Still working my way around this great program - still wondering if I am proceeding in the most logical manner.

Example: I captured an image of my daughter sitting in the bow of our boat. Sky is cloudless, sun is on her left right coming in at probably 10:00 over her shoulder.

Best exposure leaves her body a bit on the underexposed side, the sky a bit overexposed.

In Gimp, I copy the background layer and set it to screen mode, then add a layer mask that hides this layer so I can paint the additional exposure onto her body.

Next, I'd like to add another layer and follow similar steps that will allow me to darken the sky.

My question: Is the proper procedure to merge the first copied layer to the background before adding the second (I've been doing this), or is there a way to add that second layer without it negating what I've already accomplished using the first layer copy?

I'm a bit hazy on this. Obviously, if I flatten the first copy, I can no longer go back and fix it unless I go into the history or undo everything back to that point.

In my mind, I view a layer stack where I might go back and tweak just the fourth of some twenty layers, but when I try that approach, I find that subsequent layers either obscure or alter the visible results obtained by previous layers.

More advice needed and much appreciated.

Thanks.

Caruso

Thanks for both of these helpful replies. Rolf, I have already downloaded episode 69, will have to work through it again, as, although it deals with layers, I did not connect that session with the question which I posted above.

Saulgoode, I'll also have to try your suggestion step by step - it looks very promising.

Thanks again to each of you.

Caruso

Quoting Carusoswi :
:
:

In Gimp, I copy the background layer and set it to screen mode, then add

a

layer mask that hides this layer so I can paint the additional exposure

onto

her body.

Next, I'd like to add another layer and follow similar steps that will

allow

me to darken the sky.

My question: Is the proper procedure to merge the first copied layer to

the

background before adding the second (I've been doing this), or is there a

way

to add that second layer without it negating what I've already

accomplished

using the first layer copy?

If you create a duplicate of your original layer (placed at the top of the layerstack) and add an inverted copy of your layermask to that duplicate layer, no changes made to that duplicate layer will "negate" what you've already accomplished.

Steps: 1) Duplicate original layer
2) Move duplicate to top of layerstack 3) Right-click on your Screen Mode layer and perform "Mask to Selection" 4) Right-click on your duplicate (top) layer and perform "Add Layer Mask" -- checking the "Invert Mask" box and choosing "Initialize Layer Mask To: Selection"

I'm stumped.
I duplicated my background layer, set the duplicate to screen mode, added a layer mask, edited that mask, copied that layer (it defaults to the top position in the layer stack), I right clicked on my first duplicate layer, but find "Mask to Selection" greyed out. What did I do wrong?

Thanks

Caruso

Steps:
1) Duplicate original layer
2) Move duplicate to top of layerstack 3) Right-click on your Screen Mode layer and perform "Mask to Selection" 4) Right-click on your duplicate (top) layer and perform "Add Layer Mask" -- checking the "Invert Mask" box and choosing "Initialize Layer Mask To: Selection"