Effects & filters
Per-layer effects (shadow, glow, stroke), per-asset image adjustments (Curves, Levels, HSL), and global filter presets.
There are three different "effect-y" systems in the editor — easy to confuse, but they live at different layers:
| System | Scope | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Layer effects | Per layer (or group) | layer.effects on every layer kind |
| Asset adjustments | Per asset layer | assetEditState on asset layers |
| Global filters / adjustments | Whole document | Adjust panel (filters, presets) |
#Layer effects
Applied to one layer's silhouette. Available:
- Drop shadow — color, blur, offset (x / y), opacity
- Inner shadow
- Outer glow
- Inner glow
- Stroke — outlined silhouette (color + width)
Effects render in the worker. The layer paints first, then effects composite on top of (or behind) the layer's alpha. Multiple effects stack in a defined order: outer → layer → inner → stroke.
Open the Effects panel (bottom or per-layer inspector) to toggle and tweak.
#Asset adjustments
Per-asset, non-destructive image processing. Open the Image Edit sheet on an asset layer (double-click the asset). Tabs:
#Curves
A standard curves editor: drag points on the diagonal to remap input → output luminance. Three channels:
- RGB (composite) — overall tone curve
- R / G / B individually — color grading
Curves are stored as control-point arrays — round-trip through .img cleanly.
#Levels
Black point, gamma, white point per channel. Histogram visualized live. Faster than curves for "fix exposure" — slower than curves for "creative grading."
#HSL Mixer
8 hue ranges (red / orange / yellow / green / aqua / blue / purple / magenta) × 3 sliders (hue shift / saturation / luminance). Used for selective color edits — "make the sky bluer without touching the trees."
#Filters
The Filters panel holds preset looks — black & white, sepia, cinematic, faded, etc. Filters apply on top of asset adjustments and effects, so you can stack them.
Filters are coarse-grained presets; for fine control, lean on Curves / Levels / HSL.
#Adjust panel
A simpler global adjustment surface — brightness, contrast, saturation, warmth, vibrance — applied as a top-level pass. This is what users coming from "Image Editor" mode (the original simpler mode) expect.
#Tips
- Use layer effects for design, asset adjustments for photos. Drop shadow on a logo → layer effect. Punching up an underexposed photo → asset adjustments.
- Watch performance with too many shadows. A 10-stop dropshadow on every layer is expensive. Group similar layers and apply effects to the group instead.
- Effects are non-destructive. Toggling them off restores the layer exactly. They're rendered, never baked into the layer's pixels (until you flatten / export).