In addition to setting the blend mode of a layer, you can set the blend range. This range limits the pixels that the blend mode affects. By default, the blend mode applies to all pixels. Blend ranges set the opacity based on brightness or color channel to drop colors out of the selected layer and make other colors show through.

To set the blend range:

On the Layer palette, select a layer and set its blend mode.

Double-click the layer name to open the Layer Properties dialog.

Click the Blend Ranges tab.

In the Blend Channel drop-down list, select a channel to use when blending layers. Select Grey Channel to have the lightness values of layers determine opacity. Select Red Channel, Green Channel, or Blue Channel to have the respective color values determine opacity.

Set the opacity ramp for the channel as follows:

First, drag the upper arrows to indicate the values at which the opacity is 100 percent.

Next, drag the lower arrows to indicate the values at which the opacity is 0 percent.

Note that the values on the left side indicate the ramp up values, while the values on the right side indicate the ramp down values.

For example, in the graphic in the left column, the selected layer’s opacity is 100 percent between lightness values of 43 and 126, and falls off at the lightest and darkest areas.

Click OK.

Paint Shop Pro applies the blend only to the pixels that fall within the range you selected. The right panel of the Layer palette displays the Blend Range icon to indicate that a blend range is being used.

To apply tools and effects only to areas of a raster layer with data, use the Lock Transparency feature on the Layer palette. Transparent areas remain protected when you paint, apply effects, paste selections, or perform other edits.

Note

This feature applies to raster layers only. You cannot lock the trans­parency of vector, adjustment, mask, or group layers, as well as the Preset Shapes and Pen tools. Also, background layers do not support transparency.

When transparency is locked, the Lock Transparency button displays . When a transparency is not locked, the Lock Transparency button is grey .

To lock or unlock the transparency:

Do one of the following:

On the Layer palette, click the Lock transparency button of the appropriate raster layer.

Double-click the layer name to display the Layer Properties dialog, mark or clear the Lock transparency check box, and click OK.

To organize the Layer palette visually, specify the highlight colors for layers and layer groups. The highlight color displays as the background of the icon to the left of the layer or group name. It has no effect on the image itself.

In a layer group, layers that have not been assigned individual highlight colors inherit the color of the parent layer. As an example, use the same highlight color for all layers in layer group and use a different color to highlight other layers or layer groups.

To set the highlight color of an icon:

On the Layer palette, double-click the name of the layer to open the Layer Properties dialog.

Mark the Highlight in Layer palette check box.

Do one of the following:

To select a new color, click the color box next to the check box. Choose a color and click OK.

To choose from recently used colors, right-click the color box and click a color.

At the Layer Properties dialog, click OK. The icon now displays the highlight color.

Modify layers to change the look of your image. Arrange the stacking order, move layers within the image canvas, merge layers, clean up edges of layers created from selections, or delete layers.

The arrangement of layers within your image is critical to what the image looks like. If one layer is above another one, that layer’s data can cover data below it.

To change the stacking order of layers—which changes the resulting image—move layers on the Layer palette. If a layer or a layer group has components, such as vector objects or group layers, all the components move with it.

To move one layer, layer group, or vector object:

On the Layer palette, click the name of the layer, layer group, or vector object and drag it to a new position. A black line shows the position until you release the mouse button.

To arrange the stacking order, either:

Drag the layer, to the desired position. The cursor changes into a hand . If it displays a null symbol , you cannot move the selected item to a particular position. For example: The background layer cannot be moved. There can never be a layer below the background layer. A vector object cannot be moved in to a raster layer. Mask and Adjustment layers cannot be at the bottom of an image or a layer group.

Choose Layers > Arrange > and then choose either: Bring to Top, Move Up, Move Down, Send to Bottom, Move into Group, Move out of Group.

To move multiple vector objects:

On the Layer palette, click the first vector object.

Press Shift and click each additional vector object, or right-click and choose Select all.

Use the Layers > Arrange commands or drag the selected objects to a new position. A black line shows the position until you release the mouse button.

Use the Move tool to move the contents of an entire layer anywhere within the image canvas. If you move part of a layer off the canvas, Paint Shop Pro does not crop it. You can move it back to the canvas, or increase the canvas size to show the additional data.

Note

You cannot use the Move tool on the background layer. To move the contents of the background layer, promote it to a regular raster layer first.

To move a layer within the image canvas:

On the Layer palette, select the layer you want to move.

On the Tools toolbar, click the Move tool .

Click and drag in the image to move the layer to a new position.

To move a layer using the Smart Mover tool:

On the Layer palette, select the layer you want to move.

On the Tools toolbar, click the Move tool .

To limit the Mover tool to the current layer, press and hold the Shift key while you click the image and drag the layer.

Where’s the layer?

If you move a layer off the image canvas, you can no longer see it. To get the data back, press the Shift key while dragging it with the Mover tool or, increase the canvas size enough so that the layer appears. Move it to where you want, then decrease the canvas size again.

Merging layers is also called flattening an image. You can merge selected layers, or all of the layers in an image. Merging layers decreases the memory requirements for the image. Paint Shop Pro merges layers based on the blend modes, converts vector data and vector text to raster data, and replaces transparent areas of the background layer with white.

Always make a backup copy of the original .PspImage image before you merge layers. Once you merge layers, you cannot edit the layers separately. Unless you are certain you have finished editing the image, it’s best not to merge layers.

To merge two layers together:

Make sure one layer is located directly above the other on the Layer palette.

Click the name of the layer above the one you want to merge it with.

Choose Layers> Merge> Merge Down to merge the two layers. The following table describes how layer types are merged:

To merge all layers:

Choose Layers> Merge> Merge All (Flatten) to merge the layers into one background layer.

To merge all visible layers:

On the Layer palette, click the Visibility toggle for each layer that you do not want to merge.

Choose Layers> Merge> Merge Visible to merge all visible layers in a layer group into a raster layer named Merged. Invisible layers are not affected. The new raster layer, which maintains the transparency information of the original layers, is placed at the position of the active layer.

Note: If the selected layer is in a group, only the visible layers in that group will be merged. If the layer group is marked invisible (making all layers within the group invisible), then none of the layers within the group will be merged.

To merge all layers in a group:

On the Layer palette, click the layer group, or a layer within the group, that you want to merge.

Choose Layers> Merge> Merge Group to merge all layers in the group into one raster layer.

When you promote or paste a selection to create a layer, some of the pixels surrounding the selection border are included, especially when the selection is anti-aliased or feathered. The Layers> Matting commands clean up the border by removing these pixels.

There are three Matting commands: Remove Black Matte, Remove White Matte, and Defringe. Use the Remove Black Matte or Remove White Matte command when the selection came from an image with a black or white background. These commands remove the black or white pixels at the layer edges.

Note: To clean up the edges of a selection before you promote or copy it, use the Selections > Matting command.

Use the Defringe command when the selection came from an image with a colored background. Defringing bleeds non-feathered pixels in the layer edges outward and over the “jaggies” in the feathered part of the layer.

Important: This command works on 16 million color and greyscale images only.

To use a Matting command:

On the Layer palette, click the name of the layer that was created from a selection.

Do one of the following:

To remove the black matte, choose Layers > Matting > Remove Black Matte.

To remove the white matte, choose Layers > Matting > Remove White Matte.

To remove a colored matte, choose Layers > Matting > Defringe to open the Defringe dialog. Enter the number of pixels to defringe and press Enter.

To remove a layer from an image, delete the entire layer. Or, delete the contents of a layer to keep the layer within the image; raster and vector layers become transparent and the background layer is filled with the current background color and material.

To delete a layer:

On the Layer palette, click the name of the layer you want to delete.

Click the Delete Layer button on the Layer palette toolbar, right-click and choose Delete from the context menu, or drag the layer to the Delete Layer button .

To delete the contents of a layer:

On the Layer palette, click the name of the layer.

Press the Delete key or choose Edit > Clear.

Adjustment layers are correction layers that adjust the color or tone of underlying layers, without modifying their pixels directly. Choose from these types of adjustment layers: Brightness/Contrast, Channel Mixer, Color Balance, Curves, Hue/Saturation/Lightness, Invert, Levels, Posterize, and Threshold.

All adjustment levels have equivalent commands on the Colors > Adjust menu. The advantage of an adjustment layer is that you do not modify the image layers themselves, so it’s easier to make quick changes to the color and tonal adjustments. Add adjustment layers to test various color corrections or to see how several corrections look when you combine them. Hide, delete, or edit adjustment layers.

An adjustment layer applies to all layers below it that are at the same level, as follows:

If the adjustment layer is at the main level (rather than in a layer group), it applies to all layers below it in the stacking order.

If an adjustment layer is in a layer group, it applies only to layers within the group that are lower in the stacking order.

To add an adjustment layer:

On the Layer palette, click the layer above which you want to create the adjustment layer.

To apply the adjustment layer to a selection, make a selection.

Choose Layers > New Adjustment Layer, and then select the type of adjustment layer.
A dialog with the name of the adjustment layer opens. The preview windows show the image before and after changes. The Adjustment tab shows the color and tonal correction settings to change.

Note: The General tab includes layer properties such as layer name, blend mode, and opacity. Change these properties here or on the Layer palette.

To reset values to default settings, in the Presets drop-down list choose Default. Or, double-click the adjustment layer to open the Properties dialog, and click the Reset to Default button .

Modify the settings on the Adjustment tab, and then click OK. The adjustment layer is added just above the previously selected layer.

Making Color and Tonal Corrections describes in detail each type of adjustment layer. The table shows specific sections to refer to within that chapter.

Type of Corrections:

1. Adjust color balance

Adjustment Layer:

Adjustment Layer

Hue/Saturation/Lightness

Channel Mixer

Type of Correction:

2. Adjust brightness and contrast

Adjustment Layer:

Brightness/Contrast

Curves

Levels

3. Reduce or remove colors

Adjustment Layer:

Invert

Threshold

Posterize

Edit an adjustment layer to change the color or tonal correction. Or, change the layer properties such as layer name and opacity.

To edit an adjustment layer:

On the Layer palette, double-click the name of the adjustment layer that you want to edit. Or, choose Layers> Properties.
The Layer Properties dialog opens.

On the Adjustment tab, modify the color or tonal correction settings.

Click the General tab to modify the general layer properties such as layer name, blend mode, and opacity. Change these properties here or on the Layer palette.

Click OK.

Note: To delete an adjustment layer, click the layer name and then click the Delete Layer button on the Layer palette toolbar. To undo a deletion, click the Undo button or press Ctrl+Z.