Duplicate Layers

When you create a duplicate layer and make your changes to the duplicate, can you save it and it apply to original picture or do you have to flatten it? This a very basic question but I normally make my changes to original picture and then save as a copy. Then when I close the original and it ask if I wish to save changes, I'll click no. Would this be the same as creating duplicate layer or will it still degrade the origianl over time? Thanks for help.

I am sorry, but I re-read your questions several times, and I still cannot figure out what you are asking.

I can say this, though, if you want to save the shot as a .jpg then you must flatten it. If save it as a .tiff or a .psd then the layers are intact. That means that when you open the image later, the layers will still be there.

I hope that this answers your question.

Rad

Thanks Rad, I edited question and maybe a little better. Yes, you actually did answer my question. If I decide to save as .tiff or .psd and want to print from that off photoshop, will it print the top layer or will it then have to flattened?

boog69 wrote in post #3568385
Thanks Rad, I edited question and maybe a little better. Yes, you actually did answer my question. If I decide to save as .tiff or .psd and want to print from that off photoshop, will it print the top layer or will it then have to flattened?

Yes, you can print that file in Photoshop the way it looks without it having to be flattened. I'm not sure what you mean by "print the top layer". What gets printed is exactly what you see on the screen. If the top layer is visible, it'll get printed. If not, it won't.

Layers are a difficult concept to grasp, but once you understand them they're the single most powerful tools you have available. When I edit an image in PS I do everything on layers, which means I can always turn on and off each set of corrections. It took me a while to work out how to use them, but not they're essential to the way I work.