Krita for Beginners: Layers, Groups, and Non-Destructive Habits

Why layers matter (and what “non-destructive” means)

Layers let you separate parts of an illustration so you can edit one piece without damaging others. A non-destructive habit is any workflow choice that keeps your options open: you can change colors, adjust lighting, or fix mistakes later without repainting everything. In Krita, this usually means: keeping sketch/lineart separate from color, using blending modes for light and shadow instead of baking them into flats, and using masks or filter layers for adjustments instead of permanently altering pixels.

A practical layer system for illustration

This is a beginner-friendly stack that works for most character or object illustrations. Think of it as a template you can reuse.

Suggested layer order (top to bottom)

• FX (glows, particles, color overlays)
• Highlights
• Shadows
• Flats (your base colors)
• Lineart
• Sketch
• Background (sometimes placed below sketch/lineart, depending on preference)

Practical tip: keep Lineart above Flats so it stays crisp, and keep Sketch hidden once lineart is ready. If you paint without lineart, you can replace “Lineart” with a “Paint” group and still use the same shadow/highlight structure.

Layer types beginners actually use (and when)

Paint layers (Raster)

This is the default for drawing and painting. Use paint layers for sketch, lineart (if you draw it with a brush), flats, shadows, and highlights.

• Best for: anything you paint with a brush.
• Non-destructive habit: avoid merging too early; keep major steps separate.

Group layers

Groups are folders for layers. They keep your file readable and let you apply settings to multiple layers at once (like opacity changes or masks).

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• Best for: organizing “Flats,” “Shadows,” “Highlights,” “FX,” “Background.”
• Non-destructive habit: group by function (what the layer does), not only by object.

Vector layers (use sparingly)

Vector layers store shapes and paths. Beginners mostly use them for clean graphic shapes, simple linework, or editable curves. If you are painting a natural illustration, you can ignore vectors at first.

• Best for: logos, hard-edged shapes, smooth curves you want to edit later.
• Watch out: vector line feel differs from brush line; don’t force it if it slows you down.

Fill layers (great for backgrounds and quick flats)

A fill layer can generate a solid color, gradient, pattern, or procedural fill. It’s editable later, which is the key non-destructive advantage.

• Best for: background gradients, simple color blocks, repeating patterns.
• Non-destructive habit: use a fill layer for a background gradient instead of painting it permanently.

Filter layers (non-destructive adjustments)

Filter layers apply an effect (like color adjustment, blur, HSV shift) to layers beneath them without changing the original pixels.

• Best for: overall color tweaks, softening a background, subtle atmosphere.
• Non-destructive habit: use a filter layer for “make it warmer/cooler” instead of repainting.

Practical example: place a filter layer above your character group to slightly reduce saturation or shift hue for mood, then adjust it anytime.

Blending modes you’ll use constantly

Blending modes change how a layer interacts with the colors beneath it. For beginners, you only need a small set to get professional-looking results.

Multiply for shadows

Multiply darkens by multiplying values, so it behaves like shading on top of base colors. Paint your shadows on a separate layer set to Multiply.

• Start with a desaturated cool color (often bluish/purple) rather than pure black.
• Control strength with Opacity (e.g., 20–60%).

Screen and Add for light

Screen brightens gently; Add (sometimes called Additive) brightens more aggressively and can look like glow.

• Use Screen for soft highlights and general light.
• Use Add for intense specular hits, glow effects, bright rim light.
• Lower opacity to avoid “burning” colors (e.g., 5–30% for Add).

Overlay and Soft Light for color shifts

Overlay increases contrast and pushes colors; Soft Light is a gentler version. These are useful for adding warmth/coolness, subtle texture, or lighting mood without repainting flats.

• Use Soft Light for subtle mood layers (sunset warmth, cool ambient).
• Use Overlay when you want a stronger punch, but keep opacity low.

Opacity control as your “volume knob”

Beginners often overpaint because they forget opacity is a tool. Instead of repainting, try adjusting opacity first.

• If shadows feel too heavy: reduce Multiply layer opacity.
• If highlights look chalky: reduce Screen/Add opacity or switch Add → Screen.
• If a color shift is too strong: reduce Overlay/Soft Light opacity.

Clean coloring techniques: clipping, alpha inheritance, and lock transparency

These three tools prevent messy edges and keep your color inside shapes. They are core to a fast, clean workflow.

Clipping (Clipping Groups)

Clipping means a layer only shows where the layer below has pixels. In Krita, you typically do this by enabling Alpha Inheritance on the upper layer (see next section). Conceptually: paint freely, but it stays inside the base shape.

Use clipping for: shading, highlights, texture, and color variation on top of a flat color layer.

Alpha Inheritance (Krita’s main “clip to layer below”)

Alpha Inheritance makes a layer inherit the transparency of the layer (or group) beneath it. When enabled, anything you paint will only appear where the parent has opacity.

• Typical setup: Flats layer (base) + Shadow layer above it with Alpha Inheritance enabled.
• Result: shadows cannot spill outside the flat shape.

Practical habit: name clipped layers clearly, e.g., Skin_Flat then above it Skin_Shadow (clip), Skin_Highlight (clip).

Lock Transparency (quick edits on the same layer)

Lock Transparency prevents you from painting on transparent pixels of the same layer. It’s perfect when you want to recolor or adjust a flat without creating extra clipped layers.

• Use it for: recoloring flats, adding quick gradients inside an existing shape, cleaning edges.
• Avoid using it for: complex shading stages (clipped layers are more flexible).

Rule of thumb: Lock Transparency is fast but less flexible; Alpha Inheritance is slightly more setup but more non-destructive.

Step-by-step file organization exercise (hands-on)

Goal: build a reusable layer structure and practice non-destructive shading and highlighting.

1) Create your base groups

• Create a group named 01_Sketch.
• Create a group named 02_Lineart.
• Create a group named 03_Flats.
• Create a group named 04_Shadow.
• Create a group named 05_Light.
• Create a group named 06_FX.
• Create a group named 07_BG.

Place them in that order from top to bottom (01 at top), or invert if you prefer background at the bottom—just stay consistent.

2) Add working layers inside each group

• Inside 01_Sketch: add Sketch_Main (paint layer).
• Inside 02_Lineart: add Lineart_Main (paint layer). Optionally add Lineart_Details.
• Inside 03_Flats: add paint layers for major areas, e.g., Flat_Skin, Flat_Hair, Flat_Clothes, Flat_Eyes.
• Inside 07_BG: add BG_Base (paint or fill layer). If using a gradient, prefer a fill layer.

3) Set up non-destructive shadows

• Inside 04_Shadow, create a paint layer named Shadow_Multiply.
• Set its blending mode to Multiply.
• Set opacity to around 35% to start.
• Enable Alpha Inheritance on Shadow_Multiply if you want it clipped to a base beneath. If you want it to affect multiple flats, place Shadow_Multiply above a combined flats group and enable Alpha Inheritance relative to that structure (see next step).

4) Clip shadows to your flats (two common setups)

Setup A (simple, per-object):

• For each flat layer (e.g., Flat_Skin), create a shadow layer directly above it (e.g., Skin_Shadow), set to Multiply, and enable Alpha Inheritance.
• Repeat for hair/clothes if you want separate control.

Setup B (fast, global):

• Keep all flats inside 03_Flats.
• Create a single Shadow_Multiply layer above the flats group.
• Use selections (or careful painting) to keep shadows clean, or clip the shadow layer to a “Character_Matte” layer (a filled silhouette) if you maintain one.

Beginners usually succeed faster with Setup A because it prevents spill automatically.

5) Add highlights with Screen/Add

• Inside 05_Light, create Light_Screen (paint layer) and set mode to Screen.
• Create Specular_Add (paint layer) and set mode to Add, opacity ~10–25%.
• Clip them using Alpha Inheritance (either per-object above each flat, or clipped to a matte).

6) Add a color mood layer (Overlay/Soft Light)

• Inside 06_FX, create Mood_SoftLight (paint layer) and set mode to Soft Light.
• Paint a gentle warm/cool wash to shift the scene mood.
• Keep opacity low (5–25%).

7) Use a filter layer for a non-destructive tweak

• Create a filter layer above your character-related groups (or above everything if you want a global change).
• Choose a simple adjustment (e.g., HSV or color balance) and make a small change.
• Toggle visibility on/off to confirm it’s improving the image without damaging your paint layers.

8) Practice “fixing without repainting”

• If shadows are too strong: lower Shadow_Multiply opacity.
• If highlights are too intense: lower Specular_Add opacity or switch it to Screen.
• If the mood is too saturated: lower Mood_SoftLight opacity.
• If a flat color is wrong: select that flat layer and use Lock Transparency to repaint the color inside the existing shape.

Naming and grouping checklist (to prevent confusion)

Layer naming rules

• Start with a function or category: Flat_, Shadow_, Light_, FX_, BG_.
• Then the object/material: Skin, Hair, Jacket, Metal.
• Add mode or special behavior when relevant: (Multiply), (Screen), (Add), (clip).
• Avoid “Layer 12 copy copy” by renaming immediately after duplicating.

Grouping rules

• Group by stage (Flats/Shadows/Lights/FX) first; optionally sub-group by object if the file grows.
• Keep background separate from character so you can adjust it independently.
• If you use multiple lineart layers, keep them inside one Lineart group so you can toggle all outlines at once.

Non-destructive habits checklist

• Do not paint shadows directly on flats; use a Multiply layer.
• Do not paint highlights directly on flats; use Screen/Add layers.
• Use Alpha Inheritance (clipping) for clean edges instead of erasing spill repeatedly.
• Use Lock Transparency for quick recolors, not for everything.
• Prefer fill layers for editable backgrounds (solid/gradient/pattern).
• Prefer filter layers for global tweaks instead of permanently editing pixels.
• Merge only when you are certain you won’t need separate control later.