»Merge Visible« a Solid Pixel/Fill Layer and Add Noise Filter Layer Results in a Pixel Layer With Transparency?

[Mr. Doodlezz]

Hey all,

today I noticed this strange behaviour that I have never seen before when merging layers. I was wondering if anyone could explain this to me.

I usually merge layers so that I get an exact replica of what was visible in the layers palette at that moment – taking into account transparency (or lack of it, in this case).

For some reason, Merge Visible (⌥+⇧+⌘+E) above a solid layer (pixel or fill) with an Add Noise filter layer on top of it results in a layer that suddenly shows transparent areas/single pixels. I don't get it. There's no transparency before merging, at least not that I know of.

Even stranger: Grouping the filter layer with the Add Noise filter layer gives a similar result – suddenly there's transparency, because the group blend mode is automatically set to »Passthrough«. Try grouping the Add Noise filter layer with the Fill Layer below it in the attached file or »Merge Visible« and hide the layers beneath it.

Ideas anyone? 🤔

 

 

Merge_Visible_Transparency.afphoto

Edited May 11, 2023 by Mr. Doodlezz
Replaced video demonstration file.

[Mr. Doodlezz]

Another observation I made: When you use the destructive filter Add Noise (Filters → Noise → Add Noise…) no transparency is created. Curious!

[Old Bruce]

1 hour ago, Mr. Doodlezz said:

Ideas anyone? 🤔

It is too early for me (here on the Wet Left Coast) to really offer more than an essentially useless observation that your 'expected' result can be achieved by removing the Artboard.

[Mr. Doodlezz]

6 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

It is too early for me (here on the Wet Left Coast) to really offer more than an essentially useless observation that your 'expected' result can be achieved by removing the Artboard.

Heh, morning @Old Bruce – just got my afternoon tea as I’m reading this. 😁

Huh! You're right. Not having an artboard will render the merged layer correctly (e.g. no unexpected transparencies).
Although it probably shouldn't work that way … otherwise you'd have to delete artboards every time you tried to work in Designer and Photo, switching back and forth. 🫠

[walt.farrell]

Artboards and pixel layers seem to cause problems (viz, your other topic where I made a similar comment), and Artboards in Photo are an odd enough situation that this may also be related.

By the way, I do not see any transparency doing a Merge Visible. But I'm not sure what you're talking about as your video is not visible to me, due to lack of codecs. Perhaps you're using HEVC? (It would be nice to use a more common encoding, if so.)

Can you provide a screenshot of the application window so I can see what you're talking about?

[Mr. Doodlezz]

9 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Artboards and pixel layers seem to cause problems (viz, your other topic where I made a similar comment), and Artboards in Photo are an odd enough situation that this may also be related.

By the way, I do not see any transparency doing a Merge Visible. But I'm not sure what you're talking about as your video is not visible to me, due to lack of codecs. Perhaps you're using HEVC? (It would be nice to use a more common encoding, if so.)

Can you provide a screenshot of the application window so I can see what you're talking about?

Hey @walt.farrell,

sorry, I'm extremely unskilled with video codecs and screen capture stuff, on either Mac or Windows. 😅
I replaced the file ... I guess this one works better?

Otherwise you could try to reproduce it as mentioned above:

2 hours ago, Mr. Doodlezz said:

Try grouping the Add Noise filter layer with the Fill Layer below it in the attached file or »Merge Visible« and hide the layers beneath it.

[MEB]

Hi @Mr. Doodlezz,
I've reproduced this here. I'm not sure why it's acting like this - I will check it out.
Thanks for your report.

[Mr. Doodlezz]

Thanks for your response and checking, @MEB!

[walt.farrell]

49 minutes ago, Mr. Doodlezz said:

sorry, I'm extremely unskilled with video codecs and screen capture stuff, on either Mac or Windows. 😅
I replaced the file ... I guess this one works better?

Much better. Thanks.

And yes, I see that, too. Definitely odd.