User Guide

Using Layers and Layer Masks240
layers before collapsing the entire
group.
Note
•
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” on
page 248.
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” on page 255 for more
information about layer masks. For
more information about selections,
refer to “Working with Selections” on
page 203.
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.
Editing Layers
You can edit a layer’s content by
applying effects to it, transforming its
dimensions, or painting on it. You can
also move layer content to change the
overall image layout.
About Brush Methods
The Natural-Media environment
enables brush strokes on different
layers to interact with each other.
However, mixing brush strokes 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.
• 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 paint on a blank layer using
the Buildup method, Corel Painter
automatically sets the layer’s
composite method to Gel.