PSE 11 won't let me make a layer?

[Nancy Moran G]

You helped me with the Christmas bulb. Now I am trying to start some editing myself.
I have a photo open in Editor. It shows the 'background' layer automatically.
Now when I go above it to the word 'Layers' and it shows the 'bar' under it with a folder layer, a small circle, a lock icon and 2 others.
When I mouse over them, I get a circle with a line through it.
When I go the the layers election in the tool bar area, nothing is highlighted to allow me to use any selection?
If I try and drag the original layer, it doesn't let me either.
What did I do wrong? Tried YT but it tells me to try all the examples I listed above?!
Thanks,
Nancy

[FrankMi]

You helped me with the Christmas bulb. Now I am trying to start some editing myself.
I have a photo open in Editor. It shows the 'background' layer automatically.
Now when I go above it to the word 'Layers' and it shows the 'bar' under it with a folder layer, a small circle, a lock icon and 2 others.
When I mouse over them, I get a circle with a line through it.
When I go the the layers election in the tool bar area, nothing is highlighted to allow me to use any selection?
If I try and drag the original layer, it doesn't let me either.
What did I do wrong? Tried YT but it tells me to try all the examples I listed above?!
Thanks,
Nancy

Not sure about PSE11 but if it were PS CS5 I would right click the background layer icon and see if you can duplicate it. In CS5, the background layer is locked and can't be changed but it can be copied or unlocked (double-click the icon) and those versions can be changed.

[Nancy Moran G]

Thanks Frank. I did try that and the drop down menu is highlighted to allow me to make one

[NorthernFocus]

If you are working on a 16bit image, PSE won't do layers. You have to convert it to 8bit.

[Nancy Moran G]

You know my next question, right
How do I do that? And it seems it has asked me that before, but not this time?
Nancy

[NorthernFocus]

I'm not at my editing computer to look but I think you go to the "Image" tab on the menu bar. Then in the dropdown select "mode" and convert it to 8bit. Are you working in PSD format?

[NorthernFocus]

If it asked you before it is probably because you opened an image that already had been edited and/or had layers in it. If so then when you open PSE you'll get a dialog box asking wether to flatten the image or convert to 8bit. If you simply open a flat tif or psd it won't say anything.

[Nancy Moran G]

Yup, that's where it is, thanks.
PSD mode? I opened Editor and that's it. When I have saved photos on other days, it saves it as PSD, but I don't know why that is or how (I) made it that way..
Nancy

[FrankMi]

Yup, that's where it is, thanks.
PSD mode? I opened Editor and that's it. When I have saved photos on other days, it saves it as PSD, but I don't know why that is or how (I) made it that way..
Nancy

You can save an image as a 'work in process' PSD file and when you reopen it any layers and settings you had are available so that you can continue editing your image. Although it doesn't preserve the editing History, everything else is there. For your final save, do a Save As and pick the format you want your image to have such as JPEG.

[NorthernFocus]

I think the default "save to" format is PSD. You can either reconfigure the default or choose a different format every time you save a new file.

If you have a 16bit image then presumably it was shot in RAW format. If you opened a RAW file directly with Elements, what it actually does is to open it with Adobe Camera Raw(ACR) which in imbedded in Elements and works more or less seemlessly with the rest of the functions. That is really a misleading aspect of Elements. It gives one the impression that it is fully functional on 16bit files because when it opens a RAW file that is what it creates, a 16bit PSD. But layering and various other functions only work in 8bit mode. It would be nice if they made that more evident than greyed out menu items...

[Shadowman]

Yup, that's where it is, thanks.
PSD mode? I opened Editor and that's it. When I have saved photos on other days, it saves it as PSD, but I don't know why that is or how (I) made it that way..
Nancy

With the PSD file open, go to Image/Mode. If 8-bit mode is visible, click on it.

[Nancy Moran G]

Thank you all....again...
Had to leave the library and YT, but will work on this on my own with your guidance
Have gone from -100 in PSE knowledge to -50, so I am making progress..
Thanks,
Nancy