Transforming Layers in Photoshop

When compositing multiple images, you will no doubt have to scale some of your image to fit into your layout. Fortunately, Photoshop makes this an easy chore by providing you with the Transform and Free Transform commands found on the Edit menu. Transforming layers is almost identical to transforming selections except that you don’t need to make a selection first. After an element is on a layer, you can just choose the appropriate transformation command and off you go. In addition, you can apply a transformation to multiple layers simultaneously if you link the layers first. In addition to transforming individual layers and selections, you can also transform the entire image. You find these commands — Image Size (for scaling) and Rotate Canvas — on the Image menu. Try to perform all your transformations in one execution. Don’t go back numerous times and apply various transformations. Each time you transform pixels, you are putting your image through the interpolation process (manufacturing pixels). Done repeatedly, your image may start to turn into mush. And if not mush, it will not be as pristine and crisp as it was before.

If your image looks jagged after you transform it, you may have your preferences set incorrectly for your interpolation method. Choose Edit-->Preferences-->General (Photoshop-->Preferences-->General on Mac OS X) and select the Bicubic (Better) option from the Interpolation drop-down list. This enables a smoother appearance to your interpolated pixels. When the Move tool is active, you can transform a layer without choosing a command. Simply select the Show Bounding Box option in the Options bar. This option surrounds the contents (or an active selection) of the layer with a bounding box with handles. Drag these handles to transform the contents.

Bypassing the clipboard
Yes, you can always cut and paste or copy and paste a layer from one image to another, but I prefer to drag and drop rather than copy and paste between two images. By dragging and dropping, you bypass the temporary storage area for copied and stored data, the clipboard. (Whenever you copy or cut a selection, Photoshop stores the selection on the clipboard until you are ready to paste it to its new home.) So what’s wrong with that? Well, nothing, unless you’re working with high-resolution images. Storing images on the clipboard, even on a temporary basis, can slow down your system. Keeping your clipboard clear of data ensures that Photoshop is running lean and mean so that you can drag and drop more images, selections, and layers quicker and more efficiently. Take my advice and try the drag-and-drop method. I guarantee that, like me, you’ll be flexing your trigger finger — all the better to drag and drop even faster.