Just realized my layer management was killing my workflow

I've been using Photoshop for years and ALWAYS kept everything on like 5 merged layers because I thought it was cleaner. Then last week I tried to tweak a character illustration I'd done for a client and I COULDN'T change the shading without wrecking the whole piece. Wasted 3 hours fixing it. A buddy in a Discord server convinced me to start using groups and masks properly. Now I've got like 30 layers per project and it's SO much easier to go back and adjust colors or lighting. I used to think it was slower but actually it saves time in the long run. Has anyone else fought against using more layers and then realized it was better?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice_reed4726d ago

True, but 30 layers isn't that much once you really get going. Some of my files have well over a hundred and it's still manageable with good naming and groups.

sagey6926d ago

Good naming is honestly the difference between chaos and a clean file. Color coding groups helps too, saves time hunting for the right layer. You ever try using layer comps to switch between different versions in a single file?