Pearl Series Layer Description

This description applies to all Photoshop map files in the PEARL map series. It is intended to give you an overview over the file structure and lets you assess the customization options.
(Other series will have different layer structures, so make sure you are looking at the correct pages for the map series you are interested in.)

Here is a screenshot of the layers panel in Adobe Photoshop CS4:

There are two main groups: Land and Ocean.

Land group:

The Land group comprises all layers which form the land area.

Exterior color:

The Exterior Color layer is a fill layer with a layer mask. The layer fill allows you to change the color of areas outside the state area. This layer is not present on maps which don't highlight a state area.

Borders Admin 2 layer:

The borders admin 2 layer exists only in regional maps (e.g. Federal States of Germany). The borders admin 2 layer is a fill layer with a layer mask. The layer mask contains administrative borders. The layer fill allows you to change the border color. An emboss or drop shadow effect gives a shadow to the border.

Borders Intl layer:

The borders layer is a fill layer with a layer mask. The layer mask contains the international borders. The layer fill allows you to change the border color. An emboss or drop shadow effect gives a shadow to the border. The borders layer is not present if the area of the map doesn't contain any international borders, e.g. for islands.

Exterior Lightness layer:

This is a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer with a layer mask. The layer mask contains the area outside the state. It allows you to adjust the saturation of territory which lies outside the state area.

Land Outline layer:

This is a fill layer with a layer mask. The layer mask contains the land area. This layer gives an embossed effect to the land area. To achieve this, an emboss effect has been applied, and the fill of the layer (in the field at the top of the layer panel under opacity) is set to 0%. The result is that only the emboss effect is applied, ignoring the fill color. The mask is empty or the layer doesn't exist if the map is fully covered with land, i.e. has no ocean areas.

Water layer:

The water layer is a fill layer which specifies the color for inland water (including rivers and lakes. The layer has a layer mask covering all inland water areas. An emboss effect makes the water slightly recessed. The mask is empty or the layer doesn't exist if the map doesn't contain any inland water.

Water non-perennial layer:

The non-perennial water layer is a fill layer which specifies the color for inland water that exists only during part of the year. The layer has a layer mask covering non-perennial water areas. An emboss effect makes the water slightly recessed. The mask is empty or the layer doesn't exist if the map doesn't contain any non-perennial inland water.

Urban Areas layer:

The urban areas layer is a fill layer which specifies the color for large urban areas. An emboss effect gives the urban area a slightly raised look. Names of the urban areas are not included. The mask is empty or the layer doesn't exist if the map doesn't contain any urban areas which seemed large enough to be visible.

Relief layer:

The relief layer contains the shaded relief of all land areas.

Land Color layer:

The Land Color layer contains the color of land areas. The coloration is derived from the elevation of the terrain.

Ocean group:

The ocean group contains layers for the ocean areas. By making the group invisible you can show the land areas on a transparent background.

Shore Color layer:

The shore color layer is a fill layer which specifies the color for the shoreline. The mask has a feather effect applied which allows to change the blur of the shoreline. The mask is empty if the map doesn't contain any ocean areas.

Ocean color layer:

The ocean color layer is a fill layer specifying the ocean color.