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Getting Started with Layers

Corel Painter uses different types of layers; how you work with each layer depends on the type of data it contains. You can manage layers by using the Layers panel, and modify layers by using the Layer Adjuster tool. You can also create, name, save, and delete layers.

Layer Basics

In Corel Painter, layers are objects that contain image data. Because each layer is a distinct object, you can move it around and edit it without interfering with the image data on the canvas or other layers. Likewise, you can work on the canvas without interfering with any of the other layers.

Layers can contain either pixel-based or vector-based images. How you work with a layer depends on the type of data it contains. When you work with layers, you use the Layers panel and the Layer Adjuster tool.

Layer Types

Layers can contain two types of images:

Corel Painter also features specialized types of layers:

Some features in Corel Painter can be applied only to default, pixel-based layers. If you want to use these features on shapes, Watercolor layers, Liquid Ink layers, dynamic layers, and so on, you must convert them to default layers.

Pixel-based Layers

You can create pixel-based images on a layer using any brush variant, with the following exceptions: Watercolor brushes, Liquid Ink brushes, brushes that use the Wet method. You can also create pixel-based images on a layer by pasting or placing an image.

Layers play a role in more specialized functions, such as building an image hose nozzle, embedding a URL in an image, or creating an animation.

Vector Shape Layers

Shapes are vector-based objects. When you create a shape with one of the shape tools (Pen, Quick Curve, Rectangular Shape, Oval Shape, or Text), Corel Painter automatically adds a new layer to the document. Each new shape becomes a separate layer; you can group multiple shapes together or merge them into a single shape.

Shapes cannot contain pixel information. To perform pixel-based operations — such as painting in a shape with a brush or filling it with a gradient — you must convert the shape to a pixel-based layer.

The information in this chapter can help you manage shapes in the Layers panel. For detailed information about creating and working with shapes, see Shapes.

Floating Object Layers

Floating object layers contain images that can be moved around the layer. For more information, refer to Working with Floating Objects.

Reference Layers

Reference layers are low-resolution representations of other layers. Using reference layers lets you more easily manipulate standard layers. For more information, refer to Working with Reference Layers.

Dynamic Layers

Dynamic layers provide dynamic effects to the underlying image. Some dynamic layers, such as Glass Distortion and Equalize, interact with the underlying images in a specific area to produce effects. Other dynamic layers, such as Liquid Metal, interact with the underlying images as you apply brushstrokes.

Dynamic layers are different from other effects because they are distinct objects — you can access them in the Layers panel and update their controls to modify them at any time.

This chapter can help you manage dynamic layers in the Layers panel. For detailed information about creating and working with dynamic layers, see Dynamic Plug-ins.

Watercolor Layers

The Watercolor layer is reserved for Watercolor and Real Watercolor brushes. It enables the paint applied with these brushes to mix and flow together. You can create multiple Watercolor layers in a document. These layers are part of the layer hierarchy and appear in the Layers panel, where the layer name includes the prefix “Watercolor.”

In earlier versions of the application, if you applied watercolor brushstrokes, they were applied to the Canvas layer and, as such, were uneditable. Now, when you apply a Watercolor brush to the canvas or to a standard layer, a new Watercolor layer is automatically created. You can edit Watercolor layers as you would any other layer, including erasing and blurring, without affecting other layers.

For more information, see Working with the Watercolor Layer.

Liquid Ink Layers

The Liquid Ink layer is reserved for Liquid Ink brushes. You can create multiple Liquid Ink layers in a document. These layers are part of the layer hierarchy and appear in the Layers panel, where the layer name includes the prefix “Liquid Ink.”

When you apply one of the Liquid Ink brushes to the canvas or to an image layer, a new Liquid Ink layer is automatically created. You can edit Liquid Ink layers without affecting other layers.

For more information, see Working with Liquid Ink brushes.

Shape Layers

When you create a shape, a new Shape layer is added to the Layers panel. Many of the options and controls for working with pixel-based layers apply equally to shapes. For example, you can move shapes in the same way you move layers, you can apply effects to shapes, and you can change the composite method to control how the shape interacts with the underlying image. For more information, see Getting Started with Shapes.

Text Layers

When you insert text with the Text tool, a text layer, which holds a single text block, is added to the Layers panel. With the text on a separate layer, you can work with your image without changing any text attributes. You can select the text layer and edit it at any time. For more information, see Understanding the Text Layer.

The Layers Panel

All layers in a document are listed in the Layers panel. The Layers panel manages the hierarchy of layers and includes controls for selecting, hiding, locking, deleting, naming, and grouping layers.

You can access many layer functions and commands using the buttons at the bottom of the panel, and the Layers menu.

The Layers panel displays icons that identify layer types and characteristics. The following table lists the icons that appear in the Layers panel.

Icon	Description
	Canvas layer
	Pixel-based layer
	Shape layer
	Floating object
	Reference layer
	Dynamic layer
	Watercolor layer
	Liquid Ink layer
	Text layer
	Layer group
	Expanded group
	Visible layer
	Hidden layer
	Locked layer

In the Layers panel, you can also set layer opacity and choose a composite method. For information, see Setting Layer Opacity and Blending Layers by Using Composite Methods.

The Navigator panel displays information about the dimensions and position of layer content. For more information, refer to Navigating Images and Viewing Image Information.

To display the Layers panel

•

Choose Window Layers.

To convert to a default layer

2

Click the Layer Options button , and choose Convert to Default Layer.

The Layer Adjuster Tool

With the Layer Adjuster tool, you can select and work with layers. When you choose the Layer Adjuster tool from the toolbox, the property bar contains options for selecting layers automatically and for changing a layer’s position in the hierarchy. For information, see Selecting Layers and Changing Layer Hierarchy.

You can also cut, copy, paste, and duplicate layers using the Layer Adjuster tool. For more information, see Creating Layers.

Creating Layers

You can create new pixel-based, Watercolor, or Liquid Ink layers directly from the Layers panel. You can also duplicate layers and copy layers between documents.

How you create a layer determines its place in the layer hierarchy in the Layers panel. When you create a layer, the new layer is placed directly above the selected layer in the panel. If the selected layer belongs to a group, the new layer is added to the group. If a group of layers is selected, the layer is placed above the group. For more information, see Grouping Layers.

Another way to create a layer is to base it on a selection. To do this, you can copy or convert the contents of a selection to a new layer. For more information, see Creating and Saving Selections. You can also use the selection to copy the contents of multiple layers.

For information about creating dynamic layers, refer to Creating Dynamic Layers. For information about creating vector shape layers, see Creating Shapes.

To create a new layer

To	Do the following
Create a layer	In the Layers panel, click the New Layer button .
Create a Watercolor layer	In the Layers panel, click the Layer Options button , and choose New Watercolor Layer.
Create a Liquid Ink Layer	In the Layers panel, click the Layer Options button , and choose New Liquid Ink Layer.

To duplicate or copy and paste a layer

1

Choose the Layer Adjuster tool from the toolbox.

2

On the property bar, click the Auto Select Layer button .

To	Do the following
Duplicate a layer	In the document window, hold down Option (Mac OS) or Alt (Windows), and click the layer. A duplicate layer is created on top of the original layer. Drag the new layer to reveal the original layer in the document window.
Copy a layer between documents	In the document window, select a layer, and do one of the following: •   In the document window, drag the layer to another document. •   Choose Edit Copy, display the other document, and then choose Edit Paste.

You can also paste a copied layer from the Clipboard to a new document by choosing Edit Paste Into New Image.

To create a layer based on a selection

To	Do the following
Convert the selection to a layer	Choose Select Float or click the selection with the Layer Adjuster tool .
Convert, cut, and move the selection to layer	Drag the selection with the Layer Adjuster tool .
Copy the selection to a layer	Hold down Option (Mac OS) or Alt (Windows), and click the selection with the Layer Adjuster tool .
Copy and move the selection to a layer	Hold down Option (Mac OS) or Alt (Windows), and drag the selection with the Layer Adjuster tool .

To copy a selection from multiple layers

2

Choose Edit Copy Merged.

Naming Layers

Corel Painter assigns each layer or group a default name when you create it. This name references the object’s type and creation order. For example, pixel-based layers are titled Layer 1, Layer 2, and so on. A shape’s title is based on the tool you use to create it — Rect # for the Rectangular Shape tool, Oval # for the Oval Shape tool, and Shape # for the Pen and Quick Curve tools.

As you add more layers and groups to a document, it can become difficult to remember which image data each layer contains. By assigning descriptive names to layers and groups, you can easily keep track of the separate pieces of an image.

To name a layer or group

You can also rename a layer by clicking the Layer Options button , choosing Layer Attributes, and typing a name in the Name box.

Saving Files That Contain Layers

You can save your Corel Painter document in the RIFF format with “live” layers — the layers continue to function when you reopen the file. RIFF is the only format that preserves layers in their original state.

If you save a Corel Painter document in PSD (Photoshop) format, all layers convert to standard Photoshop transparent layers. Photoshop does not preserve groups; each layer in a group becomes its own Photoshop layer. For information about grouping layers in Corel Painter, refer to Grouping Layers.

If you save a Corel Painter document to PSD format, keep in mind how layer composite methods in Corel Painter convert to blend modes in Photoshop:

For more information about composite methods, refer to Blending Layers by Using Composite Methods.

If you save a file to a file format other than RIFF or PSD, the layers drop (or merge) into a single background image.

Deleting Layers

You can delete layers from the Layers panel, but you cannot delete the canvas.

To delete a layer

•

Click the Delete button at the bottom of the Layers panel.

•

Click the Layer Options button , and choose Delete Layer.

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