Making a layer effect its own layer.

[absmith]

I would like to make my outer shadow layer effect its own layer. In Photoshop you could do this by choosing from menu: layer > layer style > create layers. Any direction as to how I can do this in Affinity Photo?

[MEB]

Hello absmith,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

Currently there's no way to separate the FX Effect from the object it was applied to in Affinity Photo.

Out of curiosity, why would you want to separate it from the object? Do you know you can click on the FX symbol in the respective layer to edit the effect if needed?

[absmith]

In our applications, for example, we like to be able to create a drop shadow FX that is placed on a separate layer that we can then later turn on in off in InDesign using the object layer options. Which I know I can always go back into Affinity Photo and turn off the shadow FX there, its just easier and one less step in our production to turn layers on and off in InDesign.

BTY - I would love to see an InDesign alternative from Affininty. Is Affininty Desktop in the future?

[MEB]

Ok i see thanks. Yes, there will be an alternative called Affinity Publisher. It will be available as a beta by the end of this year.

[Paul Bravery]

I've also used a drop shadow layer effect, made into its own layer, so that it can be manipulated independently of the layer above - for example, to distort it to give it a more natural looking 'perspective' effect. A feature like this would be great in Affinity.

[decimate555]

Hello… 

 

As I read this thread from more than a year ago, it's not clear if it's part of a roadmap to add this ability to Affinity apps, it would be GREAT to be able to create a rasterized layer based from an applied effect from another layer in order to make it independent so that we are free to manipulate it independently. 

 

This would save me so much time when further creating perspective tricks with shadows.

 

Thanks!

[The Garlic Myth]

Hi, I just started using Affinity (Designer and Photo) and was wondering if the above is already possible? (create a separate layer of an applied effect)

In my case, I often use outer (drop) shadows and turn and erase parts of them. In Photoshop that was possible by creating an own layer of an effect (in this case drop shadow) so you could do whatever you want with it. I'm now searching to use that same method. Or is there another way I can erase, twist and turn parts of an outer (or inner) shadow in Affinity Designer or Photo?

Thanks!!

[joe_c]

I've used affinity photo since the beta was released and I have to say I wish there was a way to seperate the drop shadow form the image. Because that would make it so much easier to add shadows. 

[GarryP]

If you separated the drop shadow from an image (or any other type of layer), what would it be the shadow of and how would the software know what shape it should be?
You can set the Fill Opacity to 0% in the Layer Effects Dialog if you want the shadowed layer itself to be invisible (see attached image), but you need a layer before you can make a shadow.

[Nick Hollands]

Quote

If you separated the drop shadow from an image (or any other type of layer), what would it be the shadow of and how would the software know what shape it should be?

It wouldn't be a drop shadow to anything - it would be a bunch of shaded pixels.   The result would be to rasterise the effect so that each pixel would just be modifying the layers below it, as if the effect had been applied (So in your example, the layer would just contain a bunch of black pixels in a reverse L shape at 50% alpha.

It's handy to produce unusual effects - glitches, offsets, and so on.  The app does the hard word of creating the pixels, and then you can play with them in interesting ways - warp them, chop bits out, and so on.

But your fill opacity tip is very handy.  That gets a lot of the way there (and you may be able to then rasterise the layer anyway, and get all the way - I haven't played with it yet)

Thanks!

[Nick Hollands]

Sooo, yeah - Rasterisation works!

If you want to rasterise an effect, start by duplicating the layer, and reducing the fill opacity to 0 (as above).  This will just have the effect pixels on screen, without the elements that cause them.

Then you can rasterise this new layer.  There's an option to 'preserve effects'.  If you select it, the rasterisation will leave the effect in place as a layer effect, and just rasterise the invisible pixels.  If you *de*select it, the effect will be rasterised as well, creating the pixel-result of the effect as a separate layer for you to play with.

[zBernie]

On 1/6/2021 at 11:27 AM, Nick Hollands said:

Sooo, yeah - Rasterisation works!

If you want to rasterise an effect, start by duplicating the layer, and reducing the fill opacity to 0 (as above).  This will just have the effect pixels on screen, without the elements that cause them.

Then you can rasterise this new layer.  There's an option to 'preserve effects'.  If you select it, the rasterisation will leave the effect in place as a layer effect, and just rasterise the invisible pixels.  If you *de*select it, the effect will be rasterised as well, creating the pixel-result of the effect as a separate layer for you to play with.

I can't get this to work.  After duplicating the layer (A picture of my wife) I add a shadow, rasterize it, and check "Preserve layer effects".  But when I reduce the opacity to 0, the shadow disappears.  Can you tell me what I'm doing wrong?

-Thanks

[Nick Hollands]

Order is important.

1) Dupe the layer

2) Add the effect

3) In the full Layer FX panel (Click the 'FX' in the layer palette if you can't see it), reduce the fill opacity to 0 (as per GarryP's image in Nov 9 post above ^^^)

4) Close the effects panel

You should now have a layer that you can move around that has the shadow, but no wife.  If that's all you want, STOP THERE.

If you now want to play with that shadow as pixels...

5) Right click the 'effected' layer and choose 'Rasterise'

6) UNTICK 'Preserve Layer FX' in the dialog.  (Feels wrong.  But trust me.)

7) Click 'Rasterise'

You'll now have a pixel layer that just has the shadow pixels in it, which you can select, cut, paste, whatever:

 

One last thing: Don't make the same mistake as me, and forget to deselect the 'Fill knocks out shadow' box when initially creating the effect on the duplicated layer, if you don't want the shadow to have the holes in it caused by the pixels casting the shadow:

 

Deselected:

Selected:

 

Edited January 8, 2021 by Nick Hollands