Layer opacity affecting wrong layers problem

[Adonnus]

Without a better way to explain it I will just put a picture here. Basically I only want each layer to affect the background, not mess with the other layers.

 

 

[BoltBait]

There are a couple of ways to do what you want:

 

1) make sure each layer does not have overlapping pixels.  This way, the layer will only affect the background layer.

 

2) after working on a layer, flatten your image down to a single layer before starting the next layer. (Not really recommended as you lose the ability to edit each individual layer later.)

 

There is no automatic setting to do what you're describing.

[Eli]

1. Add a layer.

2. Change the new layer mode to "Multiply" (for transparency)

3. Make a selection with the Lasso tool.

4. Paint inside the selection with the Brush tool. ( I am painting blue in the example)

 

[Adonnus]

Ok, resurrecting this... perhaps I haven't quite stated my problem clearly enough. On some more thought what I exactly want to do if it is at all possible is for the pixels on one layer to cut through and overwrite layer #2, except the background. So that it will appear as the overwrited pixels have been removed by the first layer, but the background will stay the same. The only way I can do this now is by going to layer #2 and erasing the areas that overlap with layer #1 which is tedious and sloppy

[Pixey]

I'm not sure what you are requesting - cutting out in a layer perhaps?  If so please look at this tutorial here.

[Eli]

I do not understand either.

[Adonnus]

Layers 1,2 and 3(which is the background) are stacked in that order. I want layer 1 to automatically remove anything that it overlaps with of layer 2, but nothing from layer 3.

[MJW]

I think the answer is, that's not how layers work. The effect of layers is cumulative: each higher layer is applied to the lower layers the same way it would be if the lower layers were merged into one.