About layers

Layers help you make nondestructive edits by stacking and managing images, text, and graphics without merging pixels.

Layers are the core of editing in Adobe Photoshop. A layered file includes images, fonts, effects, objects, and more. You can use these layers to composite multiple images, add text to images, or apply filters and adjustments.

When you import an image into Photoshop on the web, you begin with a single layer which you can find within the Layers panel in the taskbar. However, you're not limited to just one layer and can add additional layers based on your requirements. Layers are arranged in a stack and can be viewed by selecting the detailed layer view from the taskbar in the workspace.

Types of layers

• Adjustment layers: Make nondestructive adjustments to the colors and tones in your image and keep editing the adjustment layers without permanently changing the pixels in the image. In short, they give greater control and flexibility over image edits than making direct adjustments. 
• Smart object: Smart objects are layers that contain image data from raster or vector images. They preserve the source content of an image with all its original characteristics, allowing you to perform nondestructive editing on the layer.

More like this

• Work with layers
• Layers panel overview
• Layer actions overview