5 Ways to Merge Layers in Photoshop in Just a Snap

When to Merge Layers?

Layers are understood as image slices in photoshop. You can manipulate these slices, freely expressing your creativity. But if there are too many layers , it will be very confusing and difficult to handle, having to work with too many layers will also make your computer slow and freeze.

- A simple way to solve the problem is to merge the processed layers together. It is easy to see, easy to process and reduces the workload on the computer.

- Layer is a very important tool in photoshop, understanding layers is the secret to success in processing a photo.

- When merging layers , depending on the arrangement order of the layers, the displayed results will be different. The upper layers will be stacked on the lower layers, the transparent parts of the upper layer will be the display for the lower layers. The transparent areas when merged will also create a transparent area.

In addition to the usual way of merging layers in Photoshop, the component layers will be lost. You can Stamp - ' stamp ' the layers, at this time merging layers will not lose the component layers.

Note: When merging layers, you cannot use adjustment and fill layers as the main layer and after merging the 2 layers cannot be separated, you can only go back with Ctrl + Z. Therefore, make sure there is no more operation on the layer before merging to avoid this situation.

5 Ways to Merge Layers in Photoshop in Just a Snap Picture 1

5 Ways to Merge Layers in Photoshop in Just a Snap

With 5 simple ways to merge layers in photoshop, it will help you to master the layers. This is a very important tool and has a fundamental meaning to support you in the process of learning photoshop. If you know any better methods, please share with everyone!

Merge Down

This is a quick way to merge 2 layers. You just need to right-click on a layer that needs to be merged and select Merge Down , photoshop will automatically merge the layer you are selecting with the layer below into a new layer with the name of the layer below.

You can quickly operate with the key combination Ctrl + E with Windows or Command + E with Mac OS.

Note: The merge will not work if either layer is hidden or locked.

For example: 

For example, here we have some layers as shown below. There is 1 text layer, 3 image layers and a background layer.

5 Ways to Merge Layers in Photoshop in Just a Snap Picture 2

To merge two layers into one, hold down Ctrl and select the layers you want to merge. Then right-click, select Merge Layer or press Ctrl+E .

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Here, we merge the text layer and the square layer together, we will get the following result.

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Now the image and text are in one layer so when you want to move the square, the text will move too.

Select all layers > Press Ctrl+G  > Group layer

To Ungroup layer: Ctrl+Shift+G

Merge Layers

This is an alternative to Merge Down when there are more than one layer. To use Merge Layers , first select multiple layers. Hold down the Shift key on Windows or Ctrl/Cmd on Mac OS and select multiple layers to merge. Once the layers are clicked and highlighted , right-click on any highlight and select Merge Layers to combine them into one layer with the name of the first layer.

Merge Visible

This is the fastest way to merge layers in Photoshop when you have too many layers and clicking each layer becomes time-consuming. Click to remove the eye icon on the layers that do not need to be merged. Then right-click on any layer you want to merge, select Merge Visible to merge the layers with the eye icon and the remaining layers will be ignored.

Merge Visible but keep the old layer

You want to merge multiple layers but do not want to delete the old layers, just press the Alt key on Windows or Option on Mac OS and select Merge Visible . The operation copies all visible layers and merges them into a single layer, while the small layers will still be kept unchanged. This method is convenient for those who want to leave old versions for backup editing if needed.

Flatten Image

When all the layers are done, your project just needs to be merged into the final product, choose Flatten Image . With Flatten Image all the visible layers will be grouped as Background . If you have hidden layers. When using, Flatten Image will give you the option to ignore hidden layers or not. Merging all the layers makes your work simple, but make sure you don't need to manipulate any layers anymore.

In addition to the above methods, there are many other ways to merge layers together. But these are the 5 most basic and popular ways for new photoshop users.

You can also use some alternative methods if you don't want to merge layers.

Link layers to move, edit, and copy them without merging: Create links with layers, easily change multiple layers at once without merging.

Group layers to work on specific parts at a time: With an image that has too many layers, grouping layers into partitions for easier handling can also replace merging layers.

Fix the problem by rasterizing (converting from vector to raster format) any layers you can't group or edit.

In addition, you can refer to the following designer configuration to help you build smooth layers without lag at a minimum level. If you need to build a more advanced configuration, please contact TipsMake to answer and meet your needs when building the configuration.

Configuration for Designer: HHPC GAMING - INTEL CORE i3 10100 | RAM 16G | GTX 1050Ti 

➤ MAINBOARD: GIGABYTE H410M-H
➤ CPU: INTEL CORE i3 10100 up to 4.3G | 4 CORE | 8 THREAD
➤ DESIGN: JONSBO CR-1000 RGB
➤ RAM: COLORFUL BATTLE AX 16GB BUS 3000 DDR4 (1x16GB)
➤ VGA: NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5
➤ SSD: GIGABYTE SSD 240G SATA III
➤ HDD: YOUR OPTION ACCORDING TO NEED 
➤ SOURCE: COOLERMASTER PC700 700W
➤ CASE: JETEK KAMADO (NO FANS)

David Pac

Update 17 January 2025