Add layers and masks

A layer holds a set of develop controls. A mask says where the layer applies. To edit one part of a photo, add a layer, mask it, then move the controls.

Open the Layers pane

Click the layers button in the pane bar. The pane floats over the top left of the canvas. Drag the header to move it. Click the cross to close it.

Every photo starts with one layer, Base render. It covers every pixel, and you cannot mask it. The controls in the sidebar belong to the layer you select in the pane.

The Layers pane over the canvas. It holds one row, Base render, with the caption “No adjustments”. The sidebar reads “No mask, the layer covers every pixel” and “Layer 1 of 1”.

Add a layer

Click the plus in the Layers pane header. Fotometis adds the layer above the one you selected, then selects the new layer.

A new layer starts with no adjustments and no mask, so it changes nothing yet. The row shows the name, Layer 2, and a switch that hides the layer.

Layer 2 above Base render in the Layers pane, both with the caption “No adjustments”. The sidebar reads “No mask, the layer covers every pixel” with an Add mask button, an Opacity slider at 100, and the develop controls.

Add a mask

Click Add mask in the sidebar. The mask editor replaces the develop controls. Pick a tool under Add to mask.

Tool	What it selects	Controls
Linear	A straight gradient, full at one end and none at the other.	Feather, Amount
Radial	An ellipse, covered inside and softer outside.	Feather, Spread, Amount
Brush	The paths you paint on the photo.	Feather, Amount
Color	Every pixel near one color.	Range, Refine, Amount
Luma	Every pixel in a band of brightness.	A band, Falloff, Amount
Depth	Every pixel in a band of distance from the camera.	A band, Falloff, Amount
Subject	Whatever stands out from its background.	Refine, Shift, Amount
Sky	The sky, cut around whatever stands in front of it.	Refine, Shift, Amount

Each tool has its own controls, so the editor draws only the controls the tool uses.

The editor calls each shape a component. Overlay tints the covered pixels so you can see the mask on the photo. The three circles beside it set the color of the tint. Red, green, and white are there because no one color stays legible over every photo.

Aim the mask

Some tools need direct aiming on the photo.

Drag the handles of a linear gradient. The filled handle is full strength, and the open handle is none.
Drag the handles of a radial gradient. The filled handle on the rim also turns the ellipse.
Drag on the photo to paint with the Brush. Hold ⌥ to erase.
Click the photo to pick the color for a Color range.
Subject and Sky need no aiming. Fotometis finds the region for you.

The mask editor with one Linear gradient component that adds to the mask, the eight tools under ADD TO MASK, and the Feather and Amount sliders. On the canvas, the gradient runs top to bottom with a handle at each end, and the covered part carries the red overlay. A badge reads “Composite mask, 1 component”.

Combine masks

A mask holds more than one component. Each component says what it does to the mask under it. The modes are add (+), subtract (−), and intersect (∩).

Add the second shape from Add to mask.
Click the glyph at the left of the row to cycle the mode.

Hold ⌥ while you add a shape to subtract it instead of adding it.

Each row also holds two buttons. The circle with a slash inverts the component. The cross deletes it.

In this example, the linear gradient covers the top of the photo. The depth range takes the near trees back out of it, so the layer reaches the mountain and the sky alone.

The mask editor with two components. Linear gradient adds to the mask, and Depth range is taken out of it. The depth band runs from 0 to 82, with Falloff at 30 and Amount at 100. A badge on the canvas reads “Composite mask, 2 components”.

Edit the layer

Click Done. The develop controls come back, and they now apply only inside the mask. The sidebar names the mask above them, with the number of components and an Edit button.

Opacity sets how much of the layer reaches the photo. The row in the Layers pane lists the groups the layer touches, for example “White Balance · Tone”.

Layer 2 selected. The sidebar reads “Linear gradient, 1 component” with an Edit button, an Opacity slider, and the develop controls. Temperature is 6,600 K and Exposure is -1.63 EV. The top of the photo is warmer and darker.

Order the layers

Fotometis develops the stack from the bottom to the top. Base render runs first. Each layer above it works on the result of the layers below.

You cannot drag a row to reorder the stack. Ask the assistant to reorder the layers, or to rename one. See Prompt the assistant.

To hide a layer, turn off the switch in its row. To delete a layer, right click the row, then click Delete Layer. You cannot delete Base render.

Ask the assistant for a mask

The assistant reaches the same layers and masks that you do. Describe the region and the change in one request. For example:

“create a layer mask linear gradient from top to bottom, darken the top of the photo”
“increase exposure on the subject and decrease highlights”
“lower the brightness of the sky”

The assistant adds the layer, builds the mask, then moves the controls. See Prompt the assistant.