4.11 The Layer Attributes

The Layer Attributes dialog is used to get a quick overview of the settings and attributes of the active layer.

Most properties can be edited by double-clicking or by clicking the Edit-button and can be deleted by clicking the paper basket. But not all are editable or deletable. Some can only be edited and so can only be deleted.

The dialog offers many settings. There are always:

• the layer type
By double-clicking Convert Layer Type (see chapter 7.5.2) is called.
• the layer position and size
The position and size can be edited directly.

Often layers contain additional attributes. Most common are:

• image layers allow to control the type, the bit depth and whether there is transparency/an alpha channel
• fill and line styles of vector layers
If the active layer is a vector layer, the fill and line styles are shown and can be edited.
The Edit-button duplicates the active style. If there is more than one style, the active style can be deleted, too. By dragging the order of the styles can be changed.
• the vector attribute
This attributes only appears in combination with vector layers. It contains information which kind of geometric figure the vector layer is. The vector attribute can only be deleted.
• distortions and layer styles
Any layer style (see chapter 2.5 and chapter 7.8.41) or layer distortion (see chapter 2.6) assigned to a layer is listed.
• adjustment layers
Adjustment layers (see chapter 2.9) show the assigned work. This work can be turned off temporarily in order to edit the accompanying layer.
• clipping properties
If a layer is a clipping layer the clipping properties (see chapter 2.7 and chapter 7.5.19) are listed.
• shape flow properties
If a text layer flows around or inside another layer (see chapter 6.2.9), the shape layer is shown. Shape flow can be deleted here.
• ICC Color Profile
If a color profile is assigned to a layer (see chapter 7.6.12), it will be listed. The color profile can be deleted here, too.
• Additional Picture Data
If a JPEG-file is opened, PhotoLine attaches the original JPEG-data to the newly created layer. If the layer is saved again as JPEG without being modified, the file will contain the original JPEG-data without new compression losses. This is useful, if the metadata of a JPEG-file - like the ICC color profile or metadata - have to be changed.
The additional data will be automatically removed, if the image layer itself is modified.
If an image layer has JPEG-data, these data will be used when saving as PLD-file. Therefore PLD-files containing JPEG-images will be much smaller than in previous version of PhotoLine (see chapter 5.5 "Working With JPEG-Files" for more information). JPEG-data have an effect on creating PDF- and SWF-files, too.
• Draw Isolated
This entry is only used in combination with groups. If turned off - which is standard behaviour - the display mode of a group is ignored and its intensity is transferred to to its children. But this may lead to unexpected results, if a group contains overlapping layers.
An example may make this problem clearer. Let's use a group with two circles. The first image shows this group with 100% opacity, the second one with 50% opacity and the third one with 50% opacity, too, but also with "Draw Isolated" activated:

"Draw Isolated" gives the expected result.

Additionally isolated groups allow the creation of adjustment layers, that affect only the content of their group.

Aside from that advantages there are disadvantages, too. Drawing isolating groups is significantly slower. Furthermore no file format - with the exception of the native PhotoLine-format PLD - can save isolated groups. Therefore they will be converted to images on export.

Print

Turning off this switch the layer is still displayed onscreen but no longer printed. If a layer is made invisible by using the Layer-dialog, the layer won‘t be printed, even if Print is turned on.

Align Patterns

This switch controls the behavior of pattern - these are pattern colors, gradient colors and texture colors-, if the layer is moved or scaled. Usually pattern are relative to the document, this means moving or scaling a layer doesn‘t affect the position and size of a pattern. If Align Patterns is turned on, the patterns are moved and scaled the same way as the layer. Even rotations and perspective distortions influence the patterns.

Antialiasing

Antialiasing defines whether layers will be antialiased/smoothed when displayed onscreen, when printed and when saved. Default means that layers will only be antialiased, if Antialias (see chapter 7.10.2) is turned on. Onscreen the layer will only be antialiased, if it doesn‘t cost too much time, on printing and saving always. Never means that the layer will never be antialiased even if Antialias is turned on. When using Always it will always be antialiased even if Antialias is turned off. and even if displaying onscreen is slow.