List of Improvements and ideas for Layer Style Effects

[shijan]

Some ideas in details where described earlier here in global thread viewtopic.php?p=47720#p47720 but Layer Styles is sort of separate little app inside PhotoLine so it may require separate special thread for ideas and improvements. I guess currently Layer Styles is the weakest and the most legacy part of PhotoLine. So here is my list of Improvements and ideas for Layer Style Effects:

• 16-bit support for all Style effects.
• Increase maximum size of all effect to 1000% (or infinity). Maybe use same logic as extended color slider in Color Editor when slider ends at 100%, but it is possible to enter larger value using keyboard or using mouse scroll?
• Allow to duplicate and use multiple copies of same style effect.
• Allow to move style effects up and down.
• instead of current separated effects like Outline Inside and Outline Outside, use alignment toggle: Centered/Inside/Outside/ (Same logic as in current Line Style Editor).
• Additional Opacity slider in Layers list panel:
  Opacity for Layer only (aka "Fill" slider in photoshop).
  Opacity for Style only.
  Opacity for both Layer and Style (linked sliders)
• In addition to "Hide Original" use "Clip Original" and "Show and Clip Original" modes (modes that create clipping hole inside Styles)

[shijan]

All these improvements suggested earlier could improve compatibility with native PSD files.

Another interesting problem - currently if i open PSD file with Layer FX originally created in Photoshop, PhotoLine Layer Styles able to reproduce large sized Shadows, Outlines and other Layer FX. But once i touch slider to edit layer style, it return everything to tiny size limitation.

The good thing - PhotoLine renders large sized Layer Style Outline way more accurate than Photoshop.



Here is PSD example if it helps.

[shijan]

I notice that in some Layer Styles Soften Filter used instead of Gaussian Blur. In many situations this creates unwanted rectangle effect. Problem especially visible on circle and elliptical objects. Formally this is same problem as with Lasso and Mask soft edges described here viewtopic.php?p=50629#p50629

So i guess the best option could be some toggle or checkbox everywhere - use Soften / use Gaussian Blur

[shijan]

Few more examples of unwanted rectangular effect of Soften filter:

[PPaul]

Looks like a good improvement to me!

[shijan]

Looks like a good improvement to me!

This is explanation from Martin Huber's email about this Soften effect:
"You are always under the impression that more options are better. For most users the opposite is true. More options lead to functions that most users can no longer manage.
We already have far too many options and I would remove a lot of them, if this wouldn't break compatibility with older documents.
So no: there won't be a toggle. Soften is there to reduce aliasing effects and not to alter the shape. And it works fine for that, better than a Gaussian blur."

Well i agree that Soften works well for small amounts when thin but slightly soft line is required. But at larger sizes it all became rectangle. This slows down things because instead of quick and easy rounding by Blur slider, user need to draw new curve shape with real rounded corners.

UPDATE:
Just an UI idea with additional slider:



And another UI idea with toggles + single slider:

[shijan]

One more thing that makes Layer Styles not too usable in real life - it is not consistent behave of "Hide Original" option. In most cases user expect hide original and just keep layer Style unchanged. But in PhotoLine "Hide Original" in many situations change final look of the Style.
Also it could be much better to have "Opacity" slider instead of simple checkbox "Hide Original".
For backward compatibility it could be a checkbox or toggle to "Hide Original" (currently used) or "Clip Original" (requested)
Some Examples:



Explanation of "Clip Original" (also named as "Fill" in other apps) request: