2. Dialogues relatifs à la structure de l’image

Les fenêtres suivantes vous permettent de manipuler les structures de l’image, comme les calques, canaux, ou les chemins.

2.1. La fenêtre des calques

Figure 15.1. La fenêtre des calques

La fenêtre des calques

La boîte de dialogue des « Calques » est la principale interface pour modifier et gérer les calques.

2.1.1. Accès au dialogue

La fenêtre du Presse-papiers est une fenêtre ancrable, voyez la section Dialogues, fenêtres et onglets sur l’utilisation des ancrages.

Vous pouvez y accéder :

  • from the main menu: WindowsDockable DialogsLayers;

  • from the Tab menu in any dockable dialog by clicking on and selecting Add TabLayers,

  • depuis le raccourci clavier par défaut : Ctrl+L.

In the Windows menu, there is a list of detached windows which exists only if at least one dialog remains open. In this case, you can raise the « Layers » dialog from the main menu: WindowsLayers.

2.1.2. Using the Layers Dialog

Généralités

Every layer appears in the dialog in the form of a thumbnail. When an image has multiple layers as components, they appear as a list. The upper layer in the list is the first one visible, and the lowest layer the last visible, the background. Above the list one can find characteristics related individually to each layer. Under the list one can find management buttons for the layer list. A right-click on a layer thumbnail opens the Layer context menu.

Selecting multiple layers

GIMP allows you to select multiple layers and perform actions on them. You can e.g. move them to a different location in the layer stack, scale them, etc. Selecting multiple layers is done by using the mouse and Shift key, for adding a range of layers, or Ctrl key, for adding or removing the clicked layer.

Be aware that certain actions can only be done on a single layer. If you try to use such an action, e.g. using the paintbrush, a warning message will show up telling you that you can't do that and that you have to select a single layer.

Layer list header

Directly above the layer list is the header bar. On the left are three icons that show which column is used for visibility, lock, and layer effects. In the middle a text label will tell you how many layers are currently selected if it is more than one. On the right you see a search icon. Clicking in this part opens a search dialog where you can search for layers.

Search layers and Saved searches

Searching layers can be useful if you have a lot of layers in your project. As soon as you start typing in the search bar, it will start finding layers that match your search and select them. Multiple layers will be selected if they all match.

Below the search bar you will see a plus icon. Clicking this allows you to add the current search as a new named set. This search, and previously defined ones, will show up below the search bar. Clicking one of these saved searches will select all the layers matching the search term. Each saved search has a close icon in the right corner, which can be used to remove that saved search.

Layer list

Each entry in the list is a layer along with its attributes:

Visibilité du calque

Clicking this icon toggles whether the layer is visible or not. (Shift-clicking on the icon causes all other layers to be hidden.)

Verrouiller

Clicking on the empty checkbox in the lock column of a layer opens a menu with the following options:

Verrouiller les pixels

When this toggle button is enabled, you cannot use any brush-based tool (Paintbrush, Pencil, Eraser etc.), the Airbrush or the Ink tool on the currently selected layer. This allows you to protect them from unwanted changes.

Verrouiller la position et la taille

This toggle button enables or disables protection of layers from moving them around or transforming them. When this is enabled, then you cannot use any transform tool (Rotate, Shear, Perspective and others) or move it.

Lock visibility

This toggle button controls the « Lock » setting for the visibility of the layer. If this is enabled, the layer visibility cannot be changed.

Verrouiller le canal Alpha

This toggle button controls the « Lock » setting for the transparency of the layer. If this is enabled, the alpha channel for the layer is locked, and no manipulation has any effect on it. In particular, nothing that you do to a transparent part of the layer will have any effect.

Figure 15.2. Exemple pour « Verrouiller »

Exemple pour « Verrouiller »

Le calque actif possède trois bandes horizontales vertes opaques sur un fond transparent. Nous peignons une bande verticale rouge. « Verrouiller » non coché : les zones opaques et transparentes du calque actif sont peintes en rouge.

Exemple pour « Verrouiller »

« Verrouiller » coché : seules les zones opaques du calque actif sont peintes en rouge. Les zones transparentes sont préservées.


[Astuce] Astuce

If a layer name in the Layers dialog is in bold, then this layer has no Alpha channel.

Layer Effects

When this icon is visible, there are Layer Effects present for this layer. Clicking it will open a dialog where you will see a list of all effects added to this layer. For each effect you can change the visibility, the order of the effects, merge all effects with the layer, or remove them.

Layer Effects are filters that change the layer non-destructively, that is, they can be added, removed or changed without changing the layer itself. They instead add effects on top of the layer.

A lot of the GEGL filters in the Colors and Filters menu can be used this way. The layer effects dialog consists of the following parts:

Layer Effects List

At the top there is a list of all layer effects that have been added to this layer. Note that the effects are applied on top of the layer starting with the effect at the bottom of the list.

To the left of each effect you can see an eye icon; which can be clicked to hide or show that specific effect. Next to that is the Filter effect icon.

Buttons to manage the Layer Effects

Below the list of effects you will see a row of buttons that can be used to manipulate the effects in the list.

Layer Effects Visibility

This toggle button controls the « visibility » setting for all the effects of the layer. By default all effects are visible. Clicking this hides the effects, allowing you to see the actual pixel contents of the layer.

Edit the selected filter

This button allows you to open the dialog of the selected layer effect to make changes to its settings. Alternatively you can also double click on the layer effect in the list to open the dialog.

Raise layer effect

Here you can move the layer effect up in the list.

Lower layer effect

Here you can move the layer effect down in the list.

Merge all active filters

This button lets you merge all active (visible) layer effects with the contents of the layer. This removes the layer effects from the layer after the effects have been applied to the layer.

Remove the selected filter

This button removes the selected layer effect.

Miniature de calque

The layer content is represented by a thumbnail. Maintaining left-click for a second on this thumbnail makes it larger. The border color of the layer depends on whether the layer is active or inactive.

Nom du calque

You can change the name of the layer by double-clicking on it. You can also use the Edit Layer Attributes dialog in the context menu that you get by right-clicking on the layer.

[Note] Note

In the case of an animation layer (GIF or MNG), the name of the layer can be used to specify certain parameters: Layer_name (delay in ms) (combination mode), for example Frame-1 (100 ms) (replace). The delay sets the time during which the layer is visible in the animation. The combination mode sets whether you combine the layer with the previous layer or replace it: the two modes are (combine) or (replace).

Caractéristiques des calques

Above the layer list, it is possible to specify some properties for the selected layers. The selected layers are highlighted. The properties are:

Mode

Les modes de fusion définissent comment le calque interagit avec les autres calques. Vous pouvez accéder à l’ensemble des modes proposés par GIMP depuis le menu déroulant. Les Modes des calques sont décrits en détail dans Modes de calque.

Opacité

En agissant sur le curseur pour régler l’opacité vous rendez le calque plus ou moins opaque. Avec une valeur d’opacité de 0 vous obtenez un calque transparent totalement invisible. Attention à de ne pas confondre avec le Masque de calque (voir au chapitre Masque de calque) qui permet de gérer la transparence pixel par pixel.

Gestion des calques

En dessous de la liste des calques une série de boutons permet d’effectuer quelques opérations sur la liste des calques.

Create new layer

Ici, vous pouvez créer un nouveau calque. Une fenêtre de dialogue s’ouvre, décrite dans Nouveau calque.

Appuyez sur Maj pour ouvrir un nouveau calque avec les dernières valeurs utilisées.

Create new layer group

Permet de créer un nouveau groupe de calques. Un nouveau calque est créé, dans lequel vous pouvez déposer des calques.

Les groupes de calques sont décrits dans Groupes de calques.

Monter le calque

Permet de monter le calque actif d’un rang dans la liste. Appuyez sur Maj pour monter le calque tout en haut de la liste.

Descendre le calque

Permet de descendre le calque actif d’un rang dans la liste. Appuyez sur Maj pour descendre le calque tout en bas de la liste.

[Astuce] Astuce

Pour descendre un calque tout en bas de la liste, il faut doter le calque d’Arrière-plan d’un canal de transparence (dit canal Alpha). Cliquez-droit sur le calque d’Arrière-plan et choisissez Ajouter un canal alpha dans le menu.

Duplicate layers

Here you can create a copy of the selected layers. Name of new layer is suffixed with "copy".

Merge layers Ancrer le calque

The Anchor layer button is only visible when a floating selection is present. It anchors the floating selection to the previous active layer.

When there is no floating selection, the Merge layers icon is shown, with several possibilities:

  • Merge these layers with the first visible layer below it.

  • Pressing Shift: merge the layer group's layers into one normal layer.

  • Pressing Ctrl: merge all visible layers into one layer.

  • Pressing Shift+Ctrl: merge all visible layers with last used values.

Add masks to layers

Add masks to selected layers.

Delete layers

Here you can delete the selected layers.

Autres fonctions concernant les calques

Other functions about layer size are available in the Layer context menu you get by right clicking on the Layers dialog. You can find them also in the Layer submenu of the main menu.

You will find merging layers functions in the Image main menu.

Cliquer-glisser des calques

Click and hold on layer thumbnail or layer name: the thumbnail enlarges and you can move it by dragging the mouse. Selecting and moving multiple layers is also possible.

  • So you can place this layer or layers somewhere else in the layer list.

  • You can also drop the layer into the Toolbox: a new image is created that contains this layer only. This does not work with multiple selected layers.

  • Finally, you can drop the layer into another image: this layer will be added to the layer list, above existing layers.

2.1.3. The Layers dialog context menu

Figure 15.3. Context Menu for the Layers Dialog

Context Menu for the Layers Dialog

By right-clicking in the Layers dialog, or by opening the Layers Menu from the tab menu, a context menu for the Layers dialog will open.

Most of the commands in this menu have already been documented above, or elsewhere:

Edit Layer Attributes…

Except for Width, Height, and Fill with, this dialog is the same as the New Layer Dialog. For information about the layer attributes we therefore refer to the documentation for that dialog.

Blend Space submenu

See Blend space in the New Layer dialog.

Composite Space submenu

See Composite space in the New Layer dialog.

Composite Mode submenu

See Composite mode in the New Layer dialog.

Color Tag submenu

See the Color tag documentation in the New Layer dialog.

New Layer, New Layer Group, Duplicate Layers, Merge Down, Anchor Layer, Delete Layers

These commands are explained above, see layer characteristics.

New from Visible

See the New from Visible menu command documentation.

Layer Boundary Size…

See the Layer Boundary Size… menu command documentation.

Layers to Image Size

See the Layers to Image Size menu command documentation.

Scale Layer…

See the Scale Layer… menu command documentation.

Add Layer Masks…, Apply Layer Masks, Delete Layer Masks, Show Layer Masks, Edit Layer Mask, Disable Layer Masks, Masks to Selection

See the Layer Mask submenu documentation for these commands.

Add Alpha Channel, Remove Alpha Channel

Only one of these will be enabled. If the current layer does not have an alpha channel, you will be able to add one. If it does, you can remove the alpha channel.

Merge Visible Layers

This command merges all visible layers into one layer.

Flatten Image

This command merges all layers into one layer and removes transparency.

2.1.4. Masques de calque

Figure 15.4. La fenêtre de dialogue « Ajouter un Masque de Calque »

La fenêtre de dialogue « Ajouter un Masque de Calque »

Généralités

A transparency mask can be added to each layer, which defines what parts of the layer are transparent or opaque. We call this a layer mask. A layer mask has the same size and same number of pixels as the layer to which it is attached. Every pixel of the mask can then be coupled with a pixel at the same location in the layer. The mask is a set of pixels in grayscale. The pixels with a value 0 are black and give a full transparency to the coupled pixel in the layer. The pixels with the maximum value (either 1.0 or 255) are white and give full opacity to the coupled pixel in the layer.

To create a layer mask start with a right click on the layer to call the context menu and select Add Layer Masks… in the menu. A dialog appears where you can initialize the content of the mask:

  • White (full opacity): the mask is white in the Layers dialog. So, all pixels of the layer are visible in the image window since painting the mask with white makes layer pixels fully visible. You will paint with black to make layer pixels transparent.

  • Black (full transparency): the mask is black in the Layers dialog. So, the layer is fully transparent since painting the mask with black makes layer pixels transparent. Painting with white will remove the mask and make layer pixels visible.

  • Layer's alpha channel: the mask is initialized according to the contents of the layer's alpha channel.

  • Transfert du canal Alpha du calque : fait la même chose que l’option précédente, sauf que le canal Alpha du calque est remis totalement opaque.

  • Selection: the mask is initialized according to pixel values found in the current selection.

  • Grayscale copy of layer: the mask is initialized according to a grayscale representation of the pixel values of the layer.

  • Channel: The layer mask is initialized with a selection mask you have created before, stored in the Channels dialog.

  • Invert mask: This checkbox allows you to invert: black turns to white and white turns to black.

When the mask is created, it appears as a thumbnail next to that of the layer itself. You can select the layer or the mask for editing by clicking on their respective thumbnails. The active item has a white border (which may not be clearly visible when you have a white mask).

When working with masks, it is a good idea to keep the Layers Dialog prominently visible, because you can't see, by looking at the canvas, whether the layer or the mask is active.

Pressing Alt (or Ctrl+Alt and clicking on the layer mask thumbnail) is equivalent to the Show Layer Mask command: the layer mask border turns to green. If you press Ctrl the border is red and the result is equivalent to the Disable Layer Mask command. To return to normal view repeat the last operation. These options are for greater convenience in your work.

Exemple de Masque de calque

Figure 15.5. Un calque avec masque de calque

Un calque avec masque de calque

Cette image comporte un calque de fond avec une image de fleur et un autre calque bleu, complètement opaque. Un masque de calque blanc a été ajouté au calque bleu actif. Dans la fenêtre d’image, le calque bleu reste visible car un masque blanc rend visibles les pixels du calque.


Figure 15.6. On peint le masque de calque

On peint le masque de calque

Le masque de calque est activé. On peint ce masque de calque avec de la peinture noire, ce qui a pour effet de rendre le calque transparent : le calque sous-jacent devient visible.