Chapter 6: Layers, Locks, and Properties

Layers let you edit parts of a drawing independently. In this chapter we’ll use the Layers docker to hide a layer, soften it, change how it blends, lock it, and protect its painted shape with Alpha Lock.

Start in the Layers docker

Open a layer’s properties

Select a layer in the Layers docker on the right. To see its full properties, right-click the layer and choose Properties. The exact icons shown in each row can vary with Krita versions and workspace layout.

Krita Layer Properties dialog for Paint Layer 1. A callout explains that checking Locked prevents modifications to the layer. The dialog also shows opacity, blending mode, visibility, Inherit Alpha, Alpha Locked, and active color channels. — **Layer Properties at a glance.** The yellow outline marks **Locked**. When you check it, Krita prevents modifications to that layer until you unlock it. This is different from Alpha Lock, which still lets you paint on existing pixels.

Name and organize layers

Double-click a layer name to rename it. Clear names make it easier to select the right part of the picture. Names such as Outline, Color, Shading, and Background are easier to scan than several rows called Paint Layer 2.

Drag layers up or down in the stack to change which artwork appears in front. Drag related layers into a group to keep the list tidy. You can also right-click a layer and assign a color label to help find related layers.

Visibility and layer opacity

Eye icon / Visible: click it to show or hide that layer. This is a quick way to compare a change with the original.
Opacity: lower the layer’s opacity to make all its contents more transparent. Return it to 100% for full strength.
Blending mode: controls how the layer’s colors combine with the layers below. Start with Normal. Multiply is often useful for darkening shadows; Screen can lighten for highlights.

Layer opacity affects the whole layer. Brush opacity affects only strokes you paint. If the entire drawing fades when you adjust opacity in the Layers docker, that is expected.

Two different locks

Krita has a general layer lock and an Alpha Lock. They solve different problems:

Lock the layer to protect everything on it

Turn on Locked (the padlock control) when you want to prevent accidental changes to that layer. You can still select and view it, but you cannot paint on or modify its contents until you unlock it.

Use Alpha Lock to protect the painted silhouette

Turn on Alpha Locked for a paint layer to keep its transparent pixels transparent. New paint stays on the pixels that already have content. This is handy for recoloring or shading an existing shape without painting beyond its edges.

See Alpha Lock on a real layer

These screenshots compare three states. The checkerboard represents transparent pixels. A full layer lock prevents all edits. With both locks off, you can paint on transparent or painted parts. Alpha Lock protects transparent pixels from new paint while leaving existing painted pixels editable.

Krita with panda_krita.kra open. Paint Layer 2 is selected and layer lock is on. An image label says that edits are blocked. — **1. Layer lock on.** This lock protects the entire layer from modifications. Unlock it before painting or changing that layer.

A magenta test stroke crosses from the panda's black arm onto transparent checkerboard area of Paint Layer 2. Both layer lock and Alpha Lock are off. — **2. No locks.** The magenta test stroke reaches transparent parts of the layer. Both the general layer lock and Alpha Lock are off.

With Alpha Lock enabled on Paint Layer 2, the magenta test stroke appears only over existing painted pixels and does not cross into transparent areas. — **3. Alpha Lock on.** Transparent pixels are protected from painting; the existing painted pixels remain editable. That keeps the new stroke inside the panda’s silhouette.

Quick way to remember: layer lock protects the whole layer from editing; Alpha Lock protects the layer’s transparency while still letting you paint over its existing pixels.

Inherit Alpha: clip one layer to the layers below

Inherit Alpha uses the visible pixels of layers below it in the same group as a clipping boundary. For example, a shading layer can inherit alpha from a base-color layer so the shading stays inside the shape. It is different from Alpha Lock: Alpha Lock constrains painting on the same layer, while Inherit Alpha clips a separate layer to content below it.

Put the base color and shading layer together in a group, keep the base color below the shading, and turn on Inherit Alpha for the shading layer. You can create a clipping group by selecting the relevant paint layers, right-clicking, and choosing Group → Quick Clipping Group. Avoid using a full-page white Background as the clipping base, because it fills the whole canvas area.

Watch the clipping group take shape

This demo uses a green circle as the base shape and a red circle on a separate layer. The checkerboard around them is transparent canvas. Follow the sequence to see how the group and Inherit Alpha work together.

Krita canvas with a large green circle and a smaller red circle overlapping it. In the Layers docker, each circle is on a separate paint layer and they are not yet in a clipping group. — **1. Two separate layers.** The red circle overlaps the green circle, but each shape is independent.

The layer context menu is open in Krita, with Group expanded and Quick Clipping Group visible as an option. — **2. Choose Quick Clipping Group.** Right-click the selected paint layers, open **Group**, then choose **Quick Clipping Group**.

The Layers docker now shows Group 3 containing the red Paint Layer 2 above the green Paint Layer 1. Both circles still appear as separate overlapping shapes on the canvas. — **3. The layers are grouped.** The red layer is above the green base layer inside Group 3. The red shape still keeps its original outline at this point.

The red shape is clipped to the green circle. The Layers docker shows the red Paint Layer 2 above the green Paint Layer 1 in Group 3, with Inherit Alpha enabled on the red layer. — **4. Turn on Inherit Alpha for the red layer.** The red paint is now visible only where the green base layer has pixels. The red layer remains separate and editable, but its transparent area outside the green circle is clipped.

Other settings you can leave as they are

The Layer Properties dialog also shows the color space, profile, dimensions, and active color channels. For ordinary painting, leave the active Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha channels enabled. The default color space and profile are fine for this exercise.

If a layer will not change

You cannot paint: check whether the layer is locked and whether the correct layer is selected.
Your paint only appears on existing marks: Alpha Lock may be on. Turn it off to paint on transparent parts of the layer.
A layer disappeared: check its eye icon and make sure another layer is not covering it.
The result looks unexpectedly dark or bright: set the layer’s blending mode back to Normal.

Protect, adjust, and organize your layers.