The Layer dialog is the main interface to edit, modify and manage your layers. You can think of layers as a stack of slides or clothes on your body. Using layers, you can construct an image of several conceptual parts which can be manipulated without affecting any other part of the image. Layers are stacked on top of each other. The bottom layer is the background of the image and the components in the foreground of the image come above it.
The Layer dialog can be called in many ways :
from the toolbox-menu:
/ /from the image-menu:
/from an other dialog-menu:
/from the (default) shortcut: Ctrl+L.
Using the Layerdialog
Every layer appears in the dialog in form of a thumbnail. When an image has many layers as components then it appears like a list. The upper layer in the list is the first one visible and the lowest layer the last visible, the background. Above the list one can find characteristics related individually to each layer. Under the list one can find managements buttons for the layer list. A right-click in a layer thumbnail opens the layer menu.
Every layer is shown in the list with its own attributs. The
main attribut is the name of the layer itself, you can edit it
by a double-click on the name or the thumbnail of the layer. In
front of the thumbnail there is an icon showing an eye
by clicking on it you define whether the layer is
visible or not. An other icon showing a chain
enables to group layers for operations on multiples
layers (for example with the Move tool).
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Tip |
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In case of an animation layer GIF or MNG the name of the layer can be used to specify some parameters : Layer_name (delay in ms) (combination mode), for example Frame-1 (100 ms) (replace). The delay set the time during the layer is visible in the animation. The combination mode set if you combine with the previous layer or replace it : the two modes are (combine) or (replace). |
Above the layer list it's possible to specify some characteristics related to the activ layer. The activ layer is the one highlighted in blue. The characteristics are : Layer mode, Keep transparent and Opacity.
Layer modes: The layer modes adjusts how the layer interact with the other layers. From the combo box you can access to all the mode provided by Gimp. The layer modes are full detailled in the Glossary.
Keep transparent: If you check this option the transparent areas of the layer will be keeped, this even if you have checked the Fill transparent areas option for the Bucket fill tool.
Opacity: By moving the slider you give less or more opacity to the layer. With a 0 opacity value the layer is transparent and full invisible. Don't mistake with the Layer mask (see chapter Layer mask) that sets the transparency pixel by pixel.
Under the layer list a set of buttons allows you to perform some basis operations on the layer list.
Edit layer attributs:
You can change here the name of the active layer in the list.
New layer:
You can create here a new layer. A dialog is opened where
you have to fill the Layer name,
perhaps change default Height and
Width choose the Layer fill
type which will be the new layer background.
Raise layer:
You can here put the layer up a level in the list. Press the
Shift key to move the layer to the top of
the list.
Lower layer:
You can here put the layer down a level in the list. Press the
Shift key to move the layer to the bottom of
the list.
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Tip |
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To move a layer at the bottom of the list, first give a transparency channel to the Backgrpund layer (also called Alpha channel). Right click on the Background layer and select Add Alpha channel in the menu. |
Duplicate layer:
You can create here a copy of the active layer. Name of new
layer is suffixed with a number.
Anchor layer:
When the active layer is a temporary layer (also called floating
selection) shown by this icon
,
this button anchors it in the previous active layer.
Delete layer :
You can here delete the active layer.
You can get the layer context menu by right clicking on layer thumbnail. This menu gives a lot of actions already available through dialog buttons : resizing layer, managing layer transparency and also merge functions for layers.
Edit layers attributes: you can change here the name of the layer.
New layer: you can create here a new layer (see Layer management).
Raise layer: you can put here the layer up a level in the list (see Layer management).
Layer to top: you can move here the layer to top of the list (see Layer management).
Lower layer: you can put here the layer down a level in the list (see Layer management).
Layer to bottom: you can move here the layer to bottom of the list (see Layer management).
Duplicate layer: you can create here a copy of the layer (see Layer management).
Anchor layer: you can anchor here un temporary layer (a floating selection) in the previous active layer (see Layer management).
Merge down: the layer is merged with the layer juste below in the list. It's removed and the new active layer is the lowest one in the list.
Delete layer: you can delete here the active layer.
Layer boundary size: A layer has not always the same size as image canvas. It can be smaller then you use less memory or bigger then some some parts are hidden. A dialog appears where you can set some parameters for the layer size. Those parameters are Width and Height or also Ratio X Y. The layer ratio is retained if the icon behind ratio values is a chain. When you click on this icon the chain is broken and the original ratio is no longer retained. You can use a menu to select the units for the new layer boundary size. Offset locate the upper left corner of the layer in the image's canvas. You can change the X and Y offsets by dragging the mouse in the interactive image in the dialog. The old layer size is designed with a blurred border and the new layer size with a hard border. Adjust the last pixels with the arrow-head buttons or indicate them manually.
Layer to image size: you can change here the layer boundary to fit thecanvas boundary.
Scale layer: you can resize here the layer and its content. A dialog appears where you can set some parameters for the layer size. Those parameters are Width and Height or also Ratio X Y. The layer ratio is retained if the icon behind the ratio values is a chain. When you click on this icon the chain is broken and the original ratio is no longer retained. You can use a menu to select the units for the new layer boundary size. The Interpolation menu let you choose how the new layer pixels will be recalculated. When you resize the layer content either pixels are added or are removed and a recalculation is necessary. When the new size is smaller the layer is cutted. When the new size is bigger a transparent area (or the background color if the layer has no Alpha channel) is added around the previous content of the layer.
Add layer mask: you can add here un transparency mask to the layer. See the chapter Layer mask for more informations.
Apply layer mask: you can merge here the mask with its layer. The transparency set by the mask is definitively applied to the layer Alpha channel. The mask is removed.
Delete layer mask: you can delete here the mask without modifying thelayer it is attached to.
Masque vers sélection: you can transform here the layer mask to selection. The white areas are selected and the black areas are not. Graytone areas will result in feathered ones in selection
Add Alpha channel: you can add here to the layer the ability to have transparency. Without Alpha channel a layer can not have transparency or layer mask.
Alpha to selection: you can transform here the Alpha channel in selection. The transparent areas are selected when the opaque areas are not. The middle-transparent areas will result in feathered ones in selection
Merge visible layers: You can merge here the visible layers, those who have an eye-icon in the list. A dialog appears. The Expand as necessary option keeps the pixels for layers with size bigger than the canvas. The Clipped to image option resizes the final layer size egual to the image canvas size. The Clipped to bottom layer option keeps only the pixels in the boundary of the lowest layer in the list.
Flatten image: you can merge here all the layers into one singlelayer.