How many layers do you use?

Just wondering how many layers in Photoshop/Paintshop pro/painter/etc. you use typically for your artwork.

I typically use 4 layers. but sometimes 3, sometimes 5.
(5) - color to go above lineart
4 - line art on multiply
3 - color
(2) - color
1 - background painting

Well, given the complexity of the drawing (talking like a professional here ),

I use anywhere between 7-15 layers. I normally use:

1) skin tone

2) eyes

3) mouth

4) hair

5) Outfit- I break this up into several different layers, especially when the outfit is complicated.

6) I don't do many backgrounds yet, but the ones I have done, I normally can get by with 1 layer, sometimes two.

Then again, this is Paint  Shop Pro I'm dealing with, and no tablet either. So I have to be extra cautios and wary of lingering colors in areas where I don't want them. That's going to change in June though! Can't wait

I've only done 2 CGs so far, but I tend to use five to six layers.

They are (front layer first):
1) Line Art
2) Highlights/Extra Colors/Details/Eye Layer 3
3) Dark shading/Eye Layer 2
4) Light shading/Eye Layer 1
5) Background/Miscellaneous

I know it's overly simplistic and I'm very new to Photoshop CGing so I'm trying to get more layers going, but I'm not sure how much of a habit I'm already forming here.

*grin*  I use way too many - but I don't CG often.

1)outline/sketch
2)base colours
3)shading1
4)shading2
5)shading3
6)mid-highlights
7)white highlights


And then a whole bunch of other layers for different parts of the picture such as costume, background, detailed objects, etc.

Like I said - I don't do much in the way of CG.  It's more complicated than my detailed drawings, often. 

Errr- 20 for a normal pic AFTER I've colapsed most of the layers with a few bidy bits on it. I could go more- My computer has 1Gb memory, so it can handle it, but I try not to for the large processes like the blurs ^^;

holy crap arkillian! 20 after doing some merging?!

^^; Yeah? I'm not joking. 1.5Gb of memory and my computer DOES lag after  a while. 600dpi A4 images- It's worth it for me though. It doesn't feel free style enough if I don't do it. Most of it is filters and stuff, but alot is the lighting effects I have. I have to do them all on seperate layers, otherwise I just can't imagine what the light hits

It all depends on the art. Basically one layer per section That I paint. IE: skin, Armor, Weapons, Grass and so on. It makes it Easier to change something later on with out touching the rest. Oh yeah on something like armor I sometimes use 2-3 layers and merge them  when I'm done. But a warning to those that wanna try my way. You can get cunfused in the mess of layers but Thank God for "step Backwards"

I was just having this conversation on the phone with my brother's life partner (both my bro and his partner are artists)

I merge as I go so I don't have a HUGE file to deal with...

I start with basics.

Blank BG
Lineart layer
Hair
Skin
Clothes
Bits-n-bobs

I add layers to each of these base layers for highlight, midtone and shades and then merge down.

When I finish a section I merge that onto my "color" layer. that sits just above the background layer and under my line layer which is transparent apart from my inks.

Throughout the course of an image I'll use hundreds of layers but by the end they are all merged into one color layer at the end.

I end with 4 layers in this order:
Background
color
line
text

^_^

o.o That all depends on my mood, and the piece I'm working on.

Basicaly my layers are probably like such, if I want to make it spiff(or actualy try):

(top)
Line art
coloring (hair and thing more so in the front)
coloring(basic and things more so in the back)
Sketch
Back ground details (like swirls)
Background color (or gradient. I usualy have about 3 layers of gradients ^^,)
(bottom)

Usually I'm far too lazy for this though. *pops wrist* Bad, lazy Lasore... v.v Most of the time I only use two ofr three layers

(top)
Line art
Coloring
BG (if any)
(bottom)

my layers vary

Chibi stuff somewhere between 5-15

Normal stuff (such as my Jerusalem picture) at least 25

if I color something for somebody else I don't know yet... I'm currently working on a KH picture and it already has 60 layers!

My pic with the most layers so far.. had like.. 40-50 layers.. after finishing that pic.. I easily realized that was WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY too many layers e_e; I've learned to cut down greatly now and try to use maybe 6 or 7 or less even.

HAH! I'm not the only crazy person that uses 20 plus layers!! I guess I souldn't talk too loudly though- mine are all A4 600dpi.... I NEED my 1.5Gb memory to do my art ^^;

No, arkillian, you're not crazy to use 20 layers. I use... a lot more. But I use layer groups to do most of my work, so it makes it somewhat easier. I also merge a lot of layers.

I'll try to explain what I do with layers, based on this picture. This is going in reverse order, so you'll want to go to the bottom of this list to get the lowest layer.

60. Large highlights for eyes, guassian blur - linear dodge
59. Lines
58. Tattoo (the tattoo came in many pieces, each on a seperate layer, and they were all merged together)
55-57. Earrings w/ highlights - linear dodge
52-54. Earrings w/ shadows - multiply
51. Earrings
48-50. Shirt w/ highlights - linear dodge
45-47. Shirt w/ shadows - multiply
44. Shirt
Layers 39-43 were merged and a layer effect/property applied
42-43. Necklace w/ highlights - linear dodge
40-41. Necklace w/ shadows - multiply
39. Necklace Charm thinger
35-38. Hair w/ highlights - varies by type of highlight
30-34. Hair w/ shadows - multiply
29. Hair - Blue part
23-28. Hair w/ highlights - varies by type of highlight
19-22. Hair w/ shadows - multiply
18. Hair - Green part
15-17. Eyes w/ highlights - linear dodge
12-14. Eyes w/ shadows - multiply
11. Eyes
10. Whites of eyes
7-9. Skin w/ highlights, getting progressively more specific - set to linear/color dodge
4-6. Skin w/ shadows, getting progressively more specific - set to multiply
3. Skin
2. Pencil, set to 15-35% opacity to do lines, then turned off.
1. Background

...You know, this rather frighens me. I've never counted how many layers I've used before, but this is scary.

On May 13, 2006 11:08 am, SaikonoYume said:


Hmmmm- I usually hit 30 or more layers totally in a picture mostly cause I do the shading in mass- like I'll do shading for a full foreground or per person, but I do 1 layer highlight, 1 layer shading, and 1 layer black, cause gaussian blur takes out most of the shading usually, and I like contrast. I do this for every light sorce. I think you could do something similar. You don't have to blur everything together- you can select areas with a lasso tool.



Using this picture as an example of what I do, this is what it's comprised of

*(Top)- Dark Blue filter- to make the hues similar (difference)
*Layer of shinnyness you can only see in the high quality version ^^;
*Shading around the top corners to knock back the back ground
*Layer of darkest shading on male elf (luminosity)
*Fairy things glitter trail :3
*White water splashing up the elf's legs
*Fairy 'light'
*Shinny glow of flowers (gaussian blur makes it too transparent)
*Another shinny layer for flowers (I'm such a dork...)
*Line art
*reflection off water on elves
*Dark shade on female elf (luminosity)
*medium shading on female elf (luminosity)
*medium shading on male elf (luminosity)
*base colour for both elves
*Black knock back of trees in background (multiply)
*Off spray from water (vivid light)
*Knock back for water (with out these, they're too dominant )
*Water highlights
*Trees details
*knock back overall scenery (you CAN see some in the hig quality)
*Moon highlights
*Background base colours

This is a layer heavy picture for me, but that's only cause there was so many sources of light. Normally it isn't as many. I don't count layers till the end though cause alot of the time I make a new layer and merge it after doing a minor adjustment cause its quicker.

Blah- I'm starting to sound like I know what I'm doing... ^^;