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| This tutorial goes through the process of moving a selection in a multi layer file and is useful for beginners wanting to understand basic Photoshop file architecture. This simple concept is essential to understand when you move on to more advanced Photoshop techniques. Perhaps it's simplicity is the thing that makes it so difficult for people. The concept that I am trying to illustrate is that the selection follows the active layer. There is only one active layer in a file. Therefore the selection is on the layer that is active. When you go through this make sure you pay attention to the layers palette in the screen captures.
This is the file I used if you want to copy it and go through this step by step.
The basic file: Adding the text: Use the text tool and add some text to the file.
Creating the selection: Hold down the Ctrl/Command key and click on the thumbnail of the text layer, the small square the contains the "T".
Duplicating the layer: Duplicate the layer by using the context sensitive menu, (right click or Control click on a one button mouse), or drag the layer onto the new layer button at the bottom of the layers palette.
Understanding where the selection is: Because you created a new layer your selection is on that layer. The "background copy" is the active layer, therefore the selection is on that layer! If you move the active layer by clicking on another layer the selection moves to that layer! If you press Backspace/Delete you will remove the pixels from within the selection boundary cutting a hole in the "Background copy" layer.
Adding a style to view the effect: What you did was to make a stencil from the "Background copy" layer. You can not see the stencil because it is an exact duplicate of the original layer underneath it. Put some effects on the layer, like a Drop Shadow or a Bevel and Emboss and you will see the effect. Make sure you turn your text layer visibility off. Effects: I used Bevel and Emboss with a Gloss Contour as well as a Drop Shadow and an Inner Shadow to get the following effect.
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