diff --git a/libs/hwui/DeferredLayerUpdater.cpp b/libs/hwui/DeferredLayerUpdater.cpp
index 03bbaf0..ed05d04 100644
--- a/libs/hwui/DeferredLayerUpdater.cpp
+++ b/libs/hwui/DeferredLayerUpdater.cpp
@@ -32,26 +32,24 @@
         , mRenderer(renderer)
         , mCaches(Caches::getInstance()) {
     mCaches.resourceCache.incrementRefcount(mLayer);
-    SkRefCnt_SafeAssign(mColorFilter, mLayer->getColorFilter());
     mWidth = mLayer->layer.getWidth();
     mHeight = mLayer->layer.getHeight();
     mBlend = mLayer->isBlend();
+    mColorFilter = mLayer->getColorFilter();
     mAlpha = mLayer->getAlpha();
     mMode = mLayer->getMode();
     mDirtyRect.setEmpty();
 }
 
 DeferredLayerUpdater::~DeferredLayerUpdater() {
-    SkSafeUnref(mColorFilter);
+    setColorFilter(NULL);
     if (mLayer) {
         mCaches.resourceCache.decrementRefcount(mLayer);
     }
     delete mRenderer;
 }
 
-void DeferredLayerUpdater::setPaint(const SkPaint* paint) {
-    OpenGLRenderer::getAlphaAndModeDirect(paint, &mAlpha, &mMode);
-    SkColorFilter* colorFilter = (paint) ? paint->getColorFilter() : NULL;
+void DeferredLayerUpdater::setColorFilter(SkColorFilter* colorFilter) {
     SkRefCnt_SafeAssign(mColorFilter, colorFilter);
 }
 
@@ -138,10 +136,9 @@
     deferredApply->mSurfaceTexture = mSurfaceTexture;
     deferredApply->mNeedsGLContextAttach = mNeedsGLContextAttach;
     deferredApply->mUpdateTexImage = mUpdateTexImage;
+    deferredApply->setColorFilter(mColorFilter);
     deferredApply->setTransform(mTransform);
 
-    SkRefCnt_SafeAssign(deferredApply->mColorFilter, mColorFilter);
-
     mDisplayList = 0;
     mDirtyRect.setEmpty();
     mTransform = 0;
diff --git a/libs/hwui/DeferredLayerUpdater.h b/libs/hwui/DeferredLayerUpdater.h
index 2735b9e..0350eef 100644
--- a/libs/hwui/DeferredLayerUpdater.h
+++ b/libs/hwui/DeferredLayerUpdater.h
@@ -73,7 +73,11 @@
     ANDROID_API void setDisplayList(DisplayList* displayList,
                 int left, int top, int right, int bottom);
 
-    ANDROID_API void setPaint(const SkPaint* paint);
+    ANDROID_API void setPaint(const SkPaint* paint) {
+        OpenGLRenderer::getAlphaAndModeDirect(paint, &mAlpha, &mMode);
+    }
+
+    ANDROID_API void setColorFilter(SkColorFilter* colorFilter);
 
     ANDROID_API bool apply();
     ANDROID_API void applyDeferred(DeferredLayerUpdater* deferredApply);
diff --git a/libs/hwui/Layer.cpp b/libs/hwui/Layer.cpp
index 54ce64f..70eeb39 100644
--- a/libs/hwui/Layer.cpp
+++ b/libs/hwui/Layer.cpp
@@ -131,9 +131,8 @@
     }
 }
 
-void Layer::setPaint(const SkPaint* paint) {
+void Layer::setPaint(SkPaint* paint) {
     OpenGLRenderer::getAlphaAndModeDirect(paint, &alpha, &mode);
-    setColorFilter((paint) ? paint->getColorFilter() : NULL);
 }
 
 void Layer::setColorFilter(SkColorFilter* filter) {
diff --git a/libs/hwui/Layer.h b/libs/hwui/Layer.h
index 8cc027a..ec80e9c 100644
--- a/libs/hwui/Layer.h
+++ b/libs/hwui/Layer.h
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@
         texture.height = height;
     }
 
-    ANDROID_API void setPaint(const SkPaint* paint);
+    ANDROID_API void setPaint(SkPaint* paint);
 
     inline void setBlend(bool blend) {
         texture.blend = blend;
diff --git a/libs/hwui/OpenGLRenderer.cpp b/libs/hwui/OpenGLRenderer.cpp
index 0a83332..fee916b 100644
--- a/libs/hwui/OpenGLRenderer.cpp
+++ b/libs/hwui/OpenGLRenderer.cpp
@@ -868,11 +868,14 @@
 
     const bool fboLayer = flags & SkCanvas::kClipToLayer_SaveFlag;
 
+    SkXfermode::Mode mode = getXfermodeDirect(paint);
+    int alpha = getAlphaDirect(paint);
+
     // Window coordinates of the layer
     Rect clip;
     Rect bounds(left, top, right, bottom);
     calculateLayerBoundsAndClip(bounds, clip, fboLayer);
-    updateSnapshotIgnoreForLayer(bounds, clip, fboLayer, getAlphaDirect(paint));
+    updateSnapshotIgnoreForLayer(bounds, clip, fboLayer, alpha);
 
     // Bail out if we won't draw in this snapshot
     if (currentSnapshot()->isIgnored()) {
@@ -885,11 +888,12 @@
         return false;
     }
 
-    layer->setPaint(paint);
+    layer->setAlpha(alpha, mode);
     layer->layer.set(bounds);
     layer->texCoords.set(0.0f, bounds.getHeight() / float(layer->getHeight()),
             bounds.getWidth() / float(layer->getWidth()), 0.0f);
 
+    layer->setColorFilter(getColorFilter(paint));
     layer->setBlend(true);
     layer->setDirty(false);
 
@@ -1007,6 +1011,7 @@
     }
 
     if (!fboLayer && layer->getAlpha() < 255) {
+        // TODO: this seems to point to the fact that the layer should store the paint
         SkPaint layerPaint;
         layerPaint.setAlpha(layer->getAlpha());
         layerPaint.setXfermodeMode(SkXfermode::kDstIn_Mode);