auto-duplcate background- possible?

[Briansdad]

Is there a setting that will have X8 automatically duplicate the background layer upon opening an image?

[Kathy_9]

There is no setting. You can right-click the image on the layers palette and select "duplicate" Or, you can record a script to duplicate and image and then bind the script and place the bound script icon on a tool-bar. This would then make it a one click operation.

[JoeB]

I have never understood what useful purpose a layer as Background Layer serves, so have a bound script such as the one Kathy suggested on the Layers Palette Toolbar Options bar that both promotes the Background layer to a raster layer and also duplicates it. If someone can tell me what purpose is served by keeping the open image as a Background layer I would be interested in hearing.

Full disclosure. I'm actually not even sure what purpose is served by having the Background layer promoted to a regular layer either, given that I start work on a duplicate anyway so don't usually work on the original layer. I just made it part of the script because it's all one step anyway, and perhaps the time will come when I want to add a layer underneath it.

[LeviFiction]

Most likely legacy behavior. After all making the layer a raster layer adds an alpha channel which takes more space when saved in PSPImage format. Not drastic amounts of memory obviously. I mean a 5000x5000 pixel image saved with only a background layer was 76kb and simply converting the background to a raster layer the save size was 168kb.

[JoeB]

Most likely legacy behavior. After all making the layer a raster layer adds an alpha channel which takes more space when saved in PSPImage format. Not drastic amounts of memory obviously. I mean a 5000x5000 pixel image saved with only a background layer was 76kb and simply converting the background to a raster layer the save size was 168kb.

That makes sense about it being legacy behavior. In the "old days" memory was expensive and in relatively low amounts on systems. Not nearly as important a factor today. I'll stick to my script promoting the background and duplicating.