Finding layers fast: filter bar, isolate and clean-up

A poster or a composite can end up with a hundred layers. Scrolling up and down the Layers panel looking for the one with a typo in it gets old quickly. Paint by Zaweba has a few features aimed squarely at that: a filter bar to narrow what the panel shows, ways to isolate layers, and a clean-up command for the mess that builds up along the way.

The filter bar

Under the Layers panel header sits a filter bar. Choose what you want to see and the panel shows only those layers. You can filter by kind of layer, such as text or shape. You can show only layers with Layer Art, with filters or with masks. You can show visible, hidden, locked, linked or clipped layers. You can pick a blend mode and see only the layers that use it. You can filter by colour tag. And there's a name search.

Each of these answers a real question. Which layers have effects on them? Filter by Layer Art. Where's the layer with Multiply mode that's making everything dark? Filter by that mode. Which layers did I hide and forget? Filter by hidden. Where's the headline? Type part of its name.

Colour tags pay off here. If you tag all the layers of one part of a design with the same colour, the filter bar can show just that part in a moment.

Isolating layers

Select > Isolate Layers isolates the selected layers, so you can focus on them while the rest of the document stays out of the way.

Alt+click on a layer's eye icon shows that layer alone, hiding all the others. It's the quickest way to see exactly what's on one layer, which helps when you're not sure which layer some stray pixel belongs to.

Clean Up

Layer > Clean Up gathers a few tidy-up jobs. It can delete hidden layers, delete empty layers, flatten masks or Layer Art into the layers, and reverse the order of layers.

Empty layers creep in when you add a layer to try something and never paint on it. Hidden layers pile up when you keep alternatives around. Both make a file bigger and the panel harder to read. Before you hand a file to someone else or archive it, deleting them is worthwhile.

Flattening masks or Layer Art is more of a final step. Do it when a design is finished and you need simpler layers, for example before passing a file to someone who only needs the result. Once flattened, the mask or effect can't be edited, so keep a copy of the editable version.

Reversing order is a niche job, but when you've built a stack upside down it saves a lot of dragging.

A tidy routine

When a document gets busy, a short routine helps. Use the filter bar to find hidden layers and decide whether each is still needed. Delete the ones that aren't, or let Clean Up do it. Search by name for anything unnamed and give it a sensible name. Then tag related layers with a colour so you can filter by them later.

Layers that seem to vanish

Leaving a filter on is the trap. If layers seem to have vanished from the panel, check the filter bar before you panic. They're still in the document; they're just not being shown.

Deleting hidden layers without a look is the second. Some hidden layers are deliberate alternatives you'll want later. Filter by hidden and check them first.

And don't flatten Layer Art on your only copy. Live effects are one of the main reasons to work in layers, so save the editable file before you simplify it.

None of these features change your picture's look. They change how quickly you can find your way around it, which on a big document is a large part of the work in Paint by Zaweba.