There are a few different ways that you can duplicate on Photoshop, and it really depends on what you’re trying to achieve as to which method you’ll want to use. Here’s a rundown of the most common methods:
1. Duplicate the Layer
If you want to duplicate an entire layer, then the easiest way to do it is to simply duplicate the layer. You can do this by right-clicking on the layer in the Layers palette and selecting ‘Duplicate Layer’ from the menu, or by dragging the layer onto the ‘New Layer’ icon at the bottom of the palette.
2. Duplicate a Selection
If you only want to duplicate part of an image, then you’ll need to make a selection first. Once you’ve made your selection, you can use any of the usual selection tools to copy and paste it onto a new layer. Alternatively, you can use the ‘Layer Via Copy’ or ‘Layer Via Cut’ options from the right-click menu.
3. Duplicate a Background
If you’re working with a Background layer (i.e. an image that doesn’t have an alpha channel), then you can’t use any of the usual methods for duplicating layers.
Instead, you’ll need to use the ‘Duplicate Layer’ command from the Image menu. This will create a new Background copy of your image on a new layer.
No matter which method you use, duplicating layers is a quick and easy way to create multiple copies of an image or selection that you can then work with independently.
