Command entry:Tools menu Viewport Canvas Activate any paint tool or click Layers Dialog. Layers dialog Menu bar Layer menu

The Layers dialog Layer menu includes commands for managing layers in the painting. All Layer menu commands are undoable.

Rename Layer

Opens a small dialog for renaming the active layer.

Add Layer Mask

Opens a submenu for applying a mask to the layer; the choices are Reveal All (creates an all-white mask) and Hide All (creates an all-black mask) . Available only for layers other than the background.

For layers with a layer mask applied, this menu item changes to two others: Disable/Enable Layer Mask, and Delete Layer Mask.

When a layer has a layer mask, a thumbnail image of the mask appears on the right side of the layer’s entry in the list:

To work with the layer image, click the layer thumbnail on the left side of the list entry; to work with the layer mask, click its thumbnail on the right side. When the layer mask is active, you can modify it by painting or by loading a bitmap, as with the standard layer image.

The layer mask is a grayscale image. Black pixels hide the current layer image, revealing the underlying layer; white pixels reveal the current layer; and shades of gray make the current layer translucent.

Layer 1 uses a checker bitmap as a layer mask to reveal the background layer in a regular pattern.

New Layer

Adds a new layer above the active layer and activates the new layer.

Duplicate Layer

Adds a copy of the active layer above the active layer and activates the duplicate layer.

Delete Layer

Deletes the active layer.

Merge Down

Combines the active layer with the following layer in the list, and gives the merged layer the name of the latter layer.

Apply Image

Merges copies of all visible layers into the active layer. The other layers remain intact.

NoteBecause the background layer cannot be hidden, it is always involved in Apply Image.

Flatten Visible Layers

Combines all visible layers into a single layer. Any hidden layers are discarded.

Flip Horizontal

Reverses the layer contents left-to-right.

Flip Vertical

Reverses the layer contents top-to-bottom.