Stamp Layer?

[MG2]

Hi, newbie here, trying to learn Affinity Photo. Sorry if duplicated question. I have a helpful guide "Essential Affinity Photo" by Robin Whalley. It refers to older versions c 2019. He describes how to create a Stamp Layer to avoid destructive edits when applying Filters. The function seems to be absent in AP 1.10.4. Is this because the filters are no longer destructive (I notice some (but not all) work on a separate layer) or is there another way of achieving the same thing as a Stamp Layer? 

[Ron P.]

Welcome to the forums @MG2,

I think what you're referring to as Stamp Layers, are just Blank Pixel Layer.

• Create a New Pixel Layer
• With the Clone Tool selected, go to the Context Toolbar, (along the top)
• To the Right side you should see by default Current Layer. That's a drop-down menu.
• Click on it to open it, and will be provided with two more options, Current Layer and Below, Layers Beneath
• If you just want to clone from the layer immediately below the Pixel layer, Select the Current Layer and Beneath.
• Selecting the Layers Beneath, will allow cloning from all layers below.

 

[MG2]

Hi and thank you @Ron P.. Yes, I think you are right. If I create a new pixel layer as you have described and apply a filter to it, then the effect of the filter will be limited to that position in the layer stack and can therefore be deleted later (by deleting the pixel layer). I will give it a go. I did try before but some of the filters I tried did not seem to want to apply to pixel layers (some seem to make there own). I think it will be because I may not have set the parameter of the pixel layer as you have described. Anyway, that is extremely helpful, thank you and the question can be regarded as solved!

[Robin Whalley]

On 12/10/2021 at 11:04 AM, MG2 said:

Hi, newbie here, trying to learn Affinity Photo. Sorry if duplicated question. I have a helpful guide "Essential Affinity Photo" by Robin Whalley. It refers to older versions c 2019. He describes how to create a Stamp Layer to avoid destructive edits when applying Filters. The function seems to be absent in AP 1.10.4. Is this because the filters are no longer destructive (I notice some (but not all) work on a separate layer) or is there another way of achieving the same thing as a Stamp Layer? 

The Stamp Layer is a layer that consolidates all the other layers in the image into one new pixel layer. It's never been available as a menu command which is why I recommend learning the shortcut keys. You can though achieve the same things using two steps in the menu. In the Edit meny seelct "Copy Merge" which copies all the layers in the image onto the clipboard and consolidates them. You can then use Edit and Paste to paste the clipboard as a new layer in the image.

I recommend doing this if you ever need to apply a change to the image that's going to be destructive. That way if you go wrong, you can throw away the layer and try again.

[smadell]

Apologies to Robin Whalley, but this function has (and still is) available from the beginning. Under the Layer menu, simply choose Merge Visible. Affinity Photo will create a new pixel layer which incorporates the entirety of your layer stack, essentially merging all of the visible layers into a single pixel layer. If you're interested in preserving all of the non-destructive edits, but don't want to wait for them to be re-computed and re-drawn with each subsequent editing change, you can create a Merge Visible layer and then turn OFF all of the layers underneath it.

[R C-R]

47 minutes ago, smadell said:

Under the Layer menu, simply choose Merge Visible.

Merge Visible is also available by right-clicking on any layer in the Layers panel, or via a keyboard shortcut. The default shortcut in the Mac version of AP  is awkward 4 key combination Option-Shift-CMD-E, so if you use it often you might want to change it to something else.