Managing Layers

Selecting Layers

Selecting a layer lets you make changes to it. If no layers are selected, any changes you make apply to the canvas.

The Auto Select Layer option changes your ability to select and move layers with the Layer Adjuster tool.

By default, the Auto Select Layer option is disabled. This means that the layer selection is "locked in"-the Layer Adjuster tool affects only the selected layer or layers. In other words, you cannot select a layer by clicking it in the document window; you must select a layer by clicking it on the Layers palette.

When the Auto Select Layer option is enabled, you can select layers automatically with the Layer Adjuster tool by clicking an area of layer content in the document window.

To select a layer

• Do one of the following:

• Click a layer on the Layers palette.
• Choose the Layer Adjuster tool from the toolbox. With the Auto Select Layer check box on the property bar enabled, click anywhere in a layer's content.

• You can also press the F key to activate the Layer Adjuster tool.
• If you are working with a shape, you can switch to the Shape Selection tool by double-clicking a shape with the Layer Adjuster tool.

To select multiple layers

• Do one of the following:

• On the Layers palette, Shift+click each layer you want to select.
• Choose the Layer Adjuster tool from the toolbox. With the Auto Select Layer check box on the property bar enabled, in the document window drag over the layers you want to select.

To select all layers in a document

• On the Layers palette, click the palette menu arrow and choose Select All.

Corel Painter selects all layers except the canvas.

To deselect layers

• Do one of the following:

• On the Layers palette, click Canvas (the last item in the list).
• On the Layers palette, click the palette menu arrow and choose Deselect.

Deselecting all layers automatically selects the Canvas layer.

Showing Layer Indicators

You can show the layer indicators to see display handles at the corners of a layer's content when it is selected.

Show the layer indicators to mark the corners of a selected layer.

To show layer indicators

• On the Layers palette, click the palette menu arrow and choose Show Layer Indicators.

• To hide the layer indicators, click the palette menu arrow and choose Hide Layer Indicators.

Locking Layers

You can lock layers to avoid accidentally changing them. When a layer is locked, you cannot select it with the Layer Adjuster tool in the document window.

You can, however, move a locked layer or shape by nudging it. For more information, refer to "Moving Layers".

To lock or unlock a layer

1. Select the layer on the Layers palette.
2. Do one of the following:

• On the Layers palette, click the Lock Layer button .
• Click the palette menu arrow and choose Lock.

The Locked Layer icon appears next to a locked layer on the Layers palette.

Viewing Layers

You can control your view of an image in the document window by changing layer visibility settings. This is helpful both in compositing an image and applying effects. You can hide one layer to gain better visibility of the layer below it. Or, you can set up different states of an image to create rollover effects for use on the Web. For more information about creating rollovers, refer to "Creating Rollovers".

Use layer visibility settings to create different states of an image. In the top example, the layers containing the background are hidden; in the bottom example, the layers containing the background are showing.

Layer visibility settings stay active when printing or saving to some file formats. In other words, the content of hidden layers does not print and is not saved. However, RIF and PSD file formats preserve hidden layers as part of the document. Refer to "Saving Files Containing Layers" for more information about how layers are saved in different file formats.

To show or hide a layer

• Click the eye icon next to the layer name on the Layers palette.

When the eye is shut , the layer is hidden in the document window. When the eye is open , the layer is visible in the document window.

To show or hide the canvas

• Click the eye icon next to Canvas on the Layers palette.

When the eye is shut, the canvas is represented by a checkerboard. When the eye is open, the canvas is visible in the document window.

Viewing Layer Position

The Info palette contains information about the size and position of the selected layer's content on the canvas.

Think of the area of a layer that contains imagery as being marked by a bounding box. The Info palette displays the dimensions and position of the bounding box, not the entire area of the layer. This makes it easy to determine the exact size and location of a layer's content in the document.

• W is the width of the layer's content, measured in pixels.
• H is the height of the layer's content, measured in pixels.
• T is the position of the top edge of the layer's bounding box, measured in pixels from the top edge of the canvas.
• L is the position of the left edge of the layer's bounding box, measured in pixels from the left edge of the canvas.
• B is the position of the bottom edge of the layer's bounding box, measured in pixels from the top edge of the canvas.
• R is the position of the right edge of the layer's bounding box, measured in pixels from the left edge of the canvas.

To display the Info palette

• Choose Window menu > Show Info.

If the palette is not expanded, click the palette arrow.

Changing Layer Hierarchy

The hierarchy of layers determines how the layers in a document interact. When you create a new pixel-based layer, it appears on top of the existing layers (when the canvas is selected) or on top of the selected layer. New Water Color, Liquid Ink, and dynamic layers are always created on top of existing layers. Depending on its transparency, masking, and compositing characteristics, the layer will obscure or otherwise affect the underlying layers.

A document's layer hierarchy is reflected on the Layers palette. The bottom layer is always the Canvas.

Change the hierarchy of layers to create different effects.

To change a layer's position in the hierarchy

1. Choose the Layer Adjuster tool from the toolbox.
2. On the Layers palette, select the layer you want to reposition in the hierarchy.
3. Do one of the following:

• Choose Layers menu > Move to Bottom.
• Choose Layers menu > Move to Top.
• Choose Layers menu > Move Down One Layer.
• Choose Layers menu > Move Up One Layer.

• You can also reposition a layer by dragging it to a new position on the Layers palette.
• You can also reposition a layer by clicking the Move to Bottom, Move to Top, Move Down One Layer, or Move Up One Layer button on the property bar.

Grouping Layers

Grouping layers enables you to control them as a unit. A group can contain any combination of layers: pixel-based layers, Water Color layers, Liquid Ink layers, shapes, and dynamic layers.

You can move, rename, hide, show, lock, and set options for a group just as you do for a single layer. However, you cannot paint across layers in a group or change the composite method for a group.

To work with individual layers in a group, you must open the group. Close the group to regain control of the group as a unit.

Collapsing a group reduces its contents to a single layer.

To create a group

1. On the Layers palette, select the layers you want to group.

Refer to "Selecting Layers" for more information about selecting multiple layers.

2. Do one of the following:

• Click the Layer Commands button , and choose Group.
• Click the palette menu arrow, and choose Group.

The layers are collected under a group item on the Layers palette.

• If you select non-sequential layers (layers not next to each other in the list), Corel Painter creates the group at the position of the top-most layer.

To open and close a group

• On the Layers palette, click the triangle icon to the left of the group.

When the arrow points down and you can see the group items, the group is open. When the arrow points to the right and the names of the group members are hidden, the group is closed.

To add a layer to a group

1. On the Layers palette, open the destination group.
2. Drag a layer to the group.

• You can create a nested group by dragging a closed group to the open destination group.

To remove a layer from a group

1. Open the group.
2. Drag the layer out of the group.

To ungroup layers

1. On the Layers palette, select the group.

If the group is open, click the triangle icon to close it.

2. Do one of the following:

• Click the Layer Commands button , and choose Ungroup.
• Click the palette menu arrow, and choose Ungroup.

To collapse a group

1. On the Layers palette, select the group.
2. Do one of the following:

• Click the Layer Commands button , and choose Collapse.
• Click the palette menu arrow, and choose Collapse.

If the group contains shapes, Liquid Ink layers, or dynamic layers, the Commit dialog box is displayed. Click Commit All to convert the items to pixel-based layers before collapsing the entire group.

• If you want to collapse a group containing a Water Color layer, you must first convert the Water Color layer to a default layer and change its composite method to Default. For more information about composite methods, refer to "Blending Layers Using Composite Methods".

Merging Layers with the Canvas

Dropping a layer (or group) merges its contents with the canvas. Once you drop a layer, you can no longer access the layer's content separately from the canvas.

You can drop specific layers or you can drop all layers at once.

When you drop a layer, you can choose to create a selection based on the layer contents. If the layer has a layer mask, the mask is used to make the selection. Refer to "Working with Layer Masks" for more information about layer masks. For more information about selections, refer to "Working with Selections".

To drop specific layers

1. On the Layers palette, select the layers (or groups) you want to drop.
2. Do one of the following:

• Click the Layer Commands button , and choose Drop.
• Click the palette menu arrow, and choose Drop.

To drop all layers

• On the Layers palette, click the palette menu arrow and choose Drop All.

To make a selection by dropping a layer

• On the Layers palette, click the palette menu arrow and choose Drop and Select.