Merge Layers + Retain visual Look

[diarrhea]

I'm currently working on a design and come to a point where I want to optimize my work. I have two layers both have its blend mode set to "Overlay".

The top one is at 40% opacity and the second one is at 19% opacity. My question is... How do I merge the two and yet still retain the look that I see on screen? It perfectly fine if both Layers are identical in terms of blending mode and opacity, but when both are different I have a hard time collapsing the two together so that they look exactly what I saw before collapsing it. I've been living with this for a long time but now I need to know a solution to this.

Is it possible?

 

[edgework]

I'm currently working on a design and come to a point where I want to optimize my work. I have two layers both have its blend mode set to "Overlay".

The top one is at 40% opacity and the second one is at 19% opacity. My question is... How do I merge the two and yet still retain the look that I see on screen? It perfectly fine if both Layers are identical in terms of blending mode and opacity, but when both are different I have a hard time collapsing the two together so that they look exactly what I saw before collapsing it. I've been living with this for a long time but now I need to know a solution to this.

Is it possible?

I'm assuming there is a third layer beneath the two Overlay layers. Turn that layer off. Use Merge Visible. The resulting layer will be in Normal mode and 100% opacity, but the actual fill will reflect the original opacity of the previous two layers. Reset this merged layer to Overlay and you should see an identical effect.

 

[Welles]

Another possible solution is to add a new blank layer, link the three and then merge linked. That'll do it, I believe. I have to do that regularly with complex styled layers.

 

[C9Mouse]

I run into this problem a lot and the best solution I have found is to make a new layer and then Stamp Visible (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E), which merges a copy of all visible layers into the current layer (the new one you created).

Hope this helps.

- dc

 

[Rantin Al]

Alternative recipe, same flavour.

Top layer active:

Select > All, (Command + A)
Copy merged, (Command + shift + C)
Paste, (Command + V)

This creates a new layer and pastes the final into a new layer.
It retains the construction layers for re-editing if required.
Just flatten the image if absolutely final.

(Substitute Control for Command on PC)

Cheers, Al.

 

[diarrhea]

Thank you for reply.

I just tried all method mentioned and have close look at the pixel and it seems very different. This is harder than I thought. For that I've attached a psd file for you to experiment. My goal is to merge the two overlay layers into one in such a way that it retain the look and still be able to move this merged layer around or into another document.

Edit: I don't think there's a solution to this. Suppose overlay1 filled with colour A and overlay2 filled with colour B. Once you merged the two together you have a whole new colour and let's call it C. Since C being a new colour from merging, setting its blending mode to overlay would result in a different colour! than to have (A overlay B) and overlay the bottom layer. Which is very different from C overlay the bottom layer. IF that's hard to understand. How about this: You're trying to put two different pixel into one pixel.

 

[Welles]

I have to admit, I don't think there is a solution either. I just tried and while the results are sort of close the merged former overlay layers just don't have the same effect on an identical background layer no matter what I tried. |

 

[Rantin Al]

When you merge the 'Overlay' layers, the resultant is set to Normal and 100% Opacity by default. The merged layers may have transparency but the actual layer is set to 100%.

It is usually better to retain the layers until you have finalised the image.

Cheers, Al.

 

[Erik]

Overlay is the opposite of Hard Light. Both ignore medium grey, but overlay uses the data of the underlying layer to nfluence the brightness of the top layer.

So I tried placing two layers filled with medium grey (128,128,128) each one below one of your overlay layers. And setting the one between the two overlays to Hard Light . Making the background invisible, I merged those four layers. When I then looked at your result, flattened, and the one I created, also flattened (I only have your background and one layer, like you asked) on a layer on top of it and set to difference, all I got was black. There seems to be no difference. At 1600% there was a *very* slight hue on some pixels, but that is due to the fact that all calculations must end somewhere.

 

[diarrhea]

I agreed with Erik, the different are very subtle. It's just a slight change in brightness (in my case). I guess I was going after perfection. As of now, I think the way to do it (optimize layers) is to create a folder layer and place the two overlay layers into it. Or just make a backup and flatten it or flatten into a new layer and start experimenting with that layer.

Thank you all for putting your time into this. It was an eye opener for me.

 

[SCync]

Erik, I just want to compliment you on such an insightful solution to what is a common, but aggravating situation. This goes into my "Bag'o'tricks"

Thanks Mate. :}