Layer Style Options - Adobe Photoshop CS6 User Manual

To edit an existing style, double-click an effect displayed below the layer name in the Layers panel. (Click the triangle next to the Add a
Layer Style icon
3. Set effect options in the Layer Style dialog box. See Layer style options.
4. Add other effects to the style, if desired. In the Layer Style dialog box, click the check box to the left of the effect name to add the effect
without selecting it.
You can edit multiple effects without closing the Layer Style dialog box. Click the name of an effect on the left side of the dialog box to
display its options.
Change style defaults to custom values
1. In the Layer Style dialog box, customize settings as desired.
2. Click Make Default.
When you next open the dialog box, your custom defaults are automatically applied. If you adjust settings and want to return to your custom
defaults, click Reset To Default.
To return to Photoshop's original defaults, see Restore all preferences to default settings.

Layer style options

Altitude For the Bevel and Emboss effect, sets the height of the light source. A setting of 0 is equivalent to ground level, 90 is directly above the
layer.
Angle Determines the lighting angle at which the effect is applied to the layer. You can drag in the document window to adjust the angle of a Drop
Shadow, Inner Shadow, or Satin effect.
Anti-alias Blends the edge pixels of a contour or gloss contour. This option is most useful on small shadows with complicated contours.
Blend Mode Determines how the layer style blends with the underlying layers, which may or may not include the active layer. For example,
an inner shadow blends with the active layer because the effect is drawn on top of that layer, but a drop shadow blends only with the layers
beneath the active layer. In most cases, the default mode for each effect produces the best results. See Blending modes.
Choke Shrinks the boundaries of the matte of an Inner Shadow or Inner Glow prior to blurring.
Color Specifies the color of a shadow, glow, or highlight. You can click the color box and choose a color.
Contour With solid-color glows, Contour allows you to create rings of transparency. With gradient-filled glows, Contour allows you to create
variations in the repetition of the gradient color and opacity. In beveling and embossing, Contour allows you to sculpt the ridges, valleys, and
bumps that are shaded in the embossing process. With shadows, Contour allows you to specify the fade. For more information, see Modify layer
effects with contours.
Distance Specifies the offset distance for a shadow or satin effect. You can drag in the document window to adjust the offset distance.
Depth Specifies the depth of a bevel. It also specifies the depth of a pattern.
Use Global Light This setting allows you to set one "master" lighting angle that is then available in all the layer effects that use shading: Drop
Shadow, Inner Shadow, and Bevel and Emboss. In any of these effects, if Use Global Light is selected and you set a lighting angle, that angle
becomes the global lighting angle. Any other effect that has Use Global Light selected automatically inherits the same angle setting. If Use Global
Light is deselected, the lighting angle you set is "local" and applies only to that effect. You can also set the global lighting angle by choosing Layer
Style > Global Light.
Gloss Contour Creates a glossy, metallic appearance. Gloss Contour is applied after shading a bevel or emboss.
Gradient Specifies the gradient of a layer effect. Click the gradient to display the Gradient Editor, or click the inverted arrow and choose a gradient
from the pop-up panel. You can edit a gradient or create a new gradient using the Gradient Editor. You can edit the color or opacity in the Gradient
Overlay panel the same way you edit them in the Gradient Editor. For some effects, you can specify additional gradient options. Reverse flips the
orientation of the gradient, Align With Layer uses the bounding box of the layer to calculate the gradient fill, and Scale scales the application of the
gradient. You can also move the center of the gradient by clicking and dragging in the image window. Style specifies the shape of the gradient.
Highlight or Shadow Mode Specifies the blending mode of a bevel or emboss highlight or shadow.
Jitter Varies the application of a gradient's color and opacity.
Layer Knocks Out Drop Shadow Controls the drop shadow's visibility in a semitransparent layer.
Noise Specifies the number of random elements in the opacity of a glow or shadow. Enter a value or drag the slider.
Opacity Sets the opacity of the layer effect. Enter a value or drag the slider.
Pattern Specifies the pattern of a layer effect. Click the pop-up panel and choose a pattern. Click the New Preset button
pattern based on the current settings. Click Snap To Origin to make the origin of the pattern the same as the origin of the document (when Link
With Layer is selected), or to place the origin at the upper-left corner of the layer (if Link With Layer is deselected). Select Link With Layer if you
want the pattern to move along with the layer as the layer moves. Drag the Scale slider or enter a value to specify the size of the pattern. Drag a
pattern to position it in the layer; reset the position by using the Snap To Origin button. The Pattern option is not available if no patterns are
loaded.
Position Specifies the position of a stroke effect as Outside, Inside, or Center.
Range Controls which portion or range of the glow is targeted for the contour.
Size Specifies the radius and size of blur or the size of the shadow.
Soften Blurs the results of shading to reduce unwanted artifacts.
Source Specifies the source for an inner glow. Choose Center to apply a glow that emanates from the center of the layer's content, or Edge to
to display the effects contained in the style.)
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to create a new preset