If you're looking for ways to improve your chances with a photo contest like our Hot Pic of the Week, then I suggest you check out "," which is chock full of advice that you can apply whether you have a digital SLR or a point and shoot.

Layers continue to plague me. Could you please explain how layers work and when I would use them to augment my photo editing process?--Richard Seuss, New York

Layers can make your photo editing easier, so it's definitely worth the time to learn. Using the Layers tool in your photo editor, you can apply fine levels of control to changes in your picture. By stacking several identical copies of a photo, for example, you can change exposure in one layer and saturation in another, and tweak the transparency level until you dial in exactly the change you are looking for. And that's just for starters; there are all sorts of specific effects that you can achieve by combining elements of your photo in different layers. To get started, I suggest that you read "."