When you’re ready to take your sequencing up a notch and really add some nuance to your show, use layering and layer blending to kick it up a notch! Let’s talk about how it all works!
If you’re new to sequencing, we are going to explore some methods that can really make your show a more unique and interesting display. Ultimately these tips will help you save time, it will make things look more amazing, or even a little bit of both!
Layers and Layer Blending
When you are in your xLights lighting program venture to the section under your “ALL” group. There you can right click and insert a layer below the one you already have set. This enables you to stack multiple layers on top of each other to create different effects.
If you choose to not bring in another layer there is still another option to make your show look even better.
You can bring in backgrounds on your various props but ultimately it may not look as good as you hope so it’s important to play around with it and make sure everything is to your liking as you get more comfortable using your program.
Important Thing To Remember
One thing to remember when working with xLights is that in your props list, the props that are at the bottom of the list are actually the ones to take precedence; however when you add layers it is actually the opposite and the top will take priority.
Layers
At the surface level, layers are pretty cool. They allow you to stack a number of things together. You can create different lighting in multiple different colors that follows one another in a timed sequence using the layers. You can copy this as many times as you like and easily line them up according to your preference.
Layer Blending
Layer blending is another really cool option to use in xLights to make your show more interesting. The layer blending option is in its own settings section.
This settings sections allows you to see how the layers relate to one another. One really neat option is the “masking” option under the layer blending section. This option allows you to mask one of your chosen layers to have it show as black.
There are many other options in this section to play with and switch up your show to your liking that will give you a great preview of how everything will look once it’s actually playing.
Closing
When you are first starting out creating your different light shows, whether it be for hobby or for a small venue show, its always advisable not to go too overboard trying to create an overly complicated show but as you progress and learn more about how all the lighting and programming works it can be really fun to play with these different options and see what you can create with them.
Once you’ve gotten to a place where you’re comfortable with how everything works and you are looking to add some variety and creativity to your show, playing around with the layering and blending options in your xLights program is a great way to start bringing some really great effects to your show.