10 Photoshop Techniques You Can't Work Without:

 

2. Rasterize Styled Layers:

Summary: Layer styles are great because they're parametric (defined mathematically), but they're also limited in that you can't modify them on the pixel level with tools like the eraser, pencil, etc. Wouldn't it be nice if Adobe offered a "Rasterize" option for styled layers like it does with text? Well, no such luck, but the next best thing is to manually rasterize using Merge Down.

 

 

 

Shown: Here we have a styled layer that we want to rasterize. It contains the silver button.

 

 

Step 1: Select the layer directly below "Layer 2".

 

 

Step 2: Click the "New Layer" icon to create a blank layer.

 

 

Shown: "Layer 3" is the new blank layer.

 

 

Step 3: Right-click the silver button layer and choose "Merge Down".

 

 

Shown: The silver button layer is now rasterized; it was merged into "Layer 3" and now consists purely of pixels rather than parameters.

 

 

Shown: "Layer 3's" pixels can now be directly modified with Photoshop's standard pixel-editing tools, like the paintbrush.