Is it possible to unmerge layers in photoshop

The only way to unmerge layers is to step back in your history. Depending on how far along you are, this could be extremely annoying since it may undo adjustments you wanted to keep. Depending on how far back you need to undo, the method you should use will change. Here are the different options you have to unmerge layers in Photoshop. Using the keyboard shortcut is ideal for undoing several times quickly.

The history panel keeps track of all of the adjustments made throughout a project. By default, the history panel will display 50 different history states. This means you can step backward through 50 different adjustments as necessary.

Inside the history panel will be a list of recent adjustments. Scroll through until you see the merge layer adjustment. Since we have three elements in this case, each of the circles that we want to isolate into their own layers, we will need three copies of this layer. Therefore, we will need to now duplicate the layer twice so that we have three copies of it in total including the original version. This will vary depending on the number of separate elements you want to resolve your layer into.

For example, if you want to create six separate layers, then you will need to duplicate the merged layer five times. To duplicate the merged layer, right-click on it in the Layers Window and select Duplicate Layer from the list that comes up as a result. Repeat this as many times as is necessary for your situation. Next, we are going to use layer masks to make sure that each element is only visible on one layer, and each layer contains only one element.

This can be done by clicking on each layer one by one to make it active, then clicking on the New Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Window the icon resembling a circle inside a white rectangle, as shown below. We will focus on this layer mask first. The aim of this step is to work with the layer masks of the layers to show only one different element on each layer.

So, in this example, I would dedicate one layer to the top circle, one layer to the middle circle, and one layer to the bottom circle. When working with layer masks, it is important to remember that a white brush is used to reveal areas of the layer, whilst a black brush is used to hide areas of the layer. Shades in between black and white create semi-transparent areas of the layer. So, in this case, go ahead and use the Brush Tool B with a black color to paint on the layer mask over the whole layer except for the element that you want to keep on the given layer.

You can see a preview of the layer mask in the Layers Window. You can undo merged layers means can unmerge layers by simply using undoing your changes by keyboard shortcut if you recently merged those layers. The history panel keeps track of all of the adjustments made throughout a document. You can step backward through 50 different adjustments as necessary because by default, the history panel will display 50 different history states.

Inside the history panel will be a list of recent adjustments. Scroll through until you see the merge layer adjustment.

Click on the history state before the merge layers to step back before the merge. This will undo all your previous adjustments and step back to the point before you merged or flattened the layers. To avoid this problem altogether, there are a variety of ways to combine layers without making permanent changes.

Here are a few better alternatives to merging layers in Photoshop. Smart objects are a fantastic feature that will merge multiple layers, while each layer can still be individually accessed. Even Photoshop has a keyboard shortcut that helps merge all visible content into a new layer without touching the layers below it. For this method, you need to follow some steps. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Table of Contents. Unmerge Layers In Photoshop.