Before starting a new project, you need to make sure you know the order of modifications. Although, some are interchangable or optional, knowing this hierarchy will save you lot's of time and make chopping much much easier. Credits to illusionest at ps-garage.com.
First things first, we need to know the legend. It's real simple!
Red = MUST BE IN ORDER
Blue = Either do it first OR last
Green = Optional at any time
LOWERING: