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Layers disappear from saved files
#1
Shocked 
Greetings!

I'm new here and still quite new to GIMP as well.

During the past weeks, I spent a lot of time on learning how to use this software and on working on my first projects. I'm a comic drawer and create different sorts of printed products with my images.
It wasn't before yesterday that I opened a file to realise that one of its layers had disappeared - the most important one I had spent many hours of work on. I opened a backup file just to see that the same layer was gone there too. I was extremely lucky to have created a third file where I had put all layers together just for a mixed demo print; so the visible data in it allowed me to restore the missing layer.
I had no idea what could have led to that incident; but I've ended up creating dozens of backup files on different drives.
However, this morning, just the same thing happened again with two other files on an external HDD. In one file, the main image was gone, in another one, a text layer. Now I'm scared even to open any other files with GIMP because I never know what it would do to them! It's dozens of hours of work that are at risk.

Is there any obvious reason for that problem to appear?

In this forum, I've read that somebody who had had the same issue had made a mistake by messing up invisible and visible layers or groups of layers. I'm not sure what exactly he has done; but I never created groups of layers; and all of my files' layers are visible. I've created raw files that contain basic elements such as textfields, backgrounds and borders; and I use to integrate my drawn and scanned pictures into those files as layers (by "open as layer"). Then I use to colorise the black/white images in there and leave the files the way they are structured, with all their layers.
Such a file's layer tree may look like this:
  • Text
  • Logo
  • Border
  • Background
  • Cutting additive
  • Signature
  • Image
I use GIMP 3.2.4 on Windows 11; and I've got my files saved on a USB stick and an external Backup HDD.

I'm quite sure that the problem is a bug and not due to wrong usage as I haven't made any obvious mistake; but I'm wondering if there's a way to work around it. Maybe I should transfer the files to the system HDD before opening them?  Huh

Any hints would be highly appreciated!
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#2
(5 hours ago)ink_stroke Wrote: ..snip..
During the past weeks, I spent a lot of time on learning how to use this software and on working on my first projects. I'm a comic drawer and create different sorts of printed products with my images.
It wasn't before yesterday that I opened a file to realise that one of its layers had disappeared - the most important one I had spent many hours of work on.

I had no idea what could have led to that incident; but I've ended up creating dozens of backup files on different drives.
However, this morning, just the same thing happened again with two other files on an external HDD. In one file, the main image was gone, in another one, a text layer. Now I'm scared even to open any other files with GIMP because I never know

Any hints would be highly appreciated!

It has never happened to me unless I make the mistake, maybe a do a merge down by error and lose a layer. If you spot it then you can undo.

What format are you saving the files ? - Gimp xcf I hope. Some multi-layer formats .psd / tiff / .ora might lose some properties such as editable text.

Are you using any of the new functions such as linked layers. ?

Always sensible to make backups.
To save a little bit of effort there is a Gimp 3 autosave here: https://script-fu.github.io/funky/hub/pl...-autosave/ Actually 2 links the almost-autosave .zip is separate from the installation help. I have tried this in the past and it worked then.

Do you have any of those references where users have lost layers ? No good giving me Reddit / Facebook / anything-social.
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#3
Thanks for your reply!

(3 hours ago)rich2005 Wrote: It has never happened to me unless I make the mistake, maybe a do a merge down by error and lose a layer. If you spot it then you can undo.
I can guarantee that I did not accidently delete or merge any of those layers. One layer, an "Image" one, disappeared in two different files that represented two different states of the same project. In another case, a text layer disappeared that had been there and untouched for weeks. The files were alright when I closed them, and they were flawed when I reopened them - in two cases shortly after closing them, in two cases the next day. I always remove USB devices properly.


(3 hours ago)rich2005 Wrote: What format are you saving the files ? - Gimp xcf I hope.  Some multi-layer formats .psd / tiff / .ora might lose some properties such as editable text.
Yes, I work with xcf files only.

(3 hours ago)rich2005 Wrote: Are you using any of the new functions such as linked layers. ?
That's an interesting question. Only now that you've asked me that and that I've checked the program have I realised that there are 2 similar options under File: Open as Layers and Open as Link Layer. It's very likely that I've opened some of the image files as link layers; but I've no idea what that means and what the difference between the two options may be. Is the link-layer function known to cause any problems? It would be very strange though if that had something to do with the lost textfield.

(3 hours ago)rich2005 Wrote: Do you have any of those references where users have lost layers ?  No good giving me Reddit / Facebook / anything-social.
Yes; here you are:
https://www.gimp-forum.net/Thread-Lost-L...ter-saving

Many thanks again for your engagement!
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