Saving Layer Effects: Use them later!

Denise from San Diego, CA, using Photoshop 7 with Mac OS X, writes in with:
[Quote:] I've got a lot of photos and modifications to do where I need to apply some of the same layers effects to other layers, or even into the layers of another file. It's quite tedious resetting those settings over and over again. Isn't there a way to duplicate styles?
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Luckily just about anything can be copied or saved.

Copy and Save your Custom Layer Styles

If you want to copy, the effect or group of effects and avoid using the Layer Style menu repeatedly, just hold down the Control key (Win = Alt) as you click-hold on the effect in the Layers palette

You'll see contextual menu spring up.
Choose Copy Layer Style.
Move to the next layer and use the contextual menu but this time choose Paste Layer Style.

If you have a lot of this to do, why not just SAVE the effects to a new Style.

Once your collection of effects are just like you want them for that layer,
Open the Styles Palette.

In the Layers Palette notice the triangle in the layer bar with the layer effects. Click that arrow to 'expand' the effects contained in that layer.

Simply click on the effect (or the effects bar with nested multiple effects) in the layers palette and drag over to the Styles Palette. Presto, the style has been saved.

With your new style selected, open the Styles Options from the palette menu, rename and click okay.

Now you can apply those effects anywhere you like by simply clicking the name in the styles palette.