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DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKINGTips & Tricks ~ Selecting a layer, the easy way!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Hello everyone. Jenelle here with a super quick and simple shortcut that I have only recently discovered and can’t believe I ever scrapped not knowing this!!!
A little birdie recently told me, that when scrapping using PSE, you can click anywhere on your layout with your move tool and it will automatically highlight that layer in your layers palette. Oh, not fair for me who uses Photoshop – this would save me so much time!! I am forever getting lost in my layouts, scrolling up and down trying to find the right layer for an element I want to move/edit etc. I am so bad at naming all my layers (I usually do the first few and then forget!!!) so this can be really frustrating. I end up ticking/checking the auto-select box to find the layer I want but then I forget to go back and uncheck it and I end up moving things I didn’t want moved!!!
But alas, this happens to me no longer. I have discovered a neat little trick for all the Photoshop users out there, like myself. All we have to do is select the move tool and then right click directly on the element in our layout we are trying to locate (command-click on a Mac I believe also works). A little dialog box then comes up with the names of all the layers involved in the specific area we’ve clicked on. From there, we can then left click on the name of the layer we want and it will highlight that layer in our palette. Oh the time I have saved using this trick!!
Here is a screenshot to illustrate.
I hope this little trick has helped some of you Photoshop scrappers out there and saved you some time when creating your layouts. I use it all the time now and, if anything, it encourages me to name layers, even if it is just with abbreviations.
Thanks for stopping by. Please check back tomorrow when the wonderful SP brings you the next instalment of our Project Scrap Check-In. Until then, happy scrapping everyone!
Jul 05, 2012 @ 06:34:50
I accidently just realized that if you hold down the CTRL key and click on an element/whatever it will also take you to that layer. How crazy that it was an accident but so useful!! :)
May 27, 2012 @ 21:50:55
wow……what an *awesome* tip! thank you!!
May 23, 2012 @ 06:51:14
Thanks Jenelle!! I’ve never really considered this at all! And you know what?…with my mega-clustering habits (LOL!!) this tip will be invaluable!!!! The amount of time I’ve wasted accidently clicking on and moving the wrong layer because I have too much going on in the same little area – now all I have to do is right click!!! YAY!
May 17, 2012 @ 13:05:20
My ‘something new’ learned for today! Thanks!
May 16, 2012 @ 19:35:51
WOW!! Actuallly I’ve accidently right clicked and I noticed the layers listed but I never took the time to realize they were the ones THERE! hah. That’s one thing I spend half my time on too, searching for layers. The problem with selecting the auto select layer turned on is I forget its on and then I end up dragging things I dont want to drag ALL the time! :( lol So excited to try this and the CTRL trick, GREAT tips girls, thanks!!!
May 16, 2012 @ 19:29:44
Wow it works! Thanks for the tip.
May 16, 2012 @ 19:28:55
Great tip! I just moved to full PS (CS6) just last week and thought – darn. I could have used that when I was using Elements. I just gave it a try in PS CS6. (I’m on a Mac.) I right clicked on a spot on my LO and then a box and I got a list of ALL the layers that appear under that point. WOW!!! Fabulous! Love it!! I was just dealing with the issue of trying to find a layer earlier today.
So … give it a shot it works in full PS too! Thanks TONS! TFS!
May 16, 2012 @ 19:57:39
OK … apparently I have a REALLY short attention span. I read through your first paragraph and then stopped. Then I discovered the tip for PS all by myself (NOT!) You gave the PS tip as well. I’m laughing at myself for missing it the first time around!
May 16, 2012 @ 21:42:10
LOL!!!
May 16, 2012 @ 16:33:30
Here is another way in PS: Ctrl+left click on the element and it selects the layer. And then you don’t have to choose the layer. It has saved me a ton of time!
May 16, 2012 @ 19:51:44
Oh that’s even better! Thanks Dani :)
May 16, 2012 @ 09:48:34
If you would just check the little box on the option bar “auto select layer” you can easily select ellies on the layout It would be the box above the left red arrow in your screen shot above.
May 16, 2012 @ 19:54:08
Yes, I do often use the auto-select box Carol, but I tend to forget that I have left it on and end up accidentally dragging things all around my layout when I don’t want to!
May 16, 2012 @ 07:38:28
I use PSE and once I downloaded a trial of photoshop and I couldn’t believe how complicated it was!! I tried the same thing, clicking on a layer, just assuming it would highlight it, and it didn’t. I have such a good thing going with PSE, why change it? Stick with what works, right?
May 16, 2012 @ 06:52:21
Thanks for the tip; I didn’t know it. Will certainly give it a try. :)