How to Style Raster Layers
Access Styling Panel
- Right-click on a raster layer in the layers panel
- Select “Layer Styles” from the context menu
- Styling panel opens with all raster customization options
Available Styling Sections
General Section
- Type: Choose visualization method (Single channel, RGB channels, Hillshade)
- Band Selection: Select which bands to display
- Range: Set data range for each band
Raster Section
- Color: Choose color map or palette
- Opacity: Adjust layer transparency (0-100%)
- Position: Control layer stacking order
- Resample: Select resampling method for zoom levels
Legend Section
- Contents: Set value range displayed in legend
- Caption: Add descriptive text for the layer
Popups Section
- Show: Configure when popup information appears
Info Section
- File type: Shows raster format (e.g., Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF)
- File name: Display file name
- CRS: Show coordinate reference system
Visualization Types
Single Channel
- Display one band at a time
- Choose band: Select b1, b2, b3, etc.
- Set range: Adjust min/max values for the selected band
- Apply color map: Use different color schemes
RGB Channels
- Display three bands as red, green, and blue
- Band Red: Select which band appears as red
- Band Green: Select which band appears as green
- Band Blue: Select which band appears as blue
- Individual ranges: Set min/max for each color channel
Composite Band (NDVI, etc.)
- Mathematical combinations of bands
- NDVI: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index
- Other indices: EVI, NDBI, and more
- Custom formulas: Create your own band combinations
Band Range Adjustment
Adjust Min/Max Values
- Select a band in the General section
- View histogram showing data distribution
- Drag sliders to set new min/max values
- See real-time updates on the map
Range Options
- Window: Adjust range based on current map view
- Entire Layer: Use full data range across the entire dataset
- Manual: Set custom min/max values
Histogram Display
- Data distribution: See how values are spread
- Peak identification: Find concentration of values
- Outlier detection: Identify extreme values
Color Map Selection
Available Color Maps
Basic
- None: Grayscale gradient (black to white)
- Simple: Basic color schemes
Perceptually Uniform
- Blues: Blue gradient for water, elevation
- Greens: Green gradient for vegetation
- Oranges: Orange gradient for temperature
- Purples: Purple gradient for specialized data
- Reds: Red gradient for intensity, heat
Specialized
- Rainbow: Full spectrum for complex data
- Viridis: Colorblind-friendly gradient
- Plasma: High-contrast gradient
- Inferno: Dark-to-light gradient
Color Map Application
- Single channel mode: Apply to individual bands
- Real-time preview: See changes immediately
- Data-appropriate: Choose based on data type and purpose
Auto-Save Feature
All styling changes are automatically saved for future sessions:- Settings persist when you close and reopen the map
- No manual saving required
- Consistent appearance across sessions
- Team collaboration benefits from saved settings
Best Practices
Choose Appropriate Visualization
- Single channel: For individual band analysis
- RGB: For natural color or false color composites
- Composite: For derived indices and calculations
Set Optimal Ranges
- Use histogram to understand data distribution
- Avoid extreme values that hide important patterns
- Consider data type when setting ranges
Select Suitable Color Maps
- Grayscale: For general data visualization
- Sequential colors: For continuous data (elevation, temperature)
- Diverging colors: For data with meaningful center point
- Colorblind-friendly: For accessibility
Next Steps
- Add More Raster Layers: Combine multiple raster datasets
- Create Composites: Build custom band combinations
- Publish Your Map: Share your styled raster layers