### 7.7. Merge Down

The Merge Down command merges the active layer with the layer just below it in the stack, taking into account the various properties of the active layer, such as its opacity and layer mode. The resulting merged layer will be in Normal mode, have opacity set to 100%, and will have an alpha channel even if the original layers didn't have one. If the layer below is not opaque, or if it is in some mode other than Normal, then this command will generally change the appearance of the image.

The most common use of Merge Down is to construct a layer, by starting with a “base layer” (usually opaque and in Normal mode, so that you can see what you are doing), and adding a “modification layer” on top of it, with whatever shape, opacity, and layer mode you need. In this case, merging down the modification layer will combine the two layers into one, without changing the way the image looks.

The Merge Down command is not available when a floating layer is present.

#### 7.7.1. Activating the Command

You can access this command

- From the main menu through Layer → Merge Down.

- From the Layers Dialog, you can access it through the Merge Down command of its context menu, or by clicking on the icon button on the bottom of that dialog.

7.6. Anchor Floating Layer or Mask |  | 7.8. Merge Layer Groups

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