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2. Basics of Image Processing / 2.3 Layers

### 2.3.6 Virtual Copies

Quite often a graphic - for example, the logo of a company - has to be used several times in a document. Therefore, the graphic is usually copied each time. If a part of the graphic has to be changed later, all copies have to be modified, too. But this is a cumbersome and error-prone work.

This is the reason for virtual copies. A virtual copy is not a real copy but only a reference to the original layer.

Virtual copies inherit most properties of their original. These are:

- the layer content
- the effects
This includes all kind of effects of PhotoLine: the layer style, layer distortions and 3D bodies.

But the following data can be different:

- the position
This includes rotations, scaling and perspective distortions.
- the intensity
- the blend mode

A virtual copy can be created by two means. The original layer can be copied and then be pasted as a virtual layer (see chapter 7.2.12), and it can be duplicated as virtual layer by using the context menu of the Layer List (see chapter 4.7). Additionally, the context menu is a fast way to show the source of a virtual copy (see chapter 7.4.56) and to make a virtual copy be a real copy (see chapter 7.4.57).

A virtual copy has to be in the document of its original layer.