Layer panel tools in Photoshop
Last updated: October 11, 2026
The Layer panel in Photoshop runs Layer's tools on the document you have open and puts each result back into it as a layer.
How a tool works in Photoshop
Select the layer you want to work on, or nothing to work on the whole document, then open a tool in the panel and run it. The panel reads the pixels from Photoshop, and when the run finishes the result lands as a new layer named after the tool, directly above the layer it came from. Tools that replace their source hide the original layer rather than deleting it, so you can compare the two or go back. Every result is also kept in the document's session in Layer.
Create something new
New image
Generates an image from a description.
Reads: nothing from the document: the description is all it needs.
Comes back as: a new layer named New image, above the selected layer.
More: Create images
Realtime
Renders the canvas live as you paint, following a description and an optional reference set.
Reads: the whole document, again every time it changes.
Comes back as: a new layer named Realtime when you select Add on the take you want. Nothing is added until you do.
Edit the selected layer
Prompt edit
Changes the picture the way you describe.
Reads: the selected layer. Make a selection first to change only that area (see Inpaint).
Comes back as: a new layer named Prompt edit, above the original, which is hidden.
More: Edit an image with a prompt
Inpaint
Changes only the area you select, the way you describe. It opens Prompt edit with your selection as the mask.
Reads: the selected layer and your Photoshop selection. The panel shows Editing your selection when it has one.
Comes back as: a new layer named Prompt edit with a layer mask from your selection, above the original, which stays visible.
More: Edit an image with a prompt
Style transfer
Repaints the layer in the look of one of your reference sets.
Reads: the selected layer, and the reference set you choose in the panel.
Comes back as: a new layer named Style transfer, above the original, which is hidden.
More: Restyle an image
Remove background
Cuts the subject out of its background.
Reads: the selected layer.
Comes back as: a new layer named Remove background with a transparent background, above the original, which is hidden.
More: Remove an image's background
Denoise
Cleans noise and compression artifacts out of the picture.
Reads: the selected layer.
Comes back as: a new layer named Denoise, above the original, which is hidden.
Restore
Repairs soft, damaged or heavily compressed art.
Reads: the selected layer.
Comes back as: a new layer named Restore, above the original, which is hidden.
Split layers
Takes the picture apart into separate layers you can move and edit on their own.
Reads: the selected layer.
Comes back as: a group named Split layers holding each part as its own layer, above the original, which is hidden.
More: Split an image into layers
Virtual try-on
Dresses the character in a garment.
Reads: the selected layer as the character, and the garment you choose with Choose a layer, from any document you have open, or from a file.
Comes back as: a new layer named Virtual try-on, above the original, which is hidden.
Change lighting
Relights the picture from a preset or a light you place.
Reads: the selected layer.
Comes back as: a new layer named Change lighting, above the original, which is hidden.
More: Relight an image
Change size, frame or viewpoint
Upscale
Enlarges the picture and rebuilds its detail.
Reads: the selected layer, or the whole document when nothing is selected.
Comes back as: a new layer named Upscale over the area it read. The original stays visible under it.
More: Upscale an image
Reframe
Fits the picture to a new aspect ratio and paints in the space around it.
Reads: the selected layer, or the whole document when nothing is selected.
Comes back as: a new layer named Reframe. With the whole document, the canvas grows to the new frame; with a layer, the result covers that layer's area and runs past it.
More: Reframe an image to a new aspect ratio
Camera angle
Shows the subject from a new viewpoint.
Reads: the selected layer, or the whole document when nothing is selected.
Comes back as: a new layer named Camera angle over the area it read. The original stays visible under it.
More: Change an image's camera angle
If something goes wrong
- The panel says it is reading the whole document instead. A group is selected, and a group has no pixels of its own. Select a pixel layer inside it.
- A tool is missing from the panel. Some tools need a newer version of the plugin. Update it from Layer for Photoshop.
- The result did not appear in the document. The document was closed or switched while the run was going. Select All generations in the panel and add the result from its tile.