TYPES OF LAYERS

Layers are basically slices of image information you assemble on top of one another to build an image. There are two general types of layers: image and effect. Image layers carry pixel and vector-image information (figures 6.3 through 6.8). Effect layers are used to add tonal, color, pattern, and texture effects (figures 6.9 through 6.12).

Figure 6.3. Background layer: All images created with scanners or digital cameras come into Photoshop as a Background layer. Because the Background layer represents your original data, you should never work directly on it.