Lose adjustment layer effect when I merge the layers

[DaleL]

Photo 2.2 - Am at latest version

I'm on windows 10 version 22.42

Cannot turn on hardware acceleration as I do not have a graphics card.

This did happen on serveral attemps with same image and again on a different image

Attached is a sample image of the problem.  Simple to replicate. 

This does not happen when I tried it on previous version, Photo 1.

Open this image

Ctrl J to duplicae layer

Set blending to Screen

Add levels adjustment to new layer.  Set black level to 25% white level to 55%

Blend all visible layers.  

The result new layer does not have the levels adjustment effect in it.  Toggle the blended layer on and off and it should look the same, but the new layer looks like it does without the levels.

[DaleL]

An additional thing I just found on this.  This same image, I moved the adjustment layer up from being attached to the top layer to be the top layer as an adjustment to the whole thing and it made the stars brighter, but when I did the merge, it again did not include the changes from the layers.

[walt.farrell]

Please confirm whether you're using 2.1.1 or 2.2, which is a beta and would be discussed in a different section of the forums. 

1 hour ago, DaleL said:

Blend all visible layers. 

Do you mean Merge Visible, or something else?

 

[walt.farrell]

If you really are using the 2.2 beta, then I may have found what's happening to you.

In  my experimentation, in 2.2.0.1931 (but not in 2.1.1), if the Adjustment Layer is Selected when you do the Merge Visible, the merged pixel layer ends up in the wrong position. It ends up inside the duplicated background layer, rather than on the top of the stack. This does not happen in 2.1.1, and it does not happen in 2.2.0.1931 if some other layer is selected (say, the duplicated background layer).

2.1.1 first. 2.2.0.1931 next.

 

[DaleL]

No, I'm at level 2.1.1.   It is happening on the Merge Down and Merge Visable and Merge Selected.  Also just tried doing a Document / Flatten and it happens there to.  I used the same image in Photo 1 and have no problems doing any of these.   

[DaleL]

Actually, what you describe for 2.2 is how it is working for me.  When I add the adjustment it ends up inside the duplicated background layer, rather than on the top of the stack.  

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, DaleL said:

When I add the adjustment it ends up inside the duplicated background layer,

That's a perfectly good place for it, if you want it to affect just that layer. 

Where it ends up depends on what you have selected and your Assistant settings in the application.

[walt.farrell]

I think you should show us your Layers panel before you do the merge, and again after, and tell us which merge method you used. And please confirm what you think the problem is. 

[DaleL]

Here are four snips of an image with the layers panel.  First shows the screen and levels turned off to get base image.   Second is with all layers on, so what I would expect after merge.  I did a merge all visible to get the third image.  Fourth image I just turned off the merged image so it is same as #2.  Working with this image instead of the stars, 

So a new twist to this.  I just tried turning off the levels layer and do a merger of just the screen and background layer and it also produced a result that was different then just looking at the layers stack.  The blended version has areas that are slightly darker. 

Hope this helps.  Like I said, I did the same thing in my photo 1 version and this is all working fine.   

[walt.farrell]

Thanks. 

I can see that the merged result is different, and I'm not sure why.

At least you don't seem to be seeing the problem I noticed, which I will report separately if I can recreate it again, on the latest beta. So far, I can't.

[Lee D]

@DaleL Can you do a screen recording showing your workflow. As I've gone through it, but I'm not getting the same result as the merged layer is showing as expected.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Lee D said:

As I've gone through it, but I'm not getting the same result as the merged layer is showing as expected.

Are you saying that you're seeing the merged layer created in the correct location, or with the correct data and result?

I'm asking because I don't want my earlier comment about the merged layer appearing in the wrong location to cloud the issue here. My comment was only about the 2.2 beta, but the OP has confirmed they're using 2.1.1. (And I'm not able to recreate the layer positioning bug on the 2.2.0.1954 beta that was just released.)

The issue is only with the merged layer giving a different result, as I understand from what @DaleL is saying.

[Lee D]

I'm using Photo 2.1.1 and the adjustment layer is initially added to the top of the layer stack. I then nest it the duplicate layer with the adjustments applied, I then merge those layers to create the new Pixel layer above the rest. This layer displays as expected or the same as before merging.

[DaleL]

So found this is even more simple to reproduce.  Don't even need the adjustment layer.  This video shows I just duplicate the layer, set the top layer to screen mode, then do a merge visible.  turn the merged layer on an off and can see the difference in the merged vs the two layers together.  Merged is not a bright as the other two layers stacked.  As I've mentioned earlier, it does not matter if I do a merge visible, merge selected or flatten image,  all produce same result.

[DaleL]

Another thing I noticed in doing this, after I duplicate the layer and set the blend mode to screen, if the bottom layer is the one selected and I do a merge visible, it puts the new merged layer between the two layers, but it is merged, just not at the top of the stack as I would expect it.  

[walt.farrell]

On 8/21/2023 at 10:27 PM, DaleL said:

Another thing I noticed in doing this, after I duplicate the layer and set the blend mode to screen, if the bottom layer is the one selected and I do a merge visible, it puts the new merged layer between the two layers, but it is merged, just not at the top of the stack as I would expect it.  

That sounds somewhat similar to what I mentioned above, https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/190462-lose-adjustment-layer-effect-when-i-merge-the-layers/&do=findComment&comment=1114731

 

[DaleL]

So any response at all to the requested video I attached to this?  

[CM0]

FYI, just opened possibly a related bug. 

 

[walt.farrell]

22 minutes ago, CM0 said:

FYI, just opened possibly a related bug. 

I'm not sure, since your other topic can be recreated without Merging at all; just Grouping.

[lepr]

On 8/24/2023 at 8:24 PM, DaleL said:

So any response at all to the requested video I attached to this?  

The view zoom is 19.6%, so you are viewing a resampled layer being blended with a resampled layer, versus a resampling of the result of merging the full scale layers.