Managing layers and groups keeps your project organized. You can rename layers, color-code to easily locate similar layers, and delete and export layers as needed.

As you add layers or layer groups to an image, it’s helpful to give them names that reflect their content. Descriptive names make layers easy to identify in the Layers panel.

Assign a color to a layer or group

Color coding layers and groups helps you locate related layers in the Layers panel. Simply right-click the layer or group and select a color.

Rasterize layers

You cannot use the painting tools or filters on layers that contain vector data (such as type layers, shape layers, vector masks, or Smart Objects) and generated data (such as fill layers). However, you can rasterize these layers to convert their contents into a flat, raster image.

Delete a layer or group

Deleting layers you no longer need reduces the size of your image file.

Export layers

You can export all layers or visible layers to separate files.

Merging layers

When you have finalized the content of layers, you can merge them to reduce the size of your image files. When you merge layers, the data on the top layers replaces any data it overlaps on the lower layers. The intersection of all transparent areas in the merged layers remains transparent.

In addition to merging layers, you can stamp them. Stamping allows you to merge the contents of more than one layer into a target layer while leaving the other layers intact.

Merge two layers or groups

Merge layers in a clipping mask

For more information on clipping masks, see Mask layers with clipping masks.

Merge all visible layers and groups in an image

Stamp multiple layers or linked layers

When you stamp multiple selected layers or linked layers, Photoshop creates a new layer containing the merged content.

To stamp all visible layers, do the following:

Flatten all layers

Flattening reduces file size by merging all visible layers into the background and discarding hidden layers. Any transparent areas that remain are filled with white. When you save a flattened image, you cannot revert back to the unflattened state; the layers are permanently merged.