The Layers panel lets you create a tiered document that can be designed more easily by management of layers.
About the Layers panel
Layers are composited together to form your complete design which shows up on your page.
The panel can be used to build up your design as multiple layers, with each layer devoted to a particular facet (e.g., lines, shapes, text, adjustments, etc.).
From the Layers panel you can:
Create or delete layers or groups
Warp objects
Select layers, groups and objects
Arrange and reorder layers
Show and hide layers, groups and objects
Lock layers, groups and objects
Clip objects or layers
Apply layer opacity
Apply blend modes (or blend ranges) to layers
Create masks
Add layer adjustments and effects
Tag layers with a choice of colours
Display layer thumbnails with a solid or checkerboard background
The Layers panel.
Options
The following settings are available in the panel:
Compact View / Full View—tap to reduce the panel view to compact mode, showing just the visibility button and layer thumbnail; tap again to return to full view. Use for maximising your document view, typically on smaller iPad models.
Panel Preferences—the menu offers :
Select All—selects all objects across all layers.
Lock—locks the selected layer(s).
Unlock—unlocks the selected layer(s).
Unlock All—unlocks all layers.
Hide—hides the selected layer(s).
Show—displays the selected layer(s).
Show All—displays all hidden layers.
Hide Others—hides all layers except the currently selected layer(s).
Show Others—displays all layers currently hidden, including the currently selected layer(s).
Show Unlocked—displays a greyed out lock icon beside unlocked layers.
Auto-scroll—when enabled, the panel will automatically scroll and display an object selected on the page if previously hidden. When disabled, auto-scrolling does not occur.
Show Group Thumbnails—when enabled, each group layer’s thumbnail displays a preview of all the group’s contents. When disabled, a folder icon is shown instead.
Show Object Type—when enabled, each layer entry displays an icon to identify its type. When disabled, icons are hidden.
Edit All Layers—enable to allow selection across all layers (not just the selected layer).
Checkerboard Background—when selected, layer thumbnail backgrounds will display a checkerboard.
Tap the pin icon in the top right of the panel to hide the panel automatically when you are no longer focusing on it.
Add—creates either an empty Vector Layer or Pixel Layer above the currently selected layer, a mask based on the current selection made in StudioLink's Selections Persona (Mask Layer) or an empty mask that ignores selections (Empty Mask Layer). Use Empty Group to allow objects to be subsequently dragged and dropped into it.
Merge and Rasterise—allows you to either:
Merge Down—merges the currently selected pixel layer with the layer directly below it.
Merge Selected—merges the currently selected pixel layers.
Merge Visible—merges all visible layers, including vector and pixel layers. Merging vector layers will automatically rasterise the objects within those layers.
Rasterise—rasterises the selected vector layer.
Rasterise & Trim—rasterises the selected vector layer and trims off-canvas content.
Rasterise To Mask—rasterises the selected vector layer as a mask layer.
Mask To Below—clips the selected layer thus becoming a child of the layer above it.
Release—unclips the selected layer, i.e. the clipped layer is no longer a child layer.
Expand Selection—expands the selected group layer, revealing the items nested within it on the panel.
Collapse Selection—collapses the selected group layer, hiding the items nested within it from the panel.
Collapse All Parents—collapses all parent group layers in which the selected layer is nested, so only the parent at the top tier of the layer stack is shown.
Group and Warp—lets you group the currently selected objects or apply one of a series of warp presets to them; tap the option to ungroup any selected group using Ungroup.
Remove—deletes the currently selected layer.
Layer Options include:
Opacity—adjusts opacity of the selected layer(s).
Blend Mode—changes how the applied pixels interact with existing pixels on the layer below.
Visible—disable to hide the layer; Enable to make it visible again.
Lock—tap to lock or unlock selected layers to prevent or allow editing.
Solo—tap to hide all layers apart from the selected layer, for focused editing of objects without any distraction.
Gamma—determines the distribution of mid-tone pixels in layer blending.
Antialiasing mode—controls antialiasing behaviour for the selected layer: Inherit (default) adopts antialiasing from any parent layer, while Force On and Force Off respectively applies or disables antialiasing independently of any other layers.
Channels—controls which colour channel is affected when adjusting the blend range. Select from the pop-up menu.
Source & Dest—spline graphs that control the layer's blending.
Tag—allows you to tag layers with a choice of colours.
Opacity—adjusts opacity of the selected layer(s). Double-tap to reset to 100% opacity.
Blend Mode—changes how the applied pixels interact with existing pixels on the layer below. Double-tap to reset to Normal blend mode.
On each layer entry, the following options are available:
Expand/Collapse—tap to expand/contract the layer, revealing child layers, or the group layer to expand the group's content. Alternatively, it is possible to expand or collapse layers in a stack or group by pressing the modifier (via the Command Controller or a connected keyboard) whilst tapping on the Expand/Collapse chevron.
Layer type—The layer's type, identified by a unique symbol.
Layer thumbnail—Visual representation of the layer contents on a checkerboard transparent background.
Layer name/type description—Text description of the layer type if unnamed; rename the layer via Layer Options. For text layers, the text used on the page will be shown, while placed documents will show their filenames.
Layer effect—indicates that a layer effect(s) has been applied to the layer via the Layer FX panel.
Lock—indicates that a layer is locked. Tap to unlock the layer to allow editing.
Toggle Visibility—tap to hide the layer or to make it visible again.
Layers panel
Compact View / Full View—tap to reduce the panel view to compact mode, showing just the visibility button and layer thumbnail; tap again to return to full view. Use for maximising your document view, typically on smaller iPad models.
Panel Preferences—the menu offers :
Tap the pin icon in the top right of the panel to hide the panel automatically when you are no longer focusing on it.
Add—creates either an empty Vector Layer or Pixel Layer above the currently selected layer, a mask based on the current selection made in StudioLink's Selections Persona (Mask Layer) or an empty mask that ignores selections (Empty Mask Layer). Use Empty Group to allow objects to be subsequently dragged and dropped into it.
Merge and Rasterise—allows you to either:
Group and Warp—lets you group the currently selected objects or apply one of a series of warp presets to them; tap the option to ungroup any selected group using Ungroup.
Remove—deletes the currently selected layer.
Layer Options include:
Visible—disable to hide the layer; Enable to make it visible again.
Lock—tap to lock or unlock selected layers to prevent or allow editing.
Solo—tap to hide all layers apart from the selected layer, for focused editing of objects without any distraction.
Expand/Collapse—tap to expand/contract the layer, revealing child layers, or the group layer to expand the group's content. Alternatively, it is possible to expand or collapse layers in a stack or group by pressing the modifier (via the Command Controller or a connected keyboard) whilst tapping on the Expand/Collapse chevron.
Layer effect—indicates that a layer effect(s) has been applied to the layer via the Layer FX panel.
Lock—indicates that a layer is locked. Tap to unlock the layer to allow editing.
Toggle Visibility—tap to hide the layer or to make it visible again.