What is the difference between a layer style and an effect?

A layer style follows the layer's shape and is applied as one set treatment per layer. Effects are an ordered stack you build yourself, where order changes the picture. In both After Effects and Premation, styles evaluate after the effects.

Can you animate layer styles?

Yes. In After Effects each style's properties have stopwatches in the timeline. In Premation every style is keyframeable from the Layer styles section of the Properties panel.

Do layer styles work on 3D layers in Premation?

Yes. Drop shadow, outer glow and the rest work on 3D and extruded layers, not only flat ones, and they are drawn on the GPU.

Glossary

Layer style

Name: Premation
Author: Premation

A treatment that follows a layer's shape rather than its pixels: drop shadow, inner glow, bevel, satin, stroke. Photoshop's idea, borrowed by every motion tool.

In After Effects

In After Effects, layer styles are under Layer ▸ Layer Styles: Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Outer Glow, Inner Glow, Bevel and Emboss, Satin, Color Overlay, Gradient Overlay and Stroke. Once applied they show as a Layer Styles group under the layer in the timeline, apart from the Effect Controls panel.

In Premation

Ten styles in the Layer styles section of the Properties panel, each keyframeable. Glass resolves against what is behind the layer, which is why it lives apart from the effect stack.

Step by step

Select the layer. Any drawable layer takes styles, including 3D and extruded ones.
Open the Layer styles section of the Properties panel.
Turn on a style (Drop Shadow, Outer Glow, Inner Shadow, Inner Glow, Satin, Bevel, Colour Overlay, Gradient Overlay, Stroke or Glass) and adjust its controls.
Click the stopwatch beside a style's property to keyframe it; all ten styles are keyframeable.
For several shadows on one layer, add the drop-shadow or glow effects to the effect stack instead, since each style appears once.

Tips

Styles are drawn after the layer's effect stack, in Photoshop's stacking order, so they follow the layer as its effects left it.
Use one light direction for every shadow and bevel in a piece. Mismatched angles read as wrong before anyone can say why.
Colour Overlay and Gradient Overlay recolour a layer without touching its source, which is handy for making colour variants of a logo.
Glass resolves against what is composited behind the layer, so judge it over the real background, not over the empty canvas.

Read the docs: The effect stack

Questions

What is the difference between a layer style and an effect?: A layer style follows the layer's shape and is applied as one set treatment per layer. Effects are an ordered stack you build yourself, where order changes the picture. In both After Effects and Premation, styles evaluate after the effects.
Can you animate layer styles?: Yes. In After Effects each style's properties have stopwatches in the timeline. In Premation every style is keyframeable from the Layer styles section of the Properties panel.
Do layer styles work on 3D layers in Premation?: Yes. Drop shadow, outer glow and the rest work on 3D and extruded layers, not only flat ones, and they are drawn on the GPU.

Related terms

Effect stack

Keep exploring

Try it in PremationFree · AGPL-3.0-only · macOS & Windows