Mergin Layers problem ?

[Icecold]

Hey there guys, i have a question for you.
My problem's that when i merge multiple layers that are set to for example overlay, multiply etc. they look like set back to normal mode. I saw some
artwork progress movies and it seemed that these guys merged them but they maintained the quality that i'm hitting for.

Is there somekind of shortcut for this, or speciffic option anywhere?
I need an answer badly, looking forward for a quick reply :]

P.S i dont know if this has a meaning but i'm using Photoshop CS3

[Tonic]

Can you give links to those movies?

[Icecold]

Hmm so i might be wrong? There ain't no such options?

Anyways its Carlos Cabrera's tuts.
http://www.carloscabrera.com.ar/tutorial.html

[Tonic]

No, it's just that I often had the same problem as your and I thought I might try to figure out in those videos. But from what I've seen in them, the author always merged adjustment layers to Normal layers, where the original paint was located. So, sorry, I have no idea if it's possible to merge only adjustment layers and keep the same look, nor how to do it but I admit it would be useful for organizing layers :)

[ArtZealot]

To shed some light on this, when you merge a layer down, it takes on the information of the layer below it, so if you have a multiply layer at 70% opacity and stamp it down on a normal layer, it will change the multiply layer to normal and change the opacity to 100% every time.

This has bugged the hell out of me in photoshop, but it's the way the layers interact with each other. If you have a "normal" layer of linework, and above that layer some kind of color "overlay" layer above it made up of textures and color. You can't stamp that down on the linework below because it would then have to be two types of layer in one, the normal linework layer that nothing passes through, and the overlay layer that only effects certain levels of dark and light parts of your painting.

I've tried like crazy to find a way around this, but there isn't really one. If it's layer organization you are looking for maybe try grouping them, otherwise, the only way around it is to just keep working on a flattened layer, cause a flattened layer always takes the different layer types and adjustments on when you flatten it.

[George Abraham]

Thanx for the links.

I saw what you mean. If you look carefully you'll see he links a layer before merging. But he does it really fast by clicking the link button on the bottom layer he want's to merge, linking it to the layer above it. Then it looks like he does a click on the bottom one to make the two merge????

What does right clicking on a bottom linked layer do? or perhaps he drags up ontop of the other linked layer but id doesn't look like it. Perhaps he does a keyboard shortcut to link merged layers that you can't see from looking at the vid.

[George Abraham]

Strange, I just got home. I am using CS3(Still on trial) and I can't seem to recreate the problem you are talking about.

Merge visible, Merge linked layers, Flatten image all does beutifully without destroying the look or the bit behavoiur of what was visible at the time.

Are you perhaps hoping that opacy as a layer setting will migrate down? That would be impossible. Say your bottom layer has a solid red on it. If opacy 50% for example migrates down, the red won't stay solid.

I think I understand the frustration you are dealing with, you want to keep modifications around as a tweak right untill the end. I dont know weather there is a correct or wrong way of doing things but as you can see from the artist's strategy, layers appear and dissapear all the time. He creates them use them and when he's happy merge them away again.

Silly question.. but why would you want to merge a layer or modification layer when you want it to stick around keeping on doing what it does?

He is using Photoshop 7. I like that clik link shortcuts. CS3 don't have them anymore. Perhaps there is a layout or interface setting somewhere... Those little bit's of thingy's made his layer manipulation really fast.

[George Abraham]

OK now I get it.

You are merging two or more layers, they had a the additional multiply effect on the bottom layer or the backgound that was not part of the merge for example, once merged they merge but no longer does that multipy for visual effects on the background image.

I see now, He also had the same problem, His strategy was just shaped around it though, so it's never a problem for him.

He works from front to back, crunches layers from top to bottom as he gradually move to completion and never works "under" mod layers that has opacy or bit manipulation on it, these also don't hang around for longer than needed. You will notice that at the onset everything he did modified the background, but at that stage of his progress he was not working on the background yet. He just set basic background on the onset to help with conceptualisation but his final touches was foreground first then background and lastly total modification effects.

[Icecold]

hmm, okay it's clear now, thanks for the replies.

[George Abraham]

Yes... I think it's a painter's mind set, you always work over layers or mask the stuff you work on..(Lard ass, extrat bit :-P)

Actually I just wanted to say thanx again, those are quite awesome stuff for free. I am busy watching that vampire, WOW, there is some stuff in there I would really not have thought of myself.

Imagine you had to do all that stuff the old way with real masking tape, brushes, overlays etc... Sheesh.

[jfrancis]

Not to hijack, but I have this nagging feeling that if one is merging layers in Photoshop then something is somewhat wrong. I don't mean to make that my main point, and yes, sometimes I merge layers, too, but I try to avoid it and keep everything non-destructive.

Adjustment Layers, Layer Sets and Groups in Photoshop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcSQmd27KP0&feature=channel_page

Groups Within Groups, Layer Sets and Photoshop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WOCafsW9mo&feature=channel

I only figured out the stuff above recently, and it helps me avoid merging layers. If you already know it, I apologize in advance.

(they are pretty short)