Can I paint/brush on one layer while still seeing the other layers beneath it for reference?

If your reference is a single layer:

I just duplicate the layer and use the brush on that duplicate. I set the brush to on Transparent.

If your reference image is multiple layers, I have a hackey way of doing this

I use comp nesting.

I take the comp with my reference layers (main comp) and nest it inside a another comp (painting comp).

I double-click on the nested comp layer (main comp) with the paint brush tool and that opens it in the layer panel.

I paint on my layer and then copy/paste the paint effect back into a solid layer in the main comp.

Hi @Simon0,

The devs said you can have a Composition Panel and Layer panel open at the same time. That would help mitigate the issue. I hope the advice helps.

Thanks,
Kevin

Hey Simon,

Thanks for the message. Welcome to the forum. I'm not quite sure what the technique would be, but I asked the developers and I hope they will respond soon. Sorry for the frustration.

Thanks,
Kevin