Intro

Well hello there, this is Tamil. I will go over techniques for using Layers in CSP. I recommend watching the video for a more detailed demostration. Let's get started.

What are layers?

Layers are used for digital painting for an easier art process. Whatever is on top, covers anything on the bottom. Just think of it as transparent paper that only shows what you painted on it.

 

You can move them around in the layer panel and reorder them if you need to adjust something later. You can make many layers, but it will slow down the file and increase the size of your painting on the drive.

Layer pannel comes at default at the bottom right, but if you cannot find it. There is always the window tab that lets you bring it back.

Using Layer Panel

There are two ways to make a new layer. A shortcut and a button.

Create new raster layer is as easy as one click. The faster way that I always use is using the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + N

The next problem is probably having too many of them. Putting layers in groups is a great solution. You will need to select the layers you want to put in a group first. It's the same as selecting files on the computer. Just Left click and keep adding with Ctrl or Shift to select a lot of them.

A shortcut for that is going to be Ctrl + G for grouping. You can also rename the group or layers if you double-click on the name. You need to click on "Layer 2" or "Folder 1" very precisely. It also helps to keep the layers organized.

What if there are too many layers and groups? If the list is too long, then CSP will show you the scrolling wheel.

You can grab it and scroll through, or you can hold Space (while being over layers) and left click. It will give you an easier way for scrolling.

Another quick way to organize layers is to label them with a color. Simply select layers you want to be changed and use the top left panel to highlight them. It does not affect the final picture in any way.

If you click on the eye icon, it will hide and show the layer on the canvas.

Merging layers

To combine layers and flatten them, you will just need to select the layers you want to combine and hit Ctrl + E ( this shortcut is for Merge with the layer below, unless you have multiple layers selected ). If you have a group, for example, you can just right-click on the group and select merge selected.

This action is permanent, unless you use have Ctrl + Z available. So be sure to know when you wanna merge.

The delete button also works a bit differently for CSP. If you select the layer and click "Delete" on your keyboard, it will delete the PIXELS from the layer, but the layer itself will stay in there. To delete the layer you will need to use the button on the layer panel.

To duplicate the layer you can either hold Alt and drag it, or use Ctrl +J shortcut. It is super easy! If you feel like it is too much to remember, you can always hold the layer and drag it towards create new layer button. It will make a duplicate.

Clipping mask and Coloring

The most important part about working with digital is probably using clipping masks. Simply put, it will not let you colorize outside of the painted layer.

Fill the area with a flat color. Then create a new layer on top. Use the Ctrl + Alt + G shortcut to make a clipping mask.

If there is a small red line next to the layer, that means it now works. It will only let you paint inside of that layer or group.

There are a lot of nuances to it, so I would highly recommend checking out my youtube video for a more in-depth explonation. It will take less time for you to watch that, than me trying to explain it here hehe.

Outro

These are just the basics, there are advanced techniques in the video. I hope you learned something and let me know if you have any questions. Happy painting!

 

my links: