Capture one 8 layers + background interaction
Hi everyone,
Using Capture One 8.3 on Windows version.
So I have the background and then I can add up layers. I am not very clear how the layers interact with the background and what really means the 100% opacity of the layers, as the adjustments done to the background under several layers are still visible on the final picture.
Also it happens that some adjustments done on some layers situated in the middle of the stack does not come visible in the final picture.
Is a little bit confusing to me, hope someone may try to explain how the layers interact to each other, respectively with the background. Thank you.
Using Capture One 8.3 on Windows version.
So I have the background and then I can add up layers. I am not very clear how the layers interact with the background and what really means the 100% opacity of the layers, as the adjustments done to the background under several layers are still visible on the final picture.
Also it happens that some adjustments done on some layers situated in the middle of the stack does not come visible in the final picture.
Is a little bit confusing to me, hope someone may try to explain how the layers interact to each other, respectively with the background. Thank you.
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NNN635588836142985839 wrote:
Hi everyone,
Using Capture One 8.3 on Windows version.
So I have the background and then I can add up layers. I am not very clear how the layers interact with the background and what really means the 100% opacity of the layers, as the adjustments done to the background under several layers are still visible on the final picture.
Also it happens that some adjustments done on some layers situated in the middle of the stack does not come visible in the final picture.
Is a little bit confusing to me, hope someone may try to explain how the layers interact to each other, respectively with the background. Thank you.
I can't answer all your questions...
Opacity
100% opacity means every effect performed on that layer is applied.. 100%
50% opacity means the effects are applied 50%
100% opacity doesn't mean the layer itself is solid like a wall and adjustments on the background will be entirely hidden. It just means that whatever is done (brightness, contrast, etc) on the layer is applied full effect. It is like the difference between brushing a mask using either 100% or 50% brush opacity.
Layers in middle not visible
I am not sure why this would be. Perhaps you have a couple correction layers. If I make a correction on a layer at the bottom of the stack, a correction at the top of the stack could mask or hide the correction further down. Maybe. Others might need more info to help you here...
A thing that might not come up otherwise.
Because you mention interaction of layers with background... Using the 'exposure' tool on the background layer to increase exposure is not the same as using the exposure tool on a layer to increase brightness.
There have been threads about this and I have no idea why things behave the way they do, but the effects are different and I usually prefer to adjust global brightness / exposure on a layer. By global brightness, I mean the entire image brightened evenly. Here, I am not talking about using a layer with only a portion painted in to increase brightness of shadows in trees or etc.
An underexposed image might need +0.8 exposure. I can increase exposure on the 'exposure' tab as usual, or I can leave exposure on this tab to 0 and use a layer.
To use a layer, I need to color/paint it all in at 100% opacity (100% opacity isn't necessary but why not). The easiest way to do this is to select the 3 dots at the upper right of the 'list of layers' box and select 'fill mask'.
I name the layer LFGB (layer for global brightness) and the only thing I do on this layer is adjust exposure on the tool on the layers tab. To use this effect, you want to adjust exposure here rather than on the separate 'exposure' tab. I make sure the LFGB is at the top of the stack so it affects all under it.
Sometimes I find I don't need to adjust exposure the same on the layer as on the 'exposure' tab. On the 'exposure' tab, I might use +0.8 but I might use +0.6 on the LFGB. The look of the image can vary as well.
I think the image looks different because the adjustment on the LFGB interacts with HDR adjustments and curve and who knows differently... Anyway, it can be a thing to try.0 -
The layers are not really the same thing as layers in an application like Photoshop. They are designed to be able to apply some kind of adjustment to a part of the image (a "local adjustment") for instance white balance, or saturation or sharpening. (Of course you can if you like do what Tan68 suggests and have the whole image selected in your layer, so as to be able have a kind of adjustment layer for something like contrast. But that only works for the tools that can be used with local adjustments. Not all can be: for example, clarity can be applied as a local adjustment, but the curve tool can't.)
Any local adjustment you apply in a layer adds or subtracts from the values set in the "background" layer. So you might want to apply a certain amount of exposure compensation to the image as a whole, and then a little more (or a little less) to one part of the image. (Perhaps the image as a whole was a bit underexposed. I might increase the exposure for the whole image, and with a local adjustment add a little more just to someone's face.) The only tool I can think of where the local adjustment completely negates the background layer is the white balance. You might have a scene with mixed lighting so you could adjust the overall white balance for the image as a whole, but then paint in a different kelvin and/or tint value for just one part of it. All the other tools are additions to or subtractions from the background value.
Hope that is some help.
Ian0 -
Thank you all for your comprehensive input. I am now usually starting the adjustments with the bigger areas, trying to not adjust same area in 2 different layers, either by inverting them or by brushing different areas per layer. These layers are at the bottoms of the stack.
Then I do the small areas by adding layers on the top, so the adjustments will not get hindered. At the end I come back on the background and try to bring all visually in one piece.
Ian3 you have mentioned: "Any local adjustment you apply in a layer adds or subtracts from the values set in the "background" layer" so I think basically is more about having a good visual practice for getting the right results.
Still learning now. 😊0
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