--- title: "Layers" canonical: "https://documentation.chaos.com/space/VMAX/113588521/Layers" format: markdown --- ## **Layers Menu** --- Commands available for the Layers panel are located at the top of the panel. Press on the icons to see the expanded list of commands for the stacked buttons. --- > ✅ Color correction layers like Exposure and White Balance can be applied to a single layer instead of the entire composite. > ✅ > ✅ You can do that by selecting a layer and then adding a new correction or by dragging the correction layer to another layer until an arrow icon appears. The **Stamp**, **Display** **Correction**, **Sharpen/Blur**, **Denoiser**, **Lens** **Effects, Backgrounds and Foregrounds **and **Source** layers are listed in the Layers panel by default to any rendered image. Their order cannot be changed. Layers can be disabled from the visibility icon ( ), reordered, nested, stacked in folders, etc. Disabled layers are indicated by the  icon. Corrections are applied from the bottom to the top, except for nested layers, which are executed after their parent. > ℹ️ Color corrections and the denoiser channel are saved in the output image just like they are applied in the VFB. > ℹ️ > ℹ️ Adjustments made to the Display Correction layer are only applied for preview purposes in the VFB. Display corrections are usually saved for 8-bit image formats like JPEG and PNG and not to EXR files, which are expected to be linear. > ℹ️ **V-Ray 7** provides precise parameter slider movement with the CTRL key and step-sliding using the SHIFT key. > ℹ️ Layers are only saved to .exr and .vrimg files written through V-Ray's own output. The output in Render Setup > Common tab is written by 3ds Max so .exr files saved from there do not have Layers saved. > ℹ️ > ℹ️ When saving layers to an exr/vrimg file, V-Ray writes a flag indicating whether the color corrections are baked in the RGB channel. For example, if you save an exr from the VFB File menu > Save all image channels to single file option, V-Ray creates an .exr file with corrections baked in. It also saves the layers as metadata and the flag that corrections are baked in. When loading images into the Frame Buffer, V-Ray checks if the image has corrections baked (using the flag), and if such are found, the layers are not loaded because this causes double correction. > ✅ If you want to keep the layers that come with the Max scene, turn the **Auto Load Layers** option off from VFB > Options > History tab. If you want to load layers from an external image, enable the **Auto Load Layers** option and check how you save those images. ## **Stamp** --- > Macro (anchor) ## **Display Correction** --- > Macro (anchor) ### **OpenColorIO (OCIO)** --- ## **Source** --- ### **LightMix Mode** --- --- --- ## **Blend modes** --- > ℹ️ When adding a new layer, it is placed on top of the stack and it is considered the foreground (**FG**). > ℹ️ > ℹ️ The result of all layers below it is considered the background (**BG**). Layers are applied from the bottom to the top. > ℹ️ > ℹ️ Where darker and lighter pixels are mentioned below, it is in relation to mid-grey. | **Blend Mode****[*](#bits)** | **Description** | | | --- | --- | --- | | **Overwrite** | Displays the current layer (**FG**) on top of all layers (**BG**) without blending. This is the default. | | | **Normal** | Blends the alpha of the VRayMtlSelect render element's material and other layers. *See the **[Notes](#Notes)** for more information.* | | | **Average** | The average of the current layer (**FG**) and the result from the layers below it (**BG**). | | | **Add** | Adds the **FG** to the **BG**. | | | **Subtract** | Subtracts the **FG** from the **BG**. Does not affect completely black areas. | | | **Divide** | Subtracts the **BG **from the **FG**. Dark areas of the render are brightened, while bright areas of the render are not changed significantly. Does not affect completely white areas. | | | **Darken** | Compares the **FG** to the **BG** and takes the darker pixel values of the two. | | | **Multiply** | Multiplies the **FG** by the **BG**. | | | **Color Burn** | The color of the **FG** is applied to darker pixels in the **BG**. | | | **Linear Burn** | Same as **Color Burn** but with less contrast. | | | **Lighten** | Compares the **FG** to the **BG** and takes the lighter of the two. | | | **Screen** | Makes both light and dark areas lighter. | | | **Pin Light** | Replaces the **BG** colors depending on the brightness of the **FG** color. If the **FG** color is lighter than mid-gray, **BG** colors darker than the **FG** color are replaced and vice versa. | | | **Difference** | Compares the pixels in the **BG** and **FG** and subtracts the darker pixels from the brighter ones. | | | **Exclusion** | Same as **Difference** but with less contrast. | | | **Hue** | Uses the hue from the **FG**, while the value and saturation are taken from the **BG**. | | | **Saturation** | Uses the saturation from the **FG**, while the value and hue are taken from the **BG**. | | | **Color** | Uses the hue and saturation from the **FG**, while the value is taken from the **BG**. | | | **Value** | Uses the value from the **FG**, while the hue and saturation are taken from the **BG**. | | | **Hard Mix (8bit)** | Adds the **FG** to the **BG** and for each color component returns a value of 255 if the result is 255 or greater, or returns 0 if the result is less than 255. | | | **Color Dodge (8bit)** | The color of the **FG** is applied to lighter pixels in the **BG**. | | | **Linear Dodge (8bit)** | Same as **Color Dodge** but with less contrast. | | | **Spotlight (8bit)** | Same as **Multiply**, but with twice the brightness. | | | **Spotlight Blend (8bit)** | Same as **Spotlight**, but additionally brightens the **BG**. | | | **Overlay (8bit)** | Darker pixels become darker where the **BG** is dark and brighter pixels become brighter where the **BG** is bright. | | | **Soft Light (8bit)** | Darker pixels become darker where the **FG** is dark and brighter pixels become brighter where the **FG** is bright. | | | **Hard Light (8bit)** | **Spotlight** is applied to pixels where the **FG** is dark and **Screen** is applied to pixels where the **FG** is bright. | | > Macro (anchor) *  All 8-bit blend modes clamp colors to a maximum value of 1.0. ## **Vignette** --- ## **Lens Effects** --- ## **Filmic Tonemap** --- --- #### **Example: Filmic Tonemap Layer Added** ## **Sharpen/Blur** --- ## **Foregrounds and Backgrounds** --- ## **Denoiser** --- ## **Lookup Table** --- ## **Curves** --- > ✅ To create a point, select the **Picker**, then go to **Render View** and click. Hold click + mouse move to create and move the point. > ℹ️ When working with .acv files, some approximations are performed because the curves in the .acv files are described by a different mathematical formulas. ## **Color Balance** --- ## **Hue/Saturation** --- ## **White Balance** --- ## **Exposure** --- ## **Constant** --- ## **Image** --- ## **Masks** --- --- ## **Proportion Guide** ---