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Applying a destructive HSL filter on a layer


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Hi everyone !

I'm testing Affinity Photo and I'm pretty satisfied with the whole. I had a little pain to understand how it works sometimes (because of my Photoshop habbits...) but I got to figure out how to use it.
Until... now. There's something I want to do that is very, very simple as just changing the luminance or just colorizing a layer "quick and dirty", and it seems to be impossible... but I want to be sure.

So concretely, I have one layer between many others which needs to be altered quickly. I supposed it was on the Filters menu, but I couldn't find any light/contrast, HSL, and those sort of basic filters there. Everytime I searched on Google and in the forum, it was always about a live filter. But... I don't want one - especially because by default it will be applied to all the sublayers and not only the one I've selected !
So yes, the solution is to create a group, put the layer inside then I can create a live filter on top, play with the parameters then merge it. But now I have a useless group layer which I'll have to remove.

That is really complicated for nothing, in my opinion. I don't understand why can't we just apply some basic light/color filters in the Filters menu just like the other filters.
Or... maybe I missed something, and that's why I'm here. Would anyone have a quicker way ?

Thanks in advance for your reply. :)

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Welcome to the forums.
HSL adjustments – and many others – are available via menu “Layer → New Adjustment” or the Adjustments icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel.
They are, by nature, non-destructive and can be turned on/off as necessary.

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Two other things to know.

First, you can use an adjustment destructively (if you must...) by clicking the Merge button at the top, right of the adjustment’s panel. This will “bake” the adjustment into the layer below it.

Second, a non-destructive adjustment layer can be made to apply to only a single layer; simply drag the adjustment layer (in the Layers panel) over the layer to which you want it to apply. You should see a horizontal, blue line under that layer. When you let go of the mouse button, the adjustment will become a “child” of the second layer, and will only affect that layer. This is the equivalent of clipping a filter to another layer in Photoshop.

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@GarryP Thanks ! Yes, and even if it is convenient, it can be a little too complicated compared to just apply a filter straightly (no additional filter layer, no additional actions to make that filter be applied only on the selected layer, and of course lighter for the program somehow).

@smadell I've seen the merge button indeed, but this means you can't preview your settings only on the layer before you click on it - for the basic way of adding a filter.
The sublayer filter is a much better option ! No need to create an extra group just for it. Thanks for the hint ! But in this case I can't merge it, but it's fine.

Thank you for your answers !

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1 hour ago, totjoss said:

@GarryP Thanks ! Yes, and even if it is convenient, it can be a little too complicated compared to just apply a filter straightly (no additional filter layer, no additional actions to make that filter be applied only on the selected layer, and of course lighter for the program somehow).

@smadell I've seen the merge button indeed, but this means you can't preview your settings only on the layer before you click on it - for the basic way of adding a filter.
The sublayer filter is a much better option ! No need to create an extra group just for it. Thanks for the hint ! But in this case I can't merge it, but it's fine.

Thank you for your answers !

This stuff can be easier than you realise. You can merge when the live filter or adjustment is mask-nested instead of clip-nested (smadell told you how to clip-nest). Mask-nesting happens when an object is dropped onto the thumbnail instead of the name area of a receiving object. You'll see a vertical blue bar on the right hand edge of the thumbnail or a horizontal blue bar under the name area as an indication of where the drop is going. Also, the Assistant Manager has options for automatic nesting of masks, live filters and adjustments when an object is selected.

 

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