*Program Basic
PROGRAM BASICS: Manipulating Layers
By Shelleyrae Cusbert 2005
Apr 11, 2005, 23:10

Layers

Digital Image Pro 7 applicable also for versions 9 and 10

By and © Shelleyrae Cusbert

The Stack shows the different layers of your picture that contain objects. When you begin a layout the canvas open in your workspace is a transparent base so the stack is empty. As you add objects to your page such as a background, photo and text they each are placed on a separate layer. An image of each object is shown on the stack to show the order in which the objects have been placed. The object at the top of the stack is on the upper most layer.

You can move objects to a lower or higher layer by clicking on the object in the stack and dragging it up or down. You may wish to do this to place part of an object behind or in front of another. You can also right click on an object and access the Move Forward or Backward menu, or use Format (on the toolbar) > Move forward or backward or click on the object within the stack and choose your option.

Generally any changes you make will only be applied to the object on the layer you have selected. Grouping objects combine all the chosen objects onto one layer. This allows you to apply the same action for all the grouped objects eg, shadowing or changing color.  Ungrouping objects will release each object back into its own layer and undo any changes you have made to a group. However some actions will permanently combine layers to form one new layer.

It can sometimes be difficult to select a particular object that is low down in the stack in DIP. Clicking on the object in the stack automatically selects the layer. Moving the object temporarily to the top of the stack can make it easier to access. You need to ensure that you are selecting part of the image itself on the layer or you may inadvertently select another layer. Zooming in on the object can help when there are multiple layers where objects lay close together.

When you save a layout in DIP’s native format of .png plus it retains its layers so that each time you open it in DIP the objects will still be separated by layers. Saving to a different format such as .tif or .jpg will combine all the objects into one layer, no longer allowing editing of individual objects. If you plan to or think you may want to edit a layout at a later date you should always save a copy in the native format.