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I've been using Photoshop off and on for years, but up to this point have been basically self-taught so there is a lot of stuff I'm unfamiliar with. I'm currently working on this image, and am running into some problems that I'm not completely sure how to solve.

I'm trying to make the cassette tape look like it is sitting on top of the burnt wood. I figure that I should play around with the transparency of the clear plastic areas of the tape, so that the wood texture is visible. Is there a way to edit the transparency of specific areas of a layer? I could probably figure out some awkward way to accomplish this, but making the cassette multiple layers and adjusting them separately, but it seems like there should be a better way.

Also, what techniques can I use to give an impression of depth from this flat image of the cassette? The composition isn't set in stone yet, and any tips would be sincerely appreciated.

Thanks!

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