing... i would just duplicaqte the layer i wanted to unlink and delete the linked original _LOL. Your way is much easier!!! I love tip Tuesday!

MirandaM
01-26-2006, 07:43 AM
Yay! Thanks!

scrappinsweetie
01-27-2006, 09:47 AM
for any PSP users out there, i think this is the same as doing a group layer. I know i get the same effect by doing a group layer in PSP as doing this in PS :) I will do some investigating today and see if the linking layers works too :)

Marmy
02-08-2006, 03:17 PM
In PSE4 you need to select the layers to be linked in the layer palette by using the control key (as per Ange's instructions for PS). Then you go up to the icon row at the top of the layers palette and click on the link icon. This is a change from PSE2 (never had 3 so I'm not sure which method you use there?). Not knowing how to do it in PSE4 nearly drove me mad until some kind digi chick explained it to me!

Love all these tips Ange, am going to make a master list and print it out so i remember to use them!

Phil4v4
02-08-2006, 08:35 PM
OH, thanks for this tip! I hadn't thought about the resixing issue!

Now I need to use this!

Nevermore
02-09-2006, 06:17 AM
I use PSCS2. If I want to move or resize more than one layer, I can just select the ones I want and do that. There is no need to link them first. I only link when I am not ready to merge but am still fooling around and want to make sure that if I mess with one thing, the other thing is messed with too! Like text on a tag. I will link these layers. But otherwise CS2 lets you affect more than one layer just by selecting.