If you’ve ever created a multi-layered document in PhotoShop, you know it can become very difficult, time consuming, and frustrating to keep track of what is on which layer. That is a great reason to name your layers as you go. The following techniques will help you become a more efficient PhotoShop pro:

To name a new layer as you go, hold the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (PC) before you click on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette.

If you want to rename your layers after you create them, double-click directly on the layer’s name in the Layers palette and it will highlight the text so you can type a new name. (If you double-click anywhere else besides the name, it will bring up the Blending Options in the Layer Style dialog.)

This way of naming layers directly in the palette is new in PhotoShop 7.0. In version 6, you had to hold the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (PC) when you double-clicked and it would bring up the Layer Properties dialog where you could rename the layer. This minor change is a big timesaver.