Flash glossary: Layers

Layers help you organize the artwork in your Adobe Flash Professional document. You can draw and edit objects on one layer without affecting objects on another layer. In areas of the Stage with nothing on a layer, you can see through it to the layers below.

To draw, paint, or otherwise modify a layer or folder, select the layer in the Timeline to make it active. A pencil icon next to a layer or folder name in the Timeline indicates that the layer or folder is active. Only one layer can be active at a time—although more than one layer can be selected at a time.

When you create a Flash document, it contains only one layer. To organize the artwork, animation, and other elements in your document, add more layers. You can also hide, lock, or rearrange layers. The number of layers you can create is limited only by your computer's memory, and layers do not increase the file size of your published SWF file. Only the objects you place into layers add to the project's file size.

To help create sophisticated effects, use special guide layers to make drawing and editing easier, and to make mask layers.

To create a normal layer, do one of the following:

• Click the New Layer icon in the Timeline in the bottom left corner of the Timeline.
• Right-click (or Control-click) an existing layer and choose Insert Layer in the menu that appears.

There are five types of layers you can use in Flash:

• Normal layers contain most of the artwork in a FLA file.
• Mask layers contain objects used as masks to hide selected portions of layers below them. For more information, see Using mask layers in the Flash documentation.
• Masked layers are layers beneath a mask layer that you associate with the mask layer. Only the portion of the mask layer not covered by the mask is visible.
• Guide layers contain strokes that can be used to guide the arrangement of objects on other layers or the motion of classic tween animations on other layers. For more information, see Guide layers and Create classic tween motion along a path in the Flash documentation.
• Guided layers are layers associated with a guide layer. The objects on the guided layer can be arranged or animated along the strokes on the guide layer. Guided layers can contain static artwork and classic tweens, but not motion tweens.

To learn more about working with layers in the Timeline, see the section titled Create and organize layers in the Flash documentation.