AuroraArtLab · troubleshoot a project or render
Find practical fixes for layer previews, compatibility links, duplicate artwork, storage limits and blocked collection replacements.
On this page
An image is misaligned, covered or blurry
Layer preparation, order and positioning
| What you see | What to check and change |
|---|---|
| Parts do not line up | Export every variant on the same square canvas, retaining transparent margins. Cropping each part tightly changes where it lands. Check layer order, Size (%), Horizontal (%) and Vertical (%). Non-square uploads are fitted and centered. |
| A background or lower layer disappears | Check the upper images for an opaque background. JPG cannot carry transparency; use a transparent PNG or suitable static WebP for details that should reveal the layers underneath. |
| An edge is cut off | Artwork outside the canvas is clipped. Reduce Size (%) or move the layer back inside the canvas using the horizontal and vertical controls, then Render preview. |
| The editor preview looks soft | The quick preview uses small thumbnails, and Render preview is capped at 512 × 512 pixels. Render a small test collection at the selected canvas size and open its actual artwork to inspect full-resolution detail. |
| 4096 output still lacks detail | Upload originals with enough resolution. Enlarging a smaller file cannot restore detail. If a saved source was previously reduced to 2048 pixels, re-upload its high-resolution original and use that variant in a new plan. |
Correct a rendered layer stack while keeping its traits
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| The right trait is hidden behind another layer | Open the original project and choose Fix layer order. Change the drawing order and inspect the saved characters in the preview. A new collection plan would choose new combinations, so use the dedicated correction when you want to preserve the existing artwork selections. |
| The saved recipe or original source files are unavailable | ArtLab cannot safely reconstruct the exact composition from trait names alone. Keep the original project and its sources. Do not delete existing artwork to try to unlock a correction: the original image mapping is needed too. |
| Checking saved artwork is taking time | The progress count shows which saved images ArtLab has verified. You can close the dialog and reopen Fix layer order to continue the check. This review does not replace or delete artwork. |
| The correction is blocked by a mint, reveal or metadata lock | Read the specific restriction. Fully published active inventory and delayed reveals allow local corrections because Aurora retains their committed originals. Incomplete preparation, manual reservations, pending transactions, mint-setting edits, handovers and frozen metadata still block correction. Publish corrected NFT metadata only after the release ends and any reveal completes. |
| Only some images have the corrected order | Reopen the same project, resolve the reported problem and resume the redraw. Each image is replaced after its own successful save, so completed corrections are retained and unfinished images keep their earlier artwork. |
| The new order produces identical images | An upper layer may now hide the differences between characters. From the paused correction, choose Fix layer order again, adjust the stack or restore the original order, preview and redraw. This restarts the correction across all the same artworks with their saved traits. Repeatedly resuming the unchanged duplicate will not fix it. |
| A minted NFT still shows the previous image | The redraw saves an eligible media draft in Aurora. Review & Publish the metadata separately with the collection owner’s wallet, then allow the marketplace to refresh the published artwork. |
Linked layers leave no valid choices
Inspect both the layer’s links and the individual variant’s links. Multiple selected values from one referenced layer mean any of those values may match. References to different layers must all match. A variant must satisfy its own links as well as belong to a layer whose conditions are met.
Use Live preview selectors to reproduce the failing combination and follow the displayed explanation. After correcting the rules, choose Shuffle or Another combination and inspect a Render preview before planning again.
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| The entire layer disappears for some bodies or backgrounds | A whole-layer condition that does not match automatically skips the layer, even when Skip this layer has weight 0. Adjust the layer links if it should appear for more choices. |
| The layer is required but all its variants are unavailable | Provide at least one compatible positive-weight variant for that situation, allow a positive Skip this layer weight, or change the whole-layer condition so it is absent in that situation. |
| A variant can be previewed but is never planned | Check its weight. Weight 0 allows inspection but excludes the variant from generation. Also check that its links can be satisfied by other positive-weight choices. |
| A circular-link error appears | Remove the dependency that loops back to an earlier requirement. For example, Body may determine Shirt; requiring Body to depend on Shirt at the same time creates a cycle. Reordering the visual layers does not remove a dependency cycle. |
| A referenced layer or variant cannot be deleted | Remove the links that reference it first, then delete it. ArtLab keeps those links explicit so deleting a source does not silently change what the collection can generate. |
ArtLab cannot plan the requested collection size
The uniqueness count includes only layers with Count toward uniqueness enabled, before all link restrictions are applied. Weight-zero variants add no choices, and links can remove combinations. With independent required layers, ten backgrounds, five bodies and four eyes allow at most 20 character selections when Background is excluded, even though there are 200 full selections. Optional skips can change that count. The planner needs enough compatible counted selections for the requested size.
Weights, compatibility and plan counts
Check which layers count
Keep at least one layer’s Count toward uniqueness checked. If every layer is excluded, ArtLab cannot make a plan. Choose the character-defining layers, save the project and review the reduced combination count.
Reduce the size for a quick check
Try a smaller collection plan. If that succeeds, inspect the constrained layers and decide whether to keep the smaller size or add more compatible choices.
Add choices where they can actually be used
Give new variants in counted layers positive weights and compatible links. Adding backgrounds to an excluded layer or increasing existing weights does not create more unique characters. Re-enable Count toward uniqueness on a layer only if you want differences in that layer to distinguish artworks.
Simplify overly tangled requirements
If planning reports that the rules are too complex, remove unnecessary cross-layer conditions or reduce the requested size. Keep dependencies that express real artwork compatibility and test them incrementally.
Rendering skips identical results or runs out of distinct images
Different names, traits or layer choices can still produce identical pixels. Common causes are an opaque top layer hiding all variation, two files with the same visible content, a detail positioned outside the canvas, or combinations that differ only in fully transparent areas.
ArtLab compares both the counted-layer composite on a transparent canvas and the complete final image with results already saved by the same job. It skips a duplicate in either and tries unused compatible choices. If Background is excluded, a new background does not rescue an identical character. The skipped-results count does not mean that duplicates were added to the collection.
Read the pause message
A pause after a run of identical candidates can offer Resume render to try more unused combinations. If no combinations remain, or the message asks you to change the project after repeated duplicate attempts, a new plan is needed.
Make the variation visible
Choose Keep artwork & edit project. Inspect counted layers, top overlays, source files and positioning. Add a visible difference in a counted layer or reduce the collection size; renaming a trait or changing only an excluded background will not make the character unique.
Choose what to do with the partial result
Create a new plan. Use New collection to keep the partial output separately, or choose Re-render existing collection and confirm its replacement if it is eligible. Resume render continues the old plan; it does not apply edited layers to it.
A layer upload fails or a source file is missing
- Use a static PNG, WebP or JPG. SVG, GIF, animated files and documents are not supported.
- Keep each upload within 10 MB and 16,777,216 pixels in total. A 4096 × 4096 image meets the pixel limit; a long rectangular image can still exceed it.
- A project supports 50 layers, 100 variants per layer and 500 source files in total. Check all three limits when an upload cannot be added.
- If ArtLab says the same image is already in the project, keep the existing variant or choose visibly different artwork. To replace its upload, first remove the variant, save and use Clean unused files before uploading again. Remove any links that refer to that variant before deleting it, then rebuild those links for the replacement.
- For a missing or unavailable layer image, return to the editor, upload its original again and update the affected variant. Check its links and preview, then create a new plan if the saved plan used the missing source.
- For a timeout or a temporary busy message, let the current action finish and retry. If the message says the server needs storage, retry later; changing a filename or making another project will not resolve that storage condition.
Storage, collection capacity or final PNG size is exceeded
Choosing 4096 output increases processing and storage needs. The maximum of 25,000 artworks per plan does not override your collection or profile allowance. Cleaning unused layer sources and deleting generated gallery artwork free different kinds of storage.
| Limit or message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Too many projects | A profile can keep 10 ArtLab projects. Remove a project you no longer need after keeping its original source files. Deleting the project does not delete its generated collection. |
| Layer source storage is full | Source files share a 512 MB allowance per profile. Remove unused variants, save the project and choose Clean unused files. Files still needed by saved render recipes are retained for layer-order corrections, even when the current editor no longer uses them. |
| Not enough artwork capacity for the render | Use a smaller plan or free eligible artwork from your collections. Other unfinished renders and reserved mint places also count. Finish an earlier job or return it to the editor if you no longer need its remaining output; pausing it alone does not free that reservation. |
| A final PNG exceeds the artwork limit | Each rendered PNG must fit within 10 MB. Keep saved artwork, return to the editor and reduce the canvas size or simplify the image detail before making a new plan. Repeatedly resuming the same oversized result will not shrink it. |
The render is queued, paused or interrupted
After an uncertain response while starting a render, reopen the project and check its progress before submitting another replacement. A resume continues the existing output; it is not another instruction to delete the destination.
| Status or message | Next step |
|---|---|
| Render queued | Wait for the current render to finish. Your queued job starts automatically; creating another plan or repeatedly starting it is unnecessary. |
| Rendering was interrupted | Reopen the same saved project and choose Resume render. It continues from the last saved artwork. Closing the browser alone does not stop a server render. |
| Premium access or wallet ownership changed | Sign in with a wallet in the project’s original profile and restore active Premium access, then reopen the project and resume. The job cannot continue under an unrelated profile. |
| This project or render changed in another tab | Reload the project to see the latest saved state and use one editor for the next action. Review any unsaved work before re-entering it so you do not overwrite changes from the other tab. |
| Render paused with an artwork or storage error | Resolve the specific cause first. Resume the existing job for a temporary problem; choose Keep artwork & edit project when its layers, canvas size or requested output need to change. |
The existing collection cannot be selected or re-rendered
Full re-render workflow and what is preserved
| Situation | What it means and what to do |
|---|---|
| The new name is already in use | Choose Use this collection to explicitly review the existing destination, or give the new collection a different name. A matching name cannot authorize deletion by itself. |
| The collection is empty or its old artwork was deleted | Choose Re-render existing collection, select it and review the confirmation. Render into collection is available when the empty destination is otherwise eligible; you do not need to redeploy its unminted contract. |
| The collection has already minted NFTs | A full replacement from a new plan is blocked, including after gallery deletions or burns. Fix layer order can correct the existing selections when the normal media-edit rules allow it; minted changes still need Review & Publish. Otherwise, use a new collection or the normal metadata editor for permitted changes. |
| Artwork is reserved or committed to a mint | Resolve the transaction, release or reveal identified in the message. A prepared or published release may need to end before unminted artwork can be replaced. Already-minted collections remain ineligible. |
| Pending transactions, mint edits or a handover are blocking it | Finish or cancel the named transaction or handover, or publish or discard the saved mint changes as appropriate. Return to ArtLab and Refresh the destination afterward. |
| Another ArtLab render uses this collection | Open that project and finish its render, or pause it and return it to the editor. Its saved artwork stays in place until a later replacement is explicitly confirmed. |
| The collection does not appear | Choose Refresh and check that you are using the profile that manages the collection. A handover can change which profile has access. |
The replacement confirmation is outdated or the chain check fails
Review re-render refreshes the collection before showing its current artwork count. If another action changes the collection afterward, ArtLab rejects the old confirmation. Choose Cancel, Refresh the destination and Review re-render again. Confirm the new counts only after checking them.
For a deployed collection, ArtLab checks current mint history on the blockchain before clearing artwork. If the message says this could not be checked, no artwork was replaced by that attempt. Retry when the network check is available. If it discovers minted NFTs, use another destination; an empty gallery or a previously available selector does not override the mint history.
Once a replacement has started, the previous artwork has been permanently removed. A later rendering pause can leave only part of the new collection saved. Use Resume render to complete the same job, or keep the partial result and create a new plan. ArtLab cannot restore the deleted output from the replacement confirmation.
Changed traits or weights do not appear in the existing collection
Project edits apply to future output. Changing a layer name, variant name, weight, link, Include in traits or Count toward uniqueness does not edit the PNGs or metadata already saved in Collectibles Studio. Use Fix layer order when only the drawing order needs to change. Create a new plan when you intend to choose a new set of combinations.
For metadata-only edits, open the collection and use the artwork pencil or Metadata & CSV. Keep image_id unchanged when editing a fresh export. A full replacement from a new plan creates new artwork IDs, so an old CSV should not be reused for its replacement output. Fix layer order preserves the existing IDs.
A layer marked Artwork only is deliberately absent from metadata traits, gallery trait filters and rarity calculations. This is independent of Count toward uniqueness: an artwork-only layer can still distinguish characters, while a layer excluded from uniqueness can still have a recorded trait. Hiding a trait alone does not prevent background-only character repeats. Set the two controls separately, save and create a new plan.
Before minting, saved text traits can produce a private OpenRarity preview from all artwork, each counted once. An attached contract or eligible re-render does not remove it while the selected contract has no known mint history on that network. Once mint history is known, rankings use published metadata and confirmed mint records; private edits alone do not update them or replace missing published data. ERC-1155 published ranks require minted copy counts. Distinct text trait names are required for ranking. See the rarity guide when traits appear but ranks are unavailable.
Know what a cleanup action removes
Keep the original layer files outside ArtLab if you will need them again. A collection handover transfers the rendered collection, not the originating ArtLab source project.
| Action | What it affects | What remains |
|---|---|---|
| Remove a variant, save and Clean unused files | Unused uploaded source files from that project. | Source files used by the current design or a retained render recipe, plus all rendered gallery artwork. |
| Keep artwork & edit project | Ends use of the current render plan so the project can be edited and planned again. | The project’s source layers, artwork already saved in its collection and recipes needed for supported layer-order corrections. |
| Delete an ArtLab project | That saved project, its source layer files and its render plan. Pause a normal running render first. An unfinished layer-order correction must finish before project deletion; a paused correction can be resumed or given a corrected order. | Collections and artwork already generated from it. |
| Delete existing artwork & re-render | The selected collection’s existing artwork and saved metadata, permanently. | Its collection name, attached contract, profile picture, banner and settings, plus the source ArtLab project. |
| Fix layer order | The composition of existing images, using their original selected variants in the corrected drawing order. | The same artwork IDs, titles, descriptions, saved traits and collection order. Published NFT metadata requires its separate publication step. |