Working with layers

Layers are managed in the Layers tab of the 

Fractal Properties

 tool window. 

  Click the Add button to add a new layer, duplicating the active layer.

Hold down the Add button to open a menu layer presets. See 

Presets

.

  Click the Delete button to delete the active layer.

  The Merge mode drop down box selects the 

merge mode

 of the active layer. The merge 

mode determines how the layer is combined with the layers below it. 

  The Opacity slider selects the opacity of the active layer. Move it to the left to make the 

layer less visible (more transparent). Move it to the right to make it more opaque.

  To rename the active layer, click it again or press F2 (like in Windows Explorer).

  To change the order in which the layers appear in the list, drag them up or down. This 

affects layer compositing, of course.

Before each layer, a row of icons appears. These icons toggle various properties.

  The Visible icon toggles the visibility of the layer. Use it to temporarily hide a layer, so you 

can more clearly see the other layers.

  The Editable icon selects whether a layer is editable. Only editable layers are affected by 

zooming operations

. By default, all layers are editable, so if you want to zoom in on only one 

layer, you should clear this icon on the other layers first.

  The Transparent icon selects whether transparent areas in a layer are visible. See 

Transparent layers

.

Click a layer in the list of layers to activate it. Many tool windows (such as the 

Layer Properties

 tool 

window) and the 

gradient editor

 work with the active layer. So, by changing the active layer in the 

list of layers, you change what is being edited by these other tool windows.

Notes

G     

By holding down Shift while clicking on the Visible, Editable, or Transparent icons, you 

toggle all other layers instead. If you want to see just one layer, for example, Shift click its 

Visible icon and all other layers will be turned off. Shift click it again to show all layers.

G     

If a layer is not editable, its properties can still be changed with the 

Layer Properties

 tool 

window.

G     

To copy a layer to another fractal window, drag it from the list of layers to the fractal 

window.

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