Help with moving layers in Photoshop to the background?

Question

In photoshop how do you open a picture as a layer instead of a backgroundI I click on the layer It shows a blank picture.so how would i open a layer with a picture showing without making the picture as a background.

Answer 1

Copy the image as a layer (on top of the original) or copy and paste the image to a different file you have opened (it will become a layer).

Answer 2

You have to get used to the Layers Pallete. Open a picture, it is the background -- or the base layer. Within the Layers Pallete drag that row to the little button that looks like a sheet of paper at the bottom. Now you have 2 copies of the same photo. Click the eyeball button in the Layers Pallete for the copy of the photo you want invisible.

Or, click the little button in the Layers Pallete that looks like a sheet of paper. That makes a blank layer.

Lastly, click the button that looks like a dotted circle in a box at the bottom. That is the mask layer. It will put another symbol in the row of the Layer you are working on. The mask is Black or White color. Paint with a black paint brush. It will magically erase the photo you paint upon. Don't see any changes? Click the eyeball button on the layer row beneath the copy of the photo. With the mask button selected -- white is transparent, black is like an eraser. Switching the colors on your paint brush back and forth between those colors lets your correct your mask.

The Layers Pallete shows what layer you are working on. It shows if you are working on a Mask or the photo. It sets the visibility of the layer. You can drag the rows up and down to stack the layers in a different order.