Does LayerShop take Photoshop Elements closer to Photoshop?

LayerShop adds almost 300 new features to Photoshop Elements that are only available in Photoshop, e.g. opening images as layers, auto-aligning, auto-blending, HDR functionality, stack modes, enhanced layer styles and layer comps. So LayerShop bridges a big part of the gap between Photoshop Elements and Photoshop. Additionally LayerShop adds features not available in Photoshop, e.g. the Auto-Expose and HDR-Combine features.

 

What does LayerShop offer to Photoshop users?

LayerShop adds almost 200 new features to Photoshop. Here are some of its feature which are not available in Photoshop: Place Documents as Layers, Auto-Expose, HDR-Combine, Remove Detail, SuperResolution, Fix Underexposure, Fade Pro, Blend Pro, Remove Transparency, a few new stack effects as well as a feature for automatically creating exposure variations from a single raw file. LayerShop also offers other functionality that makes some tasks easier to perform.

 

How does LayerShop compare to ElementsXXL in Photoshop Elements?

LayerShop and ElementsXXL can be used on their own or together. They have only four functions in common: Auto-Align Layers, Auto-Blend Layers, Fade Pro and Blend Pro. If you like the Auto-Align and Auto-Blend features in ElementsXXL, you will love them even more in LayerShop, because using them is now much easier with the additional Open As Layers, Place Documents As Layer, Remove Transparency and the Tasks features of LayerShop.

Otherwise LayerShop and ElementsXXL offer totally different functionalities. ElementsXXL makes basic functionality like channels, tools, smart objects, path and vector masks, new filters etc available. On the other hand, LayerShop concentrates on combining multiple layers for various advanced purposes, e.g. HDR, denoising, macro stacking, multiple exposure, object removal, resolution incerease, underexposure fixing and panorama. Additionally LayerShop provides dozens of new layer composition, layer style and stake mode features. Both products together make Photoshop Elements even more powerful.

 

Why should I use LayerShop for HDR imaging instead of other products?

LayerShop's HDR-Compose feature has the following advantages over traditional HDR software: It produces natural looking results without the typical overdone HDR look. It also offers more creative freedom and possibilities. LayerShop's HDR output is not just a single image but three layers (shadows, midtones, highlights) and two layer masks. So you have much more freedom for further improving the HDR look with all tools of Photoshop Elements. You can even reapply the HDR-Compose dialog on the final image to non-destructively edit it, which is not possible with traditional HDR software. Finally, LayerShop fully integrates into Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, so you do not need to leave its UI to create HDR images.

 

What is the difference between LayerShop and other products that extend Photoshop (Elements)?

The big thing about LayerShop is that it fully integrates into the user interface of Photoshop (Elements) by adding new menu items, icons and various dialogs. LayerShop starts up together with Photoshop (Elements), so it does not need to be run manually. LayerShop feels like an upgrade to Photoshop (Elements) and not like a plugin or external tool.

Other products that try to extend the functionality of Photoshop (Elements) have to be executed by clicking a button or menu item. They are limited to a single dialog that blocks the user interface or consist of simple actions. So they are not as intuitively and easy to use as LayerShop. They do not provide the rich features of LayerShop.

There is no other product that adds Open/Save Layers commands, Auto-Expose and HDR-Combine features as well as all Photoshop layer styles options to Photoshop Elements. It also offers new features for Photoshop that are not available from other products.

 

With which version of Photoshop (Elements) should I use LayerShop?

We recommend using LayerShop with Photoshop CS5 and higher in order to produce better image quality with the Super Resolution feature. We recommend using LayerShop with Photoshop Elements 13 and higher, which also offers a Content-Aware Fill option on the Remove Transparency dialog. But you can also use LayerShop in older versions of Photoshop (Elements) with 99% of the functionality.

 

I own both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Which is preferable for running LayerShop?

We recommend using LayerShop in Photoshop CS5/CC as well as Photoshop Elements 13 and higher. If you have to choose between both, it is usually better to work with LayerShop in Photoshop. Some features of LayerShop runs faster in Photoshop, because LayerShop relies on functionality, which clearly executes faster in Photoshop than in Photoshop Elements. Additionally several features of LayerShop can be applied to images with 16-bit/channel in Photoshop, but only to 8-bit/channel images in Photoshop Elements, because Photoshop Elements only supports layers with 8-bit per channel.

 

How do I know which features are added by LayerShop and which are part of Photoshop (Elements)?

LayerShop adds a green background to its icon and menu items. To remove this colorization, please go to File > Automation Tools > LayerShop and deactivate the "Colorize Icons & Menu Items" check box. Additionally you can check out the manual on the menu under Help > LayerShop Help. All features of LayerShop are mentioned and explained there in detail.

 

Does LayerShop work with 16-bit images?

Yes, it does, but only in Photoshop and not Photoshop Elements. So far Photoshop Elements only supports layers for images with 8-bit per channel. As LayerShop mainly provides features that require layers, it can only be used on 8-bit images in Photoshop Elements. If Photoshop Elements will support layers for 16-bit images in future, we will make LayerShop support 16-bit images. We may also add some workarounds in a future version for making some features of LayerShop nevertheless work with 16-bit images.

 

I have a non-English version of Photoshop (Elements). Can I use LayerShop with it?

Yes, definitely. 95% of the features of LayerShop are automatically translated to the language of Photoshop (Elements). For example, if you use a Spanish version of Photoshop Elements, all menu items and almost all dialogs of LayerShop are in Spanish. Only the Preferences dialog and a few messages are only available in English and German.

If you want to look up some LayerShop features in the English manual and you have a non-English version of Photoshop (Elements) installed, you can activate the "Force English Localization" check box on the LayerShop Preferences dialog. After restarting Photoshop (Elements), the LayerShop items will be shown in English language.

 

Sometimes the Auto-Blend Layers feature of LayerShop does not work. What can I do about it?

In some cases the Auto-Blend Layers feature may not have enough memory to perform its task. Here are some measures to make it work anyway:

1. Exit all other applications.
2. Close all other documents in Photoshop Elements.
3. Choose Edit > Clear > All to free more memory in Photoshop Elements.
4. Go to Edit > Preferences > Performance and increase the Memory Usage to 90 or 95%.
5. Reduce the number of layers that are processed with Auto-Blend Layers.
6. Reduce the image size of the document that contains the layers.
7. If you run Windows 32-bit, upgrade to Windows 64-bit. This will double the amount of memory that Photoshop Elements can use (from 1.6 GB to 3.2 GB RAM). In Photoshop Elements 13 (and higher) you can even use almost all of your RAM under Windows 64-bit.