when merging a layer style, the appearance of the style degrades

Has anyone else noticed this effect? Where you have a layer style applied (such as a glass effect with a shadow), and when you flatten that layer to merge the style with the layer contents, the appearance of the style changes for the worse? It may become rough and pixelly around the edges, or lose much of the colour depth within the shape, or the shadow may become dense and flat rather than translucent...

I have noticed this time and again, and it is disappointing. Sometimes the only way i can retain the style appearance is to take a screenshot of the unflattened image, and then open that in PS and use it rather than flattening that portion of my original artwork

Can anyone suggest a solution to this irritating and puzzling problem?

steph

Has anyone else noticed this effect? Where you have a layer style applied (such as a glass effect with a shadow), and when you flatten that layer to merge the style with the layer contents, the appearance of the style

changes

for the worse?

It souldn't do this if you are zoomed in to 100% in the image. If you are zoomed OUT, it may SEEm to change, because Photoshop handles zooming of different types of layers differently--but if you're zoomed in to 100%, the flattened and unflattened versions should have the same appearance.

or the shadow may become dense
and flat rather than translucent...

This will happen if you merge a shadow that is in Multiply mode with another layer--because the entire layer's mode is changed to Normal. Merging layers is not the same as flattening. If you flatten the entire image, the appearance will not change. If you merge diffeent layers together, and those layers have different blending modes, the appearance WILL change--because it is impossible to have part of a layer in one blending mode (like "multiply") and part of a layer in a different blending mode (like "normal"). --
Rude T-shirts for a rude age: http://www.villaintees.com Art, literature, shareware, polyamory, kink, and more:
http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

i see thank you that makes perfect sense
:)

"Tacit" wrote in message

Has anyone else noticed this effect? Where you have a layer style applied (such as a glass effect with a shadow), and when you flatten that layer to merge the style with the layer contents, the appearance of the style

changes

for the worse?

It souldn't do this if you are zoomed in to 100% in the image. If you are zoomed OUT, it may SEEm to change, because Photoshop handles zooming of different types of layers differently--but if you're zoomed in to 100%,

the

flattened and unflattened versions should have the same appearance.

or the shadow may become dense
and flat rather than translucent...

This will happen if you merge a shadow that is in Multiply mode with

another

layer--because the entire layer's mode is changed to Normal. Merging

layers is

not the same as flattening. If you flatten the entire image, the

appearance

will not change. If you merge diffeent layers together, and those layers

have

different blending modes, the appearance WILL change--because it is

impossible

to have part of a layer in one blending mode (like "multiply") and part of

a

layer in a different blending mode (like "normal"). --
Rude T-shirts for a rude age: http://www.villaintees.com Art, literature, shareware, polyamory, kink, and more:
http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

BUT, no matter what, you shouldn't have to use a screenshot to get what you want....try this....

Hide all layers except those you want to combine or flatten... make sure you have one of the visible layers selected
then choose COPY MERGED from the edit menu, and paste THAT as a new layer and then hide or delete the layers you copied from-
This will flatten your layer style(s) into a new layer in normal mode--- which can sometimes be useful when you are trying to combine layers of disparate blend modes.
Then you can turn the other layers back on and continue......

(if you link and just hide the original layers that you copied, rather than deleting them, if you need to make changes later, no data is lost)

"steph" wrote in message

i see thank you that makes perfect sense
:)

"Tacit" wrote in message

Has anyone else noticed this effect? Where you have a layer style

applied

(such as a glass effect with a shadow), and when you flatten that layer to merge the style with the layer contents, the appearance of the style

changes

for the worse?

It souldn't do this if you are zoomed in to 100% in the image. If you

are

zoomed OUT, it may SEEm to change, because Photoshop handles zooming of different types of layers differently--but if you're zoomed in to 100%,

the

flattened and unflattened versions should have the same appearance.

or the shadow may become dense
and flat rather than translucent...

This will happen if you merge a shadow that is in Multiply mode with

another

layer--because the entire layer's mode is changed to Normal. Merging

layers is

not the same as flattening. If you flatten the entire image, the

appearance

will not change. If you merge diffeent layers together, and those layers

have

different blending modes, the appearance WILL change--because it is

impossible

to have part of a layer in one blending mode (like "multiply") and part

of

a

layer in a different blending mode (like "normal"). --
Rude T-shirts for a rude age: http://www.villaintees.com Art, literature, shareware, polyamory, kink, and more:
http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

ok great, i have filed your response in my personal help file, thank you v much
steph

"JP Kabala" wrote in message

BUT, no matter what, you shouldn't have to use a screenshot to get what you want....try this....

Hide all layers except those you want to combine or flatten... make sure you have one of the visible layers selected
then choose COPY MERGED from the edit menu, and paste THAT as a new layer and then hide or delete the layers you copied from-
This will flatten your layer style(s) into a new layer in normal mode--- which can sometimes be useful when you are trying to combine layers of disparate blend modes.
Then you can turn the other layers back on and continue......
(if you link and just hide the original layers that you copied, rather

than

deleting them, if you need to make changes later, no data is lost)
"steph" wrote in message

i see thank you that makes perfect sense
:)

"Tacit" wrote in message

Has anyone else noticed this effect? Where you have a layer style

applied

(such as a glass effect with a shadow), and when you flatten that

layer

to merge the style with the layer contents, the appearance of the

style

changes

for the worse?

It souldn't do this if you are zoomed in to 100% in the image. If you

are

zoomed OUT, it may SEEm to change, because Photoshop handles zooming

of

different types of layers differently--but if you're zoomed in to

100%,

the

flattened and unflattened versions should have the same appearance.

or the shadow may become dense
and flat rather than translucent...

This will happen if you merge a shadow that is in Multiply mode with

another

layer--because the entire layer's mode is changed to Normal. Merging

layers is

not the same as flattening. If you flatten the entire image, the

appearance

will not change. If you merge diffeent layers together, and those

layers

have

different blending modes, the appearance WILL change--because it is

impossible

to have part of a layer in one blending mode (like "multiply") and

part

of

a

layer in a different blending mode (like "normal"). --
Rude T-shirts for a rude age: http://www.villaintees.com Art, literature, shareware, polyamory, kink, and more:
http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html