Top layer being colored by bottom layer

[gumbo23]

The top layer of a book cover is being somehow overlaid with the color of the bottom layer.

They are clearly top and bottom, and the only way I can see the right color for the cover art is by turning off the bottom layer.

How do I fix this - and keep them separate?

I have tried copying and pasting the original artwork into a new file, but when I put in a background, again the cover art takes the color of the background. 

[R C-R]

Without at least a screenshot of the Layers panel to refer to, it is hard to say what the issue is or how to resolve it, but from your description one possibility is the 'bottom' layer might be a child layer of the 'top' one.

[gumbo23]

2 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Without at least a screenshot of the Layers panel to refer to, it is hard to say what the issue is or how to resolve it, but from your description one possibility is the 'bottom' layer might be a child layer of the 'top' one.

Is this what you mean?

If this is the problem, how do I fix it? I can't seem to drag the bottom layer across to make it a separate layer.

[gumbo23]

You can see what happens when I turn the bottom layer on and off. Colored version is as it should be - with bottom layer off, bw version is with bottom layer on.

[R C-R]

I am not sure from your screenshot what you are calling the top & bottom layers but the highlighted "Background" layer is set to the Luminosity blend mode & has an adjustment layer of some kind attached to it & effects applied. Is this what you want?

[gumbo23]

1 minute ago, R C-R said:

I am not sure from your screenshot what you are calling the top & bottom layers but the highlighted "Background" layer is set to the Luminosity blend mode & has an adjustment layer of some kind attached to it & effects applied. Is this what you want?

Nailed it! It was the luminosity blend mode. 1000 thanks!