This mini tutorial is going to be more images rather than text.  Working with Layers is one of the most important things you can learn about using PSP.  Once you understand them, you won't do your graphic work without them!  For example, let's say you've been working all week on a beautiful graphic for someone.  This graphic has the person's name written on it too.  You are finally done and exhausted.  You save this file, but you didn't use layers.  Later that day you learn you have a typo in the writing on the graphic.  You sit down and cry because you have to start over.  If you had done this graphic in layers and saved the psp file of that in layers, it would take you minutes to remove the text layer/layers and redo just that part.

So let's take a look at the basics of layers.  After this tutorial you will be able to do most of the tutorials that use layers with no problems.  I'm not going to get into the more techincal features of layers which is for more advanced work.

You can play along with this tutorial too.  Open a new transparent image, 250x250.  Now go up to the Layers menu and look at the drop down.  Your new transparent image already has its first layer, Layer 1, named "Layer 1".

Go back to the Layer menu and click on Properties.  It is typical to name the first layer on your graphic "background".  Say OK and go back to the Layer menu.  Click on New Raster Layer.

A window will pop up, the Layer Properties window.  You can name your new layer now.  I'm just going to add in some stray text for this lesson.

What if I decided after I put this text layer on that I really wanted the two words in different locations?  With the Selection tool, I select the word Tool.  Then from my toolbar quick access, I Cut just the Tool part of the text layer.  Then I click on my toolbar's quick access for Paste New Layer.

I could name the layer by going to Layer Properties from the Layers drop down menu, or I could work with my Layer Palette.  Toggling my Layer Palette window open, you can see my Layers.