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Pixelmator layer mask7/30/2023 Vector drawings are used for diagrams, illustrations and clip-art, but some photo editors include these vector drawing tools so that you can combine photography and illustration in the same artwork. Because they are defined mathematically, they don’t pixellate, regardless of how much or how many times you modify them. You can scale them, modify them, twist, stretch and combine them at will. Vectors are mathematically defined shapes and lines rather than photos and pixels. Because it’s positioned above the two layers below, this adjustment layer affects the appearance of both. This applies a gradient fill, but I’ve changed the adjustment layer blend mode to give a more dramatic effect. Now I’ve added an adjustment layer on top. Lightroom and DxO PhotoLab, for example, use a different system for local adjustments that achieves a similar effect. Photoshop, Affinity Photo, Capture One and Exposure X use adjustment layers. Adjustment layers are a very effective way to apply local adjustments and, unlike adjustments made directly to images, they are completely reversible. What’s interesting about adjustment layers is that, as with image layers, you can change the opacity or the blend mode, or use a mask to limit their effect to specific areas. You can add as many adjustment layers as you like, but keep in mind that they alter the appearance of all the layers below them, not just the one directly below. Your changes only become permanent if you ‘ flatten’ or ‘ merge’ the layers or export the image. If you create a Levels adjustment layer, for example, you can alter the image levels as normal, but the underlying image on the layer below is unaltered – the adjustment layer simply alters its appearance. They were first introduced in Photoshop as one of the first ‘ non-destructive’ editing tools, but now you find them in many different programs. They don’t contain images at all, simply adjustment data. Adjustment layersĪdjustment layers are different. To the right of its thumbnail you’ll see a black and white layer mask – the white areas are where the new layer is visible (corresponding with the sky in the original photo underneath). I’ve added a new image layer – a stormy sky shot I took separately. This is only an issue if your photography involves combining images – for many photographers, this is something they don’t do and don’t need. Lightroom, Capture One and Exposure X do not. ![]() Photoshop and Affinity Photo do, as does ON1 Photo RAW. Not all photo editors support image layers. Screen mode combines the top image with the bottom image with a lightening effect, multiply mode has a darkening effect and overlay mode increases the contrast. All three show a blend of the top and bottom images but combined in a different way. ![]() Three particularly common and useful blend modes are screen, multiply and overlay. If you reduce the opacity, you start to see more and more of what’s beneath.īlend modes are more complex in their results. You can think of an image layer as being on a transparent sheet. ![]() To blend these two images you can adjust the opacity (transparency) of the top layer, change its ‘ blend mode’ to alter the way its pixels interact with those on the layer below, or use a layer mask to selectively hide different areas of the top layer so that the one below shows through. You start out by opening the first photo, which then forms the ‘background’ layer, and then when you add another photo it’s laid on top and covers the photo underneath. I call them ‘image layers’ but in reality there is no specific name for them, so ‘image layers’ is a term I’ve chosen that I hope makes sense.Īn image layer is used when you want to combine two or more photos. It’s the original photo and it’s right at the bottom of the layer stack. This is the Background layer in my sample image. This ‘background’ layer is the base image you start with and other layers are added on top (you can promote this Background layer to a full layer in Photoshop if you need to change the layer order). This is how images open in Photoshop and other layer-based photo editors.
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