Creating & Adding Layers

Layers are the building blocks of your image compositions in Fater's Image Editor. You can create new layers in several ways, each suited for different purposes in your workflow. All new layers are added to the currently active Layer Workspace.

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1. Adding an Empty Layer

• Purpose: Empty layers are transparent "canvases" that you can draw on using tools like the Pencil without affecting the pixels of other existing layers. They are also useful as a base for pasting content or for certain AI operations if you need a blank starting point within a specific area.

• How to Add:

  1. Navigate to the Layers Tab in the Right Sidebar.

  2. Click the + (Add New Layer) button (often with an ImagePlus icon) located at the top of the Layers Tab.

  3. A new, empty, transparent layer will be added to the top of your layer stack in the current workspace. It will occupy the actual bounding box space. (Placeholder: Add screenshot)

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2. Adding Uploaded Image Layers

• Purpose: To bring external images into your project as new layers, either as a base image, a new element for compositing, or as a reference.

• How to Add:

  • Drag & Drop onto Canvas: The simplest way. Drag an image file (e.g., .png, .jpg, .webp) directly from your computer folder and drop it onto the main Inpaint Canvas. Fater will automatically create a new layer containing this image. The new layer will respect it's content ratio, while being centered in the actual bounding box at the largest possible width or height.

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3. Adding Layers from AI Generation Results

• Purpose: When you use an AI model in the Image Editor to generate content (e.g., Text-to-Image, Inpainting), the results are typically added as new layers.

• How it Works:

  1. After an AI generation task completes, the first result is automatically added as a new layer at the top of your current layer stack, positioned appropriately (e.g., within the masked area for inpainting).

  2. Other results from the same batch appear as thumbnails in the Generation Task List. Clicking a different thumbnail will swap the automatically added layer with the newly selected result. (Placeholder: Add visual)

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4. Creating Layers by Merging

• Purpose: To combine the visual content of two adjacent layers into a single new layer, simplifying your layer stack.

• How to Merge:

  1. In the Layers Tab, identify the layer you want to merge down (the upper layer).

  2. Ensure there is a visible layer directly beneath it in the same workspace.

  3. On the upper layer's item in the list, click the Merge Down icon (Merge icon, often looks like two layers combining with a downward arrow - typically appears on hover if not the bottom-most layer).

  4. The two layers will be combined into a new layer that replaces the bottom one, and the original top layer is removed.

This is a destructive operation for the original two layers involved. Consider making layers copies first.

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5. Creating Layers from Masked Areas

• Purpose: To isolate a specifically masked part of your image onto its own new layer, allowing for independent adjustments or compositing.

• How to Create:

  1. Create a precise mask on your Inpaint Canvas using any of the Masking Tools.

  2. On the Inpaint Toolbar, click the Extract Masked Area to Layer icon (Scissors icon).

  3. Fater will copy the pixels from the visible layers within the masked area and place them onto a new layer, often with transparency around the extracted content.

If no area is masked, this action trigger an "AI Autocut" to attempt an automatic subject selection.

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Each method of adding layers serves different stages of the creative process, from setting up a base to integrating AI-generated content and refining your composition.