Blender Render Basics: Splitting into Layers for Ultimate Control

In this video, we'll show you how to split render into layers in Blender, so you can create high-quality renders without having to use unwanted intermediate files.
By splitting your render into separate layers, you can keep all the intermediate files neatly organized, so you can work on each layer separately without worrying about the rest of the render.
If you're looking to improve your render quality or reduce your workload, watch this video and learn how to split render into layers in Blender!

[@bUildYT]

haha stumbeling across ur videos more n more often, good stuff dude!

[@valtabohm]

Tyvm bro, I'm always looking around for this type of content cuz it's soooo useful. Thx

[@learningforever957]

Very useful and well explained, thank you friend!

[@EgoMotionCG]

Am happy to help ♥

[@kamylo777]

Keep this up bud!

[@AnsonSavage]

Nice! Instead of holdout, you could also have used indirect so that you don't have to add a black layer in the background. Thanks for the tutorial!

[@EgoMotionCG]

Am glad to help. Got it! Thanks for the advice mate :)

[@danmusiceasy]

Thanks for the tutorial! I'm having a small problem - when I have a view layer with a landscape object and a background image, Blender renders the landscape object as a separate image and the combined image or the landscpae plus background image separately? They are both in a single collection on a single view layer. I'm using an Alpha Over node to combine the background with the rest.

[@EgoMotionCG]

Thank you!
Ah bro I didn't understand the case, but I think you can solve it by placing the objects on separate layers. If that doesn't work, plz explain it to me again.

[@KelseyNecowitz]

In Maya render layers, you have the ability to override attributes per layer. Does Blender offer the same mechanics?

[@EgoMotionCG]

To the best of my knowledge, I have not heard of anything like this. I would have to know how that works in Maya to know how to extrapolate it to Blender.
I know that in the latest versions of Blender you can assign AOVs to objects or materials, or even groups of lights. You also have cryptomatte passes that can help a lot to manage certain things when compositing.

[@davorcelar3306]

on your phone passes, you don't want to hide the ground as it contributes to the shading of the phone as evidenced by your brighter phones in your final composite. Is there a way to include the ground in the calculations of the phone pass but not render? (in Maya it's a simple as turning primary visibility off) Good tutorial by the way. thank you

[@EgoMotionCG]

Thanks man!
You can do that by clicking the object (in this case, the floor) and going to the object properties tab, scroll down to the visibility section and check off the camera ray visibility. The object will remain visible in diffuse, glossy and shadow visibility, but wont be visible to the camera.

[@davorcelar3306]

@@EgoMotionCG that does make sense, but in your case, if you had different layers, blender doesn't seem to obey them. If you turn off camera ray, how do you keep that for only the one layer you are on and not affect them all?

[@EgoMotionCG]

@@davorcelar3306 Well, there is always a way to find a way, with holdout, with camera ray or even with shadow catcher.
You can duplicate the collection of the floor: have one in a layer where it is visible to the camera and another where the camera ray is disabled. I haven't tried it haha maybe my theory doesn't work, but I know it can be done somehow with the options available.

[@Subscribe_Mr]

Maya is too much comfortable for this operation. 💙

[@EgoMotionCG]

I agree, in some operations Blender is a bit overcomplicated