What's the most amount of layers you've ever used in a single file?

[TheSingularitySeed]

To be fair, it is an animation.
To be unfair, it definitely didn't need this many layers

Who else hoards layers?

[BoomerZ]

In a normal drawing I have these layers stacked as below.

1. Highlights
2. Inks
3. sketch
4. shadows
5. color.
6. background color
7. white paper layer

In a comic page I have as below.
1. dialogue and dialogue balloons
2. Highlights
3. sound effects. (this is so its on top of the boarder colors and panels)
4. Boarder color between the panels
5. darkness layer if it's at night
6. each panel has it's own folder with line art for the panel contained within it. This is a feature of Clip Studio
7. sketch layer (this is the layer that I do layouts and rough sketches of the panels.
8. color folder with light shadows, shadows, color layers within, in that order.
9. white paper layer

Putting the color layers at the bottom allows the color to bleed behind the line art and not have white pixels in corners or ghost lines from anti-aliasing. They show through all the ink folders.

[TheSingularitySeed]

So at least 10 layers usually?
Sounds like you are a responsible layer user

[AmysGames]

I am actually very layer-minimalist and typically don't need more than around five, haha. Though if I'm using a lot of special effects, they can build up pretty fast. Not sure what the most amount of layers I've ever had is, maybe like 20-ish?

[BoomerZ]

Well each panel has it's own folder/layer on a page, and I use long pages to scroll down. Usually works out to 10 panels per page. So 20 layers per page. (10 panels plus 10 normal layers)

[TheSingularitySeed]

Wow I don't think I've done even a sketch with just 5!
I wish I could be that layer efficient

[NickRowler]

If animation counts... I used to make animations in Flash but the export function to video files wasn't the best. So I would export all the frames as images and do a batch import to Photoshop. There is an option to convert layers to frames in the Animation window. Usually those had hundreds of layers.

There is also a function in Photoshop to import a video as frames. This could also result in a lot of layers depending on how long the video is.

[ThunderChicken]

I couldn’t count how many layers I use, because I will create a new layer to make a small change, then if I like the change I merge it into another layer

[TheSingularitySeed]

@NickRowler

I've basically been doing this in Photoshop.
Idk if it's the best program for this kind of thing, but it works

@ThunderChicken

This is what I do except I never merge.
I'm starting to see my problem now lol

[BlairFujin]

the latest pic I still have clip file for has... around 100 layers - I like to keep base colours for different objects separate in case I want to adjust it at some point or shade it differently (easier to just select whole layer than play with magic wand tool and hope for the best)

[igneriss]

For me it was about 100 layers, but everything was lagging and my laptop went into a rocket mode so I had to merge the layers to continue working

[skidiggy]

Oof, just checked a "master file" for one of my pieces and clicked "New Layer."
... "Layer 1039."
*goes to Photoshop jail *

[TheSingularitySeed]

@BlairFujin
Me too! Easy adjustments are a big reason why I keep so many layers.
But then the problem is sometimes I don't make any adjustments

@igneriss
Lol what inspired this thread was my computer lagging like that

@skidiggy
Yeeeessss a worthy cellmate for Photoshop jail!
Was it also an animation or a normal drawing?

[skidiggy]

Regular drawing. I've been given a life sentence for abusing Photoshop layers.

[TheSingularitySeed]

I kinda want to see this monster now.

My biggest single illustration had around 500 but I can't remember which.
I just remember my shock at the number lolol

[Ayumi]

And I thought I use a lot layers... I think my max was around 40-50.

[TheSingularitySeed]

Just never delete anything lol it'll add up faaaast

I deleted the wrong layer once many years ago and I've never had good layer control since

[Ayumi]

I can understand that. But how do you find the right layer, when you need some changes on it?

[morganicfoods]

I draw on a potato, so i can only do max 14 layers before my program's lag becomes unbearable Xd

For Light Rising I do:
1. Sketch
2. Background lines
3. Lines
4. Colour
5. Shading 1
6. Shading 2
7. Background Colouring 1
8. Backgrounds Colouring 2
9. Text
10. Bubble Lines
11. Bubble colour
12. Panel Seperation
13. Watermarks

For my Tapas contest entry:
1. Sketch
2. Lines
3. Background lines
4. Colours, Shading, Background colours all on one layer
5. Text
6. Watermarks

I also have deleted storyboard and posing layers for both

[TheSingularitySeed]

@Ayumi
I draw my layers in a pretty consistent order, so I roughly know where everything is.
But also wiggling the layer with the move tool

@morganicfoods
That's a reasonable set up
I usually end up deleting boards too but it always a little sad