Have you ever applied the same layer style to a lot of different layers in the same document? You’re savvy because you read Photoshop User (right? ). So you know that if you hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key, click-and-drag a layer style in the Layers panel, and drop it on another layer, then it will create an exact copy of that layer style. If you didn’t know, we’ll pretend you did.
Okay, so you’ve done this on a ton of layers (let’s assume a nice number like 50 or 100) and everything is looking great, until your client says, “That looks good, but could you make the stroke a little thinner?” So you grab the first layer and adjust it. Looks awesome! Now what? Do you delete all the other layer styles and reapply, or do you just adjust them all, one at a time?
Here’s a useful trick: Right-click on the layer style you like, and choose Copy Layer Style. Now select all the layers that have the old layer style by Command-clicking (PC: Ctrl-clicking) on each of them in the Layers panel. (You can Shift-click to select all the layers if they’re contiguous—next to each other). Here’s the fun part: Right-click on any selected layer and choose Paste Layer Style. Boom! All of them update.
This tip originally published in the September, 2017 issue of Photoshop User magazine, in the Photoshop Tips column by Colin Smith.
