Digi Painting Layer Tricks
January 13th, 2007Layer Tricks for Digital Painting
Some topics I will cover in this tutorial are:
- How to use layer effects, such as drop shadows, bevel/emboss, and glows, to add some additional interest to your painting.
- How to use layer masks to edit and erase objects, without actually deleting them.
- An explanation of all those blending modes (Multiply, Overlay, etc.). I’ll cover what exactly they are doing and some good ideas for using them in your painting.
Layers are one of the most important tools you will use in Photoshop. Learning these tricks will help you use this tool to your greatest advantage.
How Layer Effects Work
The Effects button is located at the bottom of your Layers palette. It looks like an f in a black circle.
When you use an effect, it will be created based on the opaque/transparent pixels on your layer. For instance, if you have a layer with only a circle on it and you apply an inner glow to it, your glow will appear within the boundaries of the circle. However, if the area around your circle was filled with a color, your inner glow would appear around the edge of your canvas because there are no transparent pixels on the layer.
When you apply an effect, you can see it appear underneath your layer in the Layers palette. You can toggle its visibility by clicking the eye symbol next to it. If you want to edit its settings, just double-click it. The dialogue box that appears contains all of the different effects on the left side. Check the boxes to activate/deactivate an effect. Click on the name of the effect to see its settings.
There are several effects that I often use. Sometimes if I have a foreground object in a painting, I will place a drop shadow onto it to make it pop out from the background. I also like to use the bevel/emboss tool to apply texture to my painting surface. You can read more about this method in my texture tutorial.
Layer Masks: Edit Your Painting without Ruining It
Layer masks are great because they allow you to erase part of a layer without permanently deleting it.
Select a layer and click the layer mask button on the bottom of the Layers palette. It looks like a white circle in a gray rectangle.
A new icon appears in your layer. When this appears, you have two options for your layer — you can either paint on the normal layer or on your layer mask. You can tell if you are painting in layer mask mode if the circle icon appears next to your layer, and you can only choose grayscale colors.
When you paint on the mask, use black to erase away your layer. If you erase too much, you can always use white to bring it back. You can also erase at a certain transparency by choosing a shade of gray.
You can see how layer masks can be useful. I like to use them if I need to silhouette a character or other element out of a painting. I can then use it as a spot or put it on different backgrounds.
Connect Your Layers: Using Clipping Masks
Create two layers. Draw something on your bottom layer. Now move your cursor to Layers palette right in between your two layers. Press the Option key, and notice that the cursor changes. Click when this cursor appears. Your top layer is now “connected” to your bottom layer. Now paint on your top layer. Notice that when you paint, it only affects the same pixels that you drew on your bottom layer. You can attach as many layers as you like to this base layer in this manner.
I like to use these when I create spot illustrations. I’ll create the initial silhouette of my object on one layer, then connect all of my subsequent layers to it using clipping masks. Whenever I paint, I usually end up with several layers; using this method, I make multiple layers and be sure that I won’t paint “outside the lines”. Read more about this method in my clipping mask tutorial.
You can also use layer masks to this effect. Create a new group, make a layer mask for your group, then keep all your layers inside the group folder. The advantage of clipping masks, however, is that you can apply effects. Apply a bevel/emboss to your base layer for example, and it will effect all of the layers that are connected to it via clipping mask. Use whatever method works best for your needs.
An example of how I used a
layer mask on a group
An example of how
I use clipping masks
Easy Guide for Layer Blending Modes
If you look in the Layers palette, each layer can have a specific blending mode. This is how your layer will affect all of the layers underneath it.
When I am experimenting in Photoshop, I will often create a new layer, apply a color or texture to it, and play around with the different blending modes to create different effects. Try creating a gradient on a separate layer, then changing the mode to overlay or soft light. I often use this as a quick way to add more interest to my backgrounds.
An Explanation of the Blending Modes
Here’s an image with an orange gradient placed over it on a separate layer. This is what it looks like in Normal mode. You can group the different blending modes in several groups — those that darken the layers underneath, those that lighten, and those that do a little bit of both.
The Dark Side
A layer in these modes will darken all the layers that are underneath it.
- Darken - This takes every pixel in my painting that is lighter than the blending color and replaces it. All of the darker areas in the painting stay unaffected.
- Multiply - Instead of replacing with the darker color, this mode darkens by combining the blending color with whatever is underneath as if it were transparent. Imagine this as like placing one overhead transparency on top of another. This will always make everything under it darker, not just the lighter pixels.This mode is used often for line drawings. This is because this mode will basically make all the white space transparent, leaving only the blacks visible. Set your drawing on its own layer, set to multiply, and you can color on the layer underneath.
- Color Burn - When this mode darkens, it will also increase the contrast. This mode often ends up looking harsher than the other modes.
The Light Side
Use these blending modes to lighten your image.
- Lighten - This lightens other layers by replacing the pixels that are darker with the blending color. Similar to the Darken mode.
- Screen - This can be seen as the opposite of Multiply. Pixels on this layer will combine with the other layers, but will make them lighter instead of darker.
- Color Dodge - This is the opposite of Color Burn. It will lighten by increasing the contrast and will also look harsh compared to the other light modes.
On the Fence
These blending modes will both lighten and darken, depending on what colors you use.
- Overlay - This mode will color your image while keeping the overall lightness and darkness of the image. It is kind of a combination of Multiply and Screen.
- Hard/Soft Light - These modes are like shining a spotlight on your image. They are kind of a combination of Burn and Dodge. Hard Light looks more harsh than Soft Light.
There are several other blending modes, but I won’t go into them here. These are the ones that I tend to use most often. By using layers with different blending modes, you can make shadows, create color casts, and otherwise create some pretty cool effects. As you paint on the computer, remember to use these tools and do plenty of experimenting.
Use the Layers palette wisely and explore its many tools. It can be a great asset to your digital painting. If you have anything to add or have a question about layers, email me or leave a comment on DaniDraws.com.
[…] I was honored to get the opportunity to collaborate with Amateur Illustrator recently. In an effort to bring great content to both of our audiences, I have written a tutorial that will be shown exclusively on their site. You can find it here: Layer Tricks for Digital Painting - http://www.amateurillustrator.com/articles/?p=367 […]