# Merging a layer set to overlay
**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/merging-a-layer-set-to-overlay/185687
**Category:** design
**Created:** [April 15, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/merging-a-layer-set-to-overlay/185687 "2006-04-15T13:42:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Joe\_is\_cool\_5](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Joe_is_cool_5)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/merging-a-layer-set-to-overlay/185687/1 "2006-04-15T13:42:26Z")
Hello,
I’ve been trying to get a certain effect to show up only using one layer. The effect I’m going for works great with a base image on the bottom and an overlay layer on top of it, but I need to export the image to another program (still in PSD), and this program needs the image to be on one layer. Unfortunately, when I merge the overlay layer, it loses its overlay quality. Is there any way to get the same effect (perhaps with some command?) I tried to do it with Hue/Saturation, but it didn’t work because there was a transparent background (it seems to work only where there is both black and white on one layer). BTW, I’m trying to use the image in Premiere, so maybe there’s a way to achieve the desired effect here?
Thanks
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### Author:  [@jimhere](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/jimhere)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/merging-a-layer-set-to-overlay/185687/2 "2006-04-15T15:26:43Z")
How about Image\>Duplicate, and check the merge layers check box. This will make a new flat file (thus preserving your look) and you can save as psd (or whatever).
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### Author:  [@soulty](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/soulty)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/merging-a-layer-set-to-overlay/185687/3 "2006-04-16T01:33:47Z")
or you can hide the layers you dont want and make a marquee selection around the object you want, hit ctl + alt + v (edit/copy merged) and paste which should create a exact copy of the area you selected in a new layer, then you can hide the two original layers in a group called “unmerged overlay effect” if you ever want to adjust them later on.
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### Author:  [@iLikePie](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/iLikePie)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2006, 3:32am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/merging-a-layer-set-to-overlay/185687/4 "2006-04-16T03:32:54Z")
another way which i think is probably less concise than the others but still valid is just to save your file as a png, jpg, tiff, whatever, and then load that and save it as a psd.
as i said, i can’t really see a reason to do it this way over any other way, but there you go.
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### Author:  [@soulty](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/soulty)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2006, 3:36am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/merging-a-layer-set-to-overlay/185687/5 "2006-04-16T03:36:00Z")
I forgot to mention the benefit with doing the copy merged method is that you can retain transparency of the combination of the two layers 😉
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### Author:  [@Joe\_is\_cool\_5](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Joe_is_cool_5)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2006, 3:53am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/merging-a-layer-set-to-overlay/185687/6 "2006-04-16T03:53:25Z")
Thanks for the replies guys.