Compose layered looks

AgX can layer multiple presets in a single render. Each preset is applied in order, and later presets override earlier ones at the field level. Useful when you have a base "exposure correction" preset, a colour-style preset, and a finishing-touch preset, and want to apply them as a stack.

Prerequisites

  • Two or more .toml presets you want to layer.

Steps

Use --presets (note the plural) on agx apply:

agx apply \
  -i example/images/sunset_river.png \
  --presets example/presets/golden-hour.toml \
            example/presets/high-contrast.toml \
  -o /tmp/composed.png

AgX merges the presets left-to-right. The output is the same as if you had extends-chained the second on top of the first, but without committing a merged preset to disk.

Variations

Mix and match looks until you find a stack you like. Once you do, capture it as an extends-chain in a single preset file (see Extend a preset) so the look becomes reproducible without a long command line.

Layered application versus extends inheritance — when to use which:

  • extends is right when the layering is a property of the look itself — "these are the canonical Portra adjustments and any Portra variant builds on this." Inheritance is captured in the preset file and travels with it.
  • --presets layering is right when the layering is a property of the invocation — "for this batch I want to stack X and Y, but they're independent looks." The composition is in the command line.

See also