How to merge several layers so that the name of the bottom one remains?
I just Shift + select them and Ctrl+E, but I get the name of the top one (and lose the color label).
Merged result
Though when I turn off the visibility of all other layers, select the corresponding layer and click "Merge visible", I get what I need 🙂 But it's too many extra clicks.
Can't PS consider what layer I select first when Shift+select several layers?
UPD.
Created a feature request. Please, vote! https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-ideas/fix-the-merge-layers-issue/idi-p/13700956
1 Correct answer
Created a new topic as a feature request. Please, vote!
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-ideas/fix-the-merge-layers-issue/idi-p/13700956
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Thanks for the link, but should I really learn scripting (or using scripts) for merging 3 layers?
Depends; how efficiently do you want to utilize Photoshop for repetitive tasks? (For many Photoshop users it may indeed not be worth the trouble to learn Scripting, but if you post about this specific task I suspect you have to perform it more than once a week.)
Anyway: Weren’t Scripts posted in that thread? So why would you need to learn Scripting for this specific case? (edited)
Turning off/on the visibility of all other layers also takes a bit of time.
By @Ivan Zajats
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Not if you use Alt + Click shortcut on eyeball icon. Try it. 🙂
what do you mean? it leaves only 1 active layer visible
(how) will it help to turn off only the unlabeled?
Even if "first clicked" might be difficult to implement - the bottom layer is a much more logical pick for merged layer name. The top layer will almost always be a random adjustment layer.
By @D Fosse
yep, that's right!
Jane, is there such a script floating about somewhere that you know of? Like Ivan, I'm scripting illiterate 😉
By @D Fosse
@Myra Ferguson posted a link to a topic where various scripted solutions were explored:
As @jane-e wrote, nobody is suggesting that one has to learn how to write scripts to use them (I know that your tongue was firmly planted in your cheek by the emoticon).
What your after used to be easy in photoshop before cs2, when Adobe made changes to Layers like being able to select more than one layer at a time, etc. Unfortunately a few of the old tried and true methods for merging layers got left out unless one uses scripting or has an old action from pre cs2 which still works in 2023.
In photoshop 7/CS, for example, one could just link all three layers making sure the bottom layer was selected then press Ctrl+E (Cmd+E) for Layer>Merge Linked Layers into Target Layer. So if the target (selected) layer was the top layer, that layer name would be retained or vice versa if the bottom layer was the target (selected) layer that layer name would be retained.
Quick clip from photoshop cs (ps ver 8) showing linking layers, then after the target layer is selected using
Cmd+E (mac) or Ctrl+E (windows) to merge layers into the target layer keeping the name of the target layer.
To hide the visibilty of all the other layers besides the selected layers, click on one of the
Layer Eyes and click Show/Hide all other layers.
I want PS to consider what layer I select first and retain its name, would be much better
By @Ivan Zajats
People select layers for many different reasons, in certain sequences, either using the shift key or the CMD/CTRL key (they are different).
What you are asking for is for Photoshop to "listen" for such layer selections and to store them in memory, just in case the next action performed after the last layer selection is to merge, which it would then use the first layer name selected in memory as the new name.
That sounds possible, not sure how easy it is to implement though.
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