Layer Collections Proposal

[Herbert123]

The new version of Blender (v2. introduced a new concept to organize scenes: "Collections".

Check out the manual for a detailed explanation:
https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/late ... tions.html

Basically, Collections can work like a layer system, but the main difference is that the same objects can be part of multiple collections, and Collections can be part of one or more other Collections again.

So why would a similar "Layer Collections" feature in PhotoLine be extremely useful? Here are the reasons:

• PhotoLine in its current version lacks a "linked layer" option. It is not possible to arbitrarily link any layer anywhere in the layer stack to transform these all at once, for example, without selecting these manually first. A layer collection solves this with ease: any layer and group can belong to any collection. Select the collection, and the layers part of the collection will be selected and transformed.
• PhotoLine lacks a "Layer Comps" feature (Photoshop): a layer comp is a snapshot of a state of the layers panel. It records three types of layer options: layer visibility, layer transformation (position, rotation, scale, etc.) in a document, and layer appearance (whether a layer style is applied the layer and the layer's blend mode). Collections would solve this easily. Quick states of a document would be extremely useful for GUI design, for example. Or different versions of the same document. Great for fast client previewing as well.
• In Blender Collections also serve to control output (rendering): what is rendered for output, and what is not. In PhotoLine, a Collection could be used to define what is exported and printed from PhotoLine as well.
• Collections that are part of a Placeholder layer are listed in the layer properties panel. These can then be activated and de-activated for quick state control. (This is something Photoshop also supports with its layer comps.)
• Collections in which the same object have been organized in will override other Collections. For example, if one Collection is hidden, and the same object is part of another Collection that is visible, the object will still be displayed. Hide both Collections, and that object is hidden. Collections would override the natural layer stack visibility, transformation, and layer efffects/blend modes set for the objects part of a Collection when the Collection is activated.
• To better control the behaviour of Collections, controls could be added in the layer properties panel to control which layer properties are overridden. Visibility, layer effects, blend modes, and transformation could be set for each individual Collection.
• Adjustment layers could be part of a Collection as well. One Collection could include a colour to greyscale modification, again simplifying state control of a document. For example, a layer Collection "GUI" could contain all buttons backgrounds/colouring shapes, and adding a Hue Editor adjustment layer in that Collection would affect all of these to create a new GUI version with a different colour setup.
• Layer collections would provide an efficient and quick method to create multiple versions of the same document, and also provide a simple method to save the current "state", and experimenting with the positioning, transforming, and other properties. No longer would it be necessary to rely on the undo for these type of situations. And Layer Collections would be saved in the file.
• Layer Collections could be expanded to include parameters for the Channels, antialiasing, pixel snapping, etc.
• And last, but certainly not least: Layer Collections could be used to contain multiple guides systems, solving the issue of only having one set of guides visible at any one time. Guide setups could be saved in a Collection as well.

I imagine such "Layer Collections" could find many other applications in an image editor. It provides a higher-level abstraction to solve limitations which are inherent to the traditional layer stack system, but doesn't replace it: rather, it would expand and evolve it into something extremely powerful, way beyond the scope of the current layer stack implementation.

In my opinion PhotoLine offers one of the best layer stacks in the design world, and adding such a "Layer Collections" option would be the next step in its evolution. It would be a quite elegant solution to current limitations in PhotoLine and missing options compared to other image editors.

What do you think? I can create a quick mockup later.

[PhilM]

I support the idea Herbert has detailed.

But ! Let's not try to solve many problems with the same object.
The learning curve to layers oriented editors is steep.
Let's not make it too complicated for the average power user.

I see 3 use cases.

1 A collection similar to a Bill Of Material of the mechanical engineering : a list of layers needed to render the result.
It would help a lot in generating more than one rendering of the layers stack. A B&W version, a color version, HiKey, LowKey.
Just by selecting the layers to be used by the rendering engine.

2 A set of selected layers to be modified/transformed/scaled together.

3 A way to store versions of the stack.

But I see this as separate issues.
I don't believe we can achieve a simple solution with just one new object : collection.

I personally put my priority on the first use case.

Would love to discuss it further.
If my engineering experience can be helpful ...

Best regards

Philippe