Just for Beginners, post your questions, ask for help, get opinions...
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Newbie here and need some help. I spent 2.5 hours using a template to make a Christmas card and when I printed it one picture was too dark and I need to change it but it is already flattened. Is there a way to unflatten it. I sure don't want to start over!

Thanks.
You can not unflatten it. But maybe you can open it duplicate the background, select the area you want to lighten using the rectangular marquee then press ctrl J to place the selection on its own layer then you should be able to lighten it with a blend mode. or make an adjustment layer. I hope this helps some i know it can be done, if you get stuck i will try and explain more. Or someone who explains things well will.
I think (and I am probably wrong... but it seems I did this once.... ) if you did not close the program and reopen or close and reopen the file with them template you could try control Z which removes up to the last 25 commands. If you closed it will not have that option.
I will try the duplicate layer method tomorrow. I have definitely closed the program. I feel so overwhelmed by the program and was so happy to have accomplished what I did but was disappointed in the print version. Oh well, more practice tomorrow!

Thanks for your help!
dont be disappointed you can always piece it apart again with minimum effort. The program seems overwheming at first but just hang in there and practice the challenges from the forum, and by all means ask questions, it will get easier. And a big Welcome to you. :wave:
Lesson learned? Always save as a PSD and then save to a different format after flattening. That way your PSD can still be altered if needed. I have come to appreciate the beauty of adjustment layers and masks the hard way as well. :roll:
Reka
CS3 on Vista, Nikon D40 (50mm1.4, 18-55mm and 70-300mm VR) and FIREFOX
ImageMOM

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Hi zandjmom, and welcome to our little place.

Before trying a whole do-over, try using levels (Layer, New Adjustment Layer, Levels and move the right side triangle to the left. This will brighten up the image considerably.

Before:

ScreenShot00020.jpg
ScreenShot00020.jpg (75.87 KiB) Viewed 2103 times


After:

ScreenShot00021.jpg
ScreenShot00021.jpg (84.74 KiB) Viewed 2103 times


Let us know how things work out and post all your questions - there are a lot of helpful people here who will be glad to help out.
John
Thank you for all your tips and comments. I did not have time today to work on it but should tomorrow.

Am I understanding correctly that if I had saved if first as a PSD before a JPEG that I could have manipulated the layers? If so, that would certainly be a lesson learned!
If you always save as as psd, you can always go back and manipulate that psd. You can also save a copy as a jpeg if you want. But save your psd so you can go back to it. You are understanding correctly.
Not to beat it to death ... but
use different names when you save. We have all outsmarted ourselves when the flattened file gets saved on top of the PSD as a flat file.

What happens is, you save the PSD-file; it is in layers. Then you flatten the file and intend to save it as a Jpeg-file. You click "save" rather than "save as" and now you have a flat PSD-file with no layers. The only way to avoid this is to remember to always click "save as" or the alternative is, after you have saved the PSD-file, then click File > Duplicate; that prompts you to give it a new (different) name. That is the file you flatten. Then when you save it it doesn't matter whether you save as Jpeg or PSD, your layered file is not disturbed.

Rusty
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness" - Dave Barry

If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough. - Robert Capa

www.prestophoto.com/photos/gallery/19932
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