Adobe CS4 Master

Adobe Photoshop CS4 has a new twist that at first can make it tricky to move layers from one open document to another. By default, the files now open as “Tabs” across the top of the screen. So, how do you work on more than one file at a time when all you can see is the file name and not a visual reference? It’s an easy fix, that you can address a few different ways. The steps in this article are specific to CS4 but the way you move things from one open file to another are applicable as far back as there have been layers in Photoshop.

1. If you’re preparing images for scrapbooking, invitations, presentations or anything else, at some point you will need to move elements from one open file to another.
   Set-Up Your Work Space:
   1. Make sure you can see your “Tools” and “Layers” palettes; they’re in the scroll down selection menu “Window” at the top of your screen.
   a. Leave “Tools” and “Layers” open for the entirety of this exercise.
2. Step 2

   Let’s say, we’re preparing a series of images for a fund raiser and we want all of them to have an identifier such as the green circle you see in my example image PH02
   1. Select two photos to work with for this exercise. For simplicity, I will work with single layer images to start this exercise.
   If you’d like to use my photos but need help making a screen shot, please see link in resources to my article: How to Make a Screen Shot Using a PC

3. Step 3

   Immediately, you can see the problem. How are you going to move that green circle from one file to another if you can only see one image at a time?
   1. Make sure that you have your “move tool” selected from your “Tools Palette”.
   a. Your cursor will look like a little white arrow. Use your mouse to click and hold anywhere on your “first” file name tab at the top of your screen and drag it straight down.
   b. Everything will “grey out” as you do this and you will see the file name physically moving down into your work area.
   2. Release your “mouse click” and your file is now “floating” in your work space; no longer docked as a tab across the top of your screen.

4. Step 4

   Do the same with the other file you opened originally and you will now see both of your files “floating” in your work space.

5. Step 5

   Technically, we’re done with this exercise; but while I’ve got your attention let’s go ahead and move that green circle from our first photo to our second photo.
   Select your “Elliptical Marquee Tool” from your “Tools Palette”. It’s underneath the little dotted square (Rectangular Marquee Tool) at the top of your “Tools Palette”. If you click on the rectangular one; you’ll see the round one underneath. Still holding your mouse down, just select it from the drop down menu you see.

6. Step 6

   Use the Elliptical Marquee to draw a circle around the element you wish to move. If your circle isn’t just right when you draw it, just go up to “Select” top of screen and scroll down to “Transform Selection” and use the little boxes that appear to drag your selection to exactly the way you need it. Then, click on your “Move” tool in the “Tools Palette” and drag your selection into the other photo. When you release your mouse the selection that you dragged over will be another layer and you can use your “Move Tool” to move it around and get it just the where you want it. The circle or the element you moved will now show up on both images fully intact. In the image you moved it into; it will be a separate layer which is convenient if you want to move it around.

7. Step 7

   If you don’t want to have your images to open into Tabs in CS4; do the following:
   Go to the Edit Menu (top of screen). Scroll down to select Preferences. Within the Preferences menu; on the left hand side, the second choice is “Interface” click there. Uncheck: “Open Documents as Tabs”. Now your images will open the way they would in previous versions as separate items on your desktop.

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