How many layers do you usually end up with on a (digital) comic page?

[Shanny8]

When I first started out coloring I used to try to keep it at a minimum of 6 layers, but as I continued to color more, the layers grew- I average about 15-25 layers per page, depending on various effects. I used to flat everything on one layer, but then I found myself needing to stick layers between the characters and some of the background elements- so now I keep the background stuff separate from the characters. One piece I was working on, got to over 100 layers- mostly small bricks that I kept duplicating & moving to various areas(I eventually merged all the brick layers into one layer).

The layers dont even take into account the pencil layers I do. If I added those layers in, I could probably say average about 20-30 layers per page.

[shazzbaa]

Okay I counted up the layers on a couple of recent pages, including layers that get hidden by the end:

• Not counting lettering at all -- 23 layers and 27 layers
• My word balloons are usually in a group, with each "shape" as a separate layer; same with the guideline text; but if you count each group of balloons or text as a single layer and count up the lettering as well, it's 30 layers and 35 layers
• If you count literally every shape as its own layer it's 77 layers and 73 layers

There aren't any sketch layers because I do everything up through inking traditionally -- this is just colours! I used to do the basic colours, then save, merge, then do the shading and effects, then save as a new file, merge, then do the lettering, and save that as the final file, but right now my computer can handle me not merging anything so, ahaha, I don't!! I still save everything in stages though, just in case.

[heterodont]

Without merging, I average around 8? layers
1 - Frames
2 - Sketch layer that I end up deleting
3 - Lineart + Color + Shading (sometimes 2 layers) that I merge all together once I'm done.
4 - Word bubbles
5 - Text, which depends on how much dialogue is on the page

I merge all of my stuff together at the end except for the frames and speech bubbles to save space :Y

[shatterjure]

Up to 10 if neccesary, sometimes just for individual bits that i want to treat differently xD

[Ghostie]

Sometimes I have less layers than this, this was a more shade/panel heavy page, so this is the max. It fits perfectly in my frame here. XD I always have a "white" layer below everything where I have basic white (or dark grey) behind all the art for the shades, and then on top of everything are my panel borders. I'm also VERY organized what shades go where. So it's easier just to show a printscreen.

[J.Z.Castillo]

I am going down from top-most layer, to bottom-most layer

• Panels
• Text
• Sound effects
• Line art
• Details
• High lights
• Low lights and shadows
• Flats
• Background line art
• Background detail
• Background high lights
• Background low lights and shadows
• Flats

So around 13 layers on average.

[WakaXO]

My pages are usually 12-14 layers are so;

-sound effects
-wordz / word bubbles
-panels
-speed lines
-add on layer (not always though, only is I f*** something up, or forget something)
-effects (sometimes x2)
-shading effects
-Highlights
-lineart
-color
-background lineart
-background color
-rough sketch layers x2

Though technically my word bubble and panels are in multiple layers in a folder, (becuase I use Clip Studio Paint and that's how it sets it up.)

[somvi]

Basically I use one main psd for the layout and a psd for each panel. They're all linked together in the layout so the number of actual layers seem excessively high but it makes reformatting and tweaking the page much easier. Conceptually it's more like 10 - 12 for roughs, lines, shading, effects, etc.

Lettering in illustrator goes into 3 main layers for text, balloon and SFX. More are added in for fancy character dialogue or title blocks, captions, and other special things that need vectors.

[jacintawibowo]

I try to keep it as low as possible X) My comic changes styles a lot so it's hard to measure. I think on average it's 12 layers.
So that's one layer for:
-thumbnail sketch
-color barf (drafts for colors)
-roughs
-inks (two layers for bg and characters/fg)
-background flats
-character flats
-flats for a/b panels
-textures for characters
-shading/lighting for characters
-maybe one or two layers for painting above or underneath characters (painting in general)
-and maybe two layers or more for lettering

[nessiefynn]

I usually got....
-panel layout sketch
-character/background sketch
-panels
-character lineart
-background lineart
-character flats
-character shading
-background colors (2-3 layers)
-text bubbles + text (3 layers)

So I usually have around 13 total, but I merge them down to ~10 by the end.

[CalimonGraal]

I try to keep mine low as possible for better management (if that makes sense lol.)
So usually on a page it'd be like.
*Sketch (usually the thumbnail unless I have to resketch parts of it for better coherency)
*Panel borders
*Speech bubbles + SFX/effect lines
*Flats + shading
*optional additional layer if I need a certain effect
*Background

so about 5-6 give or take lol.

[mintycanoodles]

I do lineless and layer a whole lot, so each page is usually over a hundred.

[atlas]

Between the tones and linework, my pages usually average 5-10 layers. They're usually black and white, so....

[vanillios]

I use a lot of layers (usually around 30)
•I have the sketch on one layer
•Lineart (in a raster layer)
•BG lineart (in a vector layer)
•1~2 perspective ruler layers
•about 5 layers of flats
•3 layers of skin shades
•1 multiply layer for hair and clothes
•2~3 layers of BG flats
•2 multiply layers for shading that background.
•1 frame layer for each panel.
•1 layer for each text bubble + text
•2 add glow layers for lighting effects.
•1 soft glow layer for lighting effects.

In conflusion : my files are huge.

[jennula]

I don't think I use that many layers..? Let's see:

Dialogue/text (I usually put them in a layer folder)
Panels
Sketches
Lineart, characters
Colors, characters
Shadows, characters
Highlights, characters
Lineart, backgrounds
Colors, backgrounds
1-4 extra layers for special effects

so 10-13 layers perhaps..? :B

[mariusthered]

always in the same order

text (word bubbles)
Frame
Ink
Glass (optional)
hair
face ( eye and lips)
clothes
skin
bg pics (this is a folder containing all the imported poser pics i use for back grounds)

maybe one or two more if a put extra details on.

[leehama]

It always varies from page to page, but I've settled into this general pattern of 10-15 layers:

-(all the dialogue text layers)
-word bubbles and sound effects
-panel borders
-lineart
-background lineart
-skin color
-hair color
-clothing color
-(adjustment layers for the background colors)
-at least 2 layers for background colors
-(below everything is the sketch/thumbnail layers)

Then I usually mess with the curves and saturation after I flatten everything for resizing and uploading!

[carloswebcomic]

[aswling]

sometimes it varies depending on the page (especially if it's animated because then fml all hell breaks loose there are no rules), but for grayscale pages it's usually 7-8 layers:
-text and speech bubbles
-panel boxes (i outline panels in grayscale comics, but avoid them in color comics)
-character lineart
-background lineart
-misc effects (e.g. overlay, multiply, gradient)
-flats shading
-flats

the layer count varies a lot more when i work in color, but it's usually 8-10 layers:
-text and speech bubbles
-gradient overlay
-overall shading
-character lineart
-background lineart
-character shading
-character flats
-background shading
-background details
-background flats

as you can imagine, my grayscale files are laughably small compared to my RGB ones LOL
there's also a sketch layer that prefaces everything, but it usually gets deleted once the text and lineart are done

[demthorshie]

There are usually quite a few layers in each page, minimum 15 layers per page. Here's a general idea of what my average page looks like:

• text
• speech bubbles
• magic effect (1-4 layers usually for gradients, light effect layers, overlays, blends etc.)
• environmental effects (sunlight, moonlight, day/night etc.)
• panel boxes
• background layer (main line art)
• general character color effects
• eye colors, facial coloring layers
• hair color layer
• skin color layer
• clothing layer
• 4 to 6 environment/background color layers