Glad to hear it worked for you. Keep in mind the use of mask layers for both transparency and for effects layers. These are very powerful because you can always adjust them at a later time. You only flatten an image before printing if the image is to be used for printing (and make that a copy that is flattened, not the original.)

You do not need to flatten the image if you intend to use it with Photoshop's 'Save for Web & Devices ...' option. JPeg 2000 is fine for web use where the image is going to be viewed at 1:1 or smaller ratio.

And best wishes for your Christmas and New Year. All the best.