Corel Painter Help | Painting on layers

Quick links to procedures on this page:

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Painting on layers

Painting on layers, instead of painting directly on the canvas, allows you build an image gradually and with more control. For example, if you add a series of brushstrokes to a layer and you’re not satisfied with the result, you can delete the layer and start over. You can paint on layers using any of the Corel Painter brushes. The purpose of this section is to provide you with tips and techniques for painting on layers.

Pick up colors from underlying layers

When painting using brush variants that push paint, rather than apply paint, you can choose to pick up colors from underlying layers. For example, if you have red paint on the top layer, and blue paint on the bottom layer, you can use the Subtle Palette Knife brush variant to blend the red and blue paint. In most cases, brush variants that allow you to blend colors within an individual layer will also support the picking up of colors on underlying layers.

Brush methods and painting on layers

The Natural-Media environment allows brushstrokes on different layers to interact with each other. However, mixing brushstrokes that use the Cover and Buildup methods on the same layer can produce unexpected results. This is caused by a conflict between the brush method and the layer’s composite method.

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Brushes that use the Buildup method — such as those in the Felt Pens or Pencils category — work best on layers that use the Gel composite method. In fact, when you use the Buildup method to paint on a blank layer, Corel Painter automatically sets the layer’s composite method to Gel.

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Brushes that use the Cover method work best on layers that are set to the Default composite method.

For more information, see Blending layers by using composite methods and General controls: Methods and subcategories.

General tips for painting on layers

The following are tips for painting on layers:

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You can use Watercolor brushes only on Watercolor layers.

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You can use Liquid Ink brushes only on Liquid Ink layers.

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You must collapse a layer group before painting, because you cannot paint on grouped layers. For more information, see Grouping layers.

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You must commit a shape to a pixel-based layer before painting. Corel Painter prompts you to commit a shape if you attempt to paint on it. After you commit the shape, you cannot re-access the shape’s vector controls. For more information, see Converting shapes to image layers.

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You can protect areas of a layer from painting by creating a selection or preserving transparency. For more information, see Selections and transformations and Preserving layer transparency.

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You can control what parts of a layer are visible and hidden by creating a layer mask. For more information, see Creating and deleting layer masks.

To paint on a layer

In the Layers panel, select a layer.

Click the Brush selector on the Brush selector bar.

In the Brush library panel, click a brush category and brush variant.

Paint on the layer in the document window.

The Preserve Transparency button in the Layers panel affects what areas of a layer you can paint on. For more information, see Preserving layer transparency.

To pick up color from underlying layers

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In the Layers panel, click the Pick Up Underlying Color button

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