Frustrated with a dumb question

[Karen]

OK- so I am really frustrated I have been trying to do this all day and I can't figure it out. I am using elements six. every time I try to start a new layer it sets it as the background layer...it locks and the other layers disappear on the right. So I can't do anything cause every layer keeps locking! Did I push a wrong button. so far I am way frustrated because i have all these awesome layouts in my head but I have no idea how to get them on the screen! If you know why my layers are all locking and changing to the background I would LOVE some advice! Thanks, Karen

[Karen]

okay so i dort of think I figured it out...maybe...sort of...you can still respond if you know why it was doing that!

[rizkid22]

I'm not quite sure what is going on. I don't think I've ever had that happen to me. Sorry, I hope you have figured it out.

[Jenny McDonald]

Do you have your layers in Cascade mode? If I understand your question I think that might be the answer. If you don't know for sure go to the right hand upper corner and there should be some icons there. If you hover over them for a little bit it will tell you which on is which. The one that you want to the one that looks like little boxes behind each other that says something like "Cascade Layers." Try moving them now. If this doesn't work or you don't get my instructions let me know and I'll try something else or try and explain it better.

[rizkid22]

I actually don't really like cascade mode. It makes me crazy because it feels so cluttered.:eek:

[Jenny McDonald]

It can get that way. True True!

[Karen]

Thank you so much! whatever it was doing...its not doing anymore. Sometimes I think this computer has a mind of it's own! Thanks for the info though. I will keep it and check to see if I am in Cascade mode or whatever:) I did my first page last night by myself ......it's very plain and very not so my style but i don't know how to do it all my style yet so I have to be patient! thanks again!

[Alishaw]

I love cascade, but I keep everything in my photo bin and small so it's not on my screen, but I have room to work.

[crystalclark87]

besides all that.. usually when you open a layer it is locked if it is a jpeg. If it is a psd it is still in the format where you can work on it. You can still drag a locked layer onto another page, but other than that you can't do anything with it. It is REALLY SIMPLE to unlock a locked layer. You just double click on the layer and then hit okay, or press enter. Then it will unlock it.

[April]

I think this is the most common mistake beginners make. I made a tutorial for this here: http://www.digitalscrapbookmemories.com/tips/mistake1.asp Your version of PS is a tiny bit different but the tutorial should still work well.

Hang in there. Pretty soon you'll be so fast and you'll laugh at how long it "used" to take you to create a page.

Glad to have you here :)