To organize the Layers palette visually, specify the highlight colors for layers and layer groups. The highlight color displays as the background of the icon to the left of the layer or group name. It has no effect on the image itself.
In a layer group, layers that have not been assigned individual highlight colors inherit the color of the parent layer. As an example, use the same highlight color for all layers in layer group and use a different color to highlight other layers or layer groups.
To set the highlight color of an icon:
On the Layers palette, double-click the name of the layer to open the Layer Properties dialog.
Mark the Highlight in Layers palette check box.
Do one of the following:
To select a new color, click the color box next to the check box. Choose a color and click OK.
To choose from recently used colors, right-click the color box and click a color.
At the Layer Properties dialog, click OK. The icon now displays the highlight color.
Changing the Opacity of Layers
Cleaning up the Edges of Layers Created from Selections