Layer styling is essential for making your maps lively and informative. It turns your data into something that's both beautiful and understandable.
Atlas provides different styling options depending on whether you're working with vector or raster data.
Zoom Visibility
Control the zoom range where a layer is visible. Set the minimum zoom level where the layer appears and the maximum zoom level where it disappears.
Useful for:
- Showing aggregated data at low zoom, detailed data at high zoom
- Displaying different administrative boundary levels
- Optimizing map performance
Vector Styling
Vector layers (points, lines, polygons) offer the full range of styling options.
Fill
Apply colors and patterns to polygon interiors. Choose a fixed color or color based on a field value to create thematic maps.
Outline
Define boundary styles for polygons and lines. Customize color, width, and opacity.
Both Radius (for points) and Outline width support three sizing modes:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Fixed | A constant value at all zoom levels |
| Field-based | Scale the value based on a numeric field (proportional symbols) |
| Dynamic | Zoom-responsive sizing that automatically adjusts as you zoom in and out |
Dynamic mode keeps features visually balanced across zoom levels — small at low zoom, larger at high zoom — without requiring a data field.
Radius
Adjust the size of point features. Set a fixed radius, scale points based on a numeric field to create proportional symbol maps, or use dynamic mode for zoom-responsive sizing.
Height
Add a third dimension to polygons for 3D visualizations. Set a fixed height or use a field value to extrude features.
Explore 3D visualization by clicking the 3D map button in the map controls.
Labels
Add text labels to features using field values. Configure:
- Font size and color
- Text anchor position
- Alignment and placement
Color Options
For Fill and Outline colors:
- Fixed color - Apply a single color to all features
- Color based on - Assign colors from a field, creating categorical or graduated symbology
When styling by a categorical (string) field, categories are sorted alphabetically. The legend displays categories in the same order and color mapping as the style configuration panel, so what you see in the editor matches what viewers see in the legend.
Opacity
Set transparency from 0% (fully transparent) to 100% (fully opaque) for fill and outline styles.
Cluster Styling
Point layers can be clustered to group nearby features into aggregated symbols. When clustering is enabled, you can style the clusters using quantile or manual classification.
Cluster Classification Modes
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Quantile | Automatically divides clusters into equal-frequency groups based on the point count |
| Manual | Define custom breakpoints to control exactly how clusters are grouped |
Configuration
- Step count — set the number of classification steps (applies to both quantile and manual modes)
- Manual breakpoints — in manual mode, specify the exact point-count thresholds for each class
- Colors — assign a distinct color to each cluster class
Cluster styling is useful for dense point datasets where individual features overlap at low zoom levels. Combine with zoom visibility to show raw points at high zoom and clusters at low zoom.
Raster Styling
Raster layers (GeoTIFFs, DEMs, imagery) have specialized visualization options.
Visualization Type
Choose how raster data is displayed:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Image | Display the raster as-is with original colors |
| Color Range | Apply a color ramp based on pixel values |
Image Visualization
Displays the raster using its native colors. Best for:
- Aerial and satellite imagery
- Pre-styled raster files
- RGB composite images
Settings:
- Opacity - Adjust layer transparency (0-100%)
- Background value - Set which pixel value to treat as transparent/no data
Color Range Visualization
Apply a color gradient based on pixel values. Ideal for:
- Elevation data (DEMs)
- Climate and weather data
- Continuous numeric rasters
Settings:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Opacity | Layer transparency (0-100%) |
| Background value | Pixel value to treat as no data |
| Steps | Classification method (Quantize, etc.) |
| Colormap | Color gradient to apply to values |
| Color range | Min/max values for the color scale |
| Exclude values outside color range | Hide pixels outside the specified range |
Advanced Raster Settings
Fine-tune raster appearance:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Contrast | Adjust difference between light and dark areas |
| Saturation | Control color intensity |
| Brightness | Lighten or darken the overall image |
Best Practices
Vector Data
- Use color based on fields to reveal patterns in your data
- Keep labels readable with appropriate font sizes and contrasting colors
- Use height sparingly—3D works best for specific visualization goals
Raster Data
- Choose Image for imagery, Color Range for numeric data
- Adjust the color range to highlight the values that matter
- Use background value to remove no-data pixels from display
- Fine-tune with contrast and brightness for clearer visualization