Add a picture in layer above background - Adobe Photoshop Elements

[John Rich]

I want to place a picture in the first layer above the blank colored background so I can then turn down the opacity of the picture and have the background show through (to use as a background for text).

[Nancy S]

John,

Oh, and you might want to experiment with the blend modes. These are intended to be used in layer interaction, producing different results. On Layers pallette, top left, where it says normal, hit arrow for drop down list.