---
title: "Layers"
canonical: "https://documentation.chaos.com/space/VRAYHOUDINI/113279156/Layers"
format: markdown
---
This page contains information on the Layers panel in V-Ray Frame Buffer.
## **Overview**
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## **Layers Menu**
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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.
| | |
| --- | --- |
|  | Creates a layer. Multiple layers of the same type can be added.
**Folder** – Allows grouping multiple layers.
**Vignette **– Adds a vignetting effect to the image.
**ICC Profile **– The ICC correction allows you to apply an ICC profile to the image, so that (for example) it matches the appearance of the image in Adobe PhotoShop.
**Filmic Tonemap** – Contains different types of mapping curves and gamma corrections. Also allows selection of a color space.
**Lookup Table** – A Lookup Table layer allows loading a LUT file for color transformations.
**Curves** – Adds a Curves color correction layer.
**Color Balance** – Adds a Color Balance color correction layer.
**Hue/Saturation** – Adds a Hue/Saturation color correction layer.
**White** **Balance** – Adds a White Balance color correction layer.
**Exposure** – Adds an Exposure color correction layer.
**Constant** – Adds a solid color that can be used to achieve an effect on another layer (for example to multiply by the constant).
**Render** **Element** – Selects a render element from your image that you can use in compositing. This is only available when the **Source** layer is set to **Composite**.
**Background** – Adds a background color correction layer.
**Integer mask element** – [Mask](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VRAYHOUDINI/pages/113278990) is used with integer render elements like VRayRenderID, VRayObjectID, and VRayMtlID Render Elements.
**MultiMatte mask element** – Mask is based on the MultiMatte Render Element.
**Image alpha mask** – Mask is based on the rendered Alpha channel.
**Cryptomatte mask element** – Mask is based on the VRayCryptyomatte Render Element.
**Proportion Guides** – Adds a proportion guide layer. |
|  | Deletes the selected layer(s). |
|  | Saves a layer tree preset. |
|  | Loads a layer tree preset. |
|  | Quick access to custom layer presets. You must set the path to it in the VFB Settings. |
|  | Undo various actions related to layers such as create, delete, reorder or modify a layer. |
|  | Redo various actions related to layers such as create, delete, reorder or modify a layer. |
| **Command** | **Description** |
| --- | --- |
| Reset | Resets all changes done to the selected layer. |
| Save | Saves the layer as a preset. |
| Load | Loads a preset for the selected layer. |
| Delete | Deletes the selected layer. |
| Save as LUT | Bakes all the color corrections to a LUT file. |
| New Layer | Creates a new layer. |
| Duplicate | Duplicates the selected layer. |
| Blend Modes | Specifies how the selected layer blends with the result from all layers below it. |
> ✅ 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 **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.
## **Blend modes**
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> ✅ When adding a new layer, it is placed on top of the stack and it is considered the foreground (**FG**).
> ✅
> ✅ The result of all layers below it is considered the background (**BG**). Layers are applied from the bottom to the top.
> ✅
> ✅ Where darker and lighter pixels are mentioned below, it is in relation to mid-grey.
| **Blend Mode****[*](#asterisksNote)** | **Description** |
| --- | --- |
| **Overwrite** | Displays the current layer (**FG**) on top of all layers (**BG**) without blending. This is the default. |
| **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**. |
| **Darken** | Compares the **FG** to the **BG** and takes the darker pixel values of the two. |
| **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. |
| **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.
## **Proportion Guides**
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## **Stamp**
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## **Masks**
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## **Display Correction**
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> ℹ️ Normally you would specify the ICC file for your calibrated monitor here. Programs like PhotoShop display images using your (primary) monitor's ICC profile automatically. However (at least for the moment), Houdini is not a color-managed application and you must manually load the monitor ICC profile into the V-Ray frame buffer in order to match the appearance of your images in PhotoShop.
> ℹ️ The Display Correction layer cannot be removed or reordered. It is always applied on top of all other layers, as it specifies the display color space of the resulting image or composite in the frame buffer.
> ⚠️ The Exposure slider in the Display Correction layer is only for display purposes and is not saved when writing to files.
### **OpenColorIO (OCIO)**
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## **ICC**
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## **ICC Profile**
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## **Source**
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### **LightMix Mode**
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**LightMix Features**
## **Lens Effects**
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## **Sharpen/Blur**
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## **Denoiser**
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## **Vignette**
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## **Background**
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## **Constant**
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## **Exposure**
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## **White Balance**
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## **Hue/Saturation**
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## **Color Balance**
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## **Curves**
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> ✅ To create a point, select the **Picker**, then go to **Render** **View** and click. Hold click + mouse move to create and move the point.
> ⚠️ When working with .acv files, some approximations are performed because the curves in the .acv files are described by a different mathematical formulas.
## **Lookup Table**
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## **Filmic Tonemap**
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### **Example: Filmic Tonemap Layer Added**
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### **Example: Filmic Tonemap Types**
## **Notes**
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- Color corrections in RGB mode are applied to all Beauty render elements and some Utility render elements too. They are not applied to render elements that present masks or hold geometry or computational data for the rendered frame.