Keeping Photoshop Layers Organised

Have you ever opened up an old Photoshop File or an Edit from the past only to find stacks of messy layers in the Layers Panel and not have a clue what they are for? Sure you can go through each layer one by one to try piece together your past workflow, but that’s just a waste of time.

Instead, I recommend adopting this little ‘good’ habit. It literally only takes a couple of extra seconds to do every time you create a New Layer.

Create a New Layer by using ALT + CLICK on the New Layers Icon at the bottom right of the Layers Panel.

Name the layer to something appropriate. (Adopt a naming convention that works for you. Some examples below.)

T1 (touchup 1)
T2 (touchup 2)
touchup
Sky Fix
fix
Lips Brighten
skinsmooth

In newer versions of Photoshop you can also change the Layer Color if you so wish (Green - Touchups, Red - Merged, Blue - Adjustments Layer etc) — In newer versions of Photoshop you can also change the Layer Color if you so wish (Green – Touchups, Red – Merged, Blue – Adjustments Layer etc)

Click Ok. And that's it. The new layer has been created and is displayed in the Layers Panel. — Click Ok. And that’s it. The new layer has been created and is displayed in the Layers Panel.

Other Naming Options

There are obviously several other ways to name and rename layers, I just find the above method works well for my current work flow process.

Some of the other ways include just Double Clicking on the Layers Name and then typing in what is required.

You can also create a New Layer using Keyboard Shortcuts (see below) and when the New Layer Dialog Box pops up, enter in the New Layers name.

What about Keyboard Shortcuts

This is a very viable option, and I do also use this on the odd occasion, to create and name a new layer.

Apple: CMD + SHIFT + N

PC: CTRL + SHIFT + N

Renaming layers later

Rename layers by double clicking the layer name and entering a new one.

As mentioned above, this is also another way of doing it. Double click on the Layer Name in the Layers Panel and type in the new name.

However make sure that you actually do it before closing down and saving your project. Otherwise you could forget to rename the layers, and it may never get done.

This is just another reason why I prefer the ALT + CLICK method (or Keyboard Shortcut), it forces you to name the layer right away.

What naming standards do you use

I’ve chosen the lowercase letter + number approach.

For my TouchUp Layers I’ll use t1, t2, t3 etc Then for my Merged Layers it’ll be m1, m2, m3 etc. All other layers and groups will be done by double clicking and renaming them. Some of the names I use most often are fix, skin, hair, bg and skin tone.

TIP:

Different kinds of touchups should each be done on their own New Layer.

Spot Healing? t1 – New Layer
Airbrush? t2 – New Layer
Liquify? m1 – Merged New Layer

What are groups

GroupNameClick — To create a new group simply click the Create a group icon on the bottom right of the Layers Panel. ALT + CLICK will bring up the New group dialog box, same as the New layer dialog box.

Another little handy thing that I have gotten into the habit of doing, is adding all layers that are no longer used, into their own Group. (Some people will delete unused layers, but I always tend to keep mine)

Groups are also a great way to keep organised, by creating a Group for several layers.

To create a New Group, simply select all the layers you have created or are finished using, then press CMD + G (Mac) Ctrl + G (PC) This will create a New Group. Now you can double click the New Group to rename it. Touchups, Adjustments or whatever best suits you.

I Group all my unused layers into groups to keep the Layers Panel clean and organised.

Fix Layer

What is a fix layer? A fix layer is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a New Layer that you create on top of the image to be edited, and then using your mouse or preferably a Graphics Tablet, mark/write down things that you feel need to be fixed in the image.

Then you can turn the layers visibility off, by clicking on the eye icon next to the layer. Periodically, you can turn the fix layer back on to see if you have forgotten anything to touchup or repair.

Simple as that.

If you enjoyed this simple tutorial please leave a comment below. If you did not, or I got something wrong, please feel free to also leave a comment below.