If you’ve spent any time in the Photoshop groups, you’ve surely been shamed once or twice for “destructive editing.” Well, if not, then, if you’re doing these destructive practices, they were thinking of shaming you!
Here’s a rundown of what’s what:
| Destructive | Non-Destructive |
| Making an adjustment through a menu command | Using an Adjustment Layer |
| Erasing part of your image layer | Using a Layer Mask |
| Painting on your image layer | Painting on another layer over your image |
| Cloning onto your image layer | “Use all layers” cloning onto a new layer |
| Using Dodge, Burn, Sponge, Healing Tool, or Patch on the image layer | Using one of these tools on a Merged Visibles layer |
| Applying a Filter to your image | Filtering a duplicated layer of your image |
| Flattening your image | Making a Merged Visibles layer |
A Merged Visibles Layer is a shortcut I came up with. I don’t know if anyone else is doing them now.
What you do is to make all the layers visible that you want in this new layer. Anything you don’t want visible, turn off the visibility eye. In the Layers palette, click the top-most of your visible layers.
Now hold Ctrl-Alt-Shift and type E. (Note: some of my tutorials refer to CAS-NE or Ctrl-Alt-Shift-N-E. You used to need the N. Now PS automatically puts the merged visibles onto its own layer.)