SiteGrinder

How do I use layer comps in Photoshop CS and CS2?

Layer comps were introduced in Photoshop CS. They are a convenient way to store a snapshot of certain key aspects of your document: layer position, layer visibility, layer fx ( layer styles), or any combination of the three.

Once you create a layer comp you can call it up at any time by clicking on the icon to the left of the layer comp's name. This is really useful for web site designs because with web sites you usually have some content (layers) that are on all pages (i.e. the navigation bar or company logo) and other content that appears only on one specific page.

A typical web project using layer comps might go like this:

  1. Create the overall look of the web site with layers
  2. Create a layer comp called "static background" with all of the "global" layers (ones you want on every page) visible
  3. Create the elements that will appear on the home page
  4. Create a layer comp called "home-page" containing the background elements and the home page elements
  5. Restore the "static background" comp
  6. Add elements for another page, say "contact"
  7. Make another comp called "contact-page"
  8. And so on for each page

The biggest potential problem with layer comps is that a comp only knows about layers that existed at the time the comp was created. In the above example you may decide to add another layer or two to the background elements after you have already set up the background layer comp. This requires some extra steps because of the following crucial fact: layer comps never include layers added to the document after the layer comp was created unless you update the comps. You update a layer comp by first setting the document the way you want it in the comp (manually setting the layer visibilities, positions etc.) and then selecting the comp in the layer comp palette. At this point you can click the "update layer comp" button at the bottom of the palette or call up the command from the layer comp palette menu.

If you want to add global elements that will appear on every page SiteGrinder will produce but if you have already made the comps for those pages you will have to update them all. This means calling up the a comp, which will cause the new elements to become hidden, unhiding those elements, updating the comp,and repeating for each page.

Before you call up SiteGrinder to build your site you should restore each "-page" comp in turn to verify that they all look the way you want them to.

Some layer comp useage tips: