What You’ll Do
To be successful with Adobe Illustrator, you need to be in control. You need to control color, to control elements of the design, and you even need to control the order of design elements. If control is what you crave, then Layers, more than any other feature, helps you achieve that control. Layers give you the ability to separate individual elements of your design, and then control how those elements appear. You can think of Layers as a group of transparent sheets stacked on top of each other. Through the creative use of these electronic sheets, you can blend the elements of two or more layers, and create layers to adjust and control contrast, brightness, and color balance. You can even group layers together to help organize and manage your design.
Layers are a digital designer’s canvas, and they are just as real as a stretched canvas is to a natural media designer. The strokes you apply to a real canvas, using a brush, are equivalent to strokes in an Illustrator layer when you use any of the painting tools. The natural artist may use oils or watercolor in the design while the Illustrator artist uses electronic ink. The Layers panel allows you to view the image almost as if you were actually painting or designing with natural media. However, our canvas—the Layers panel—goes far beyond anything possible in the “real” world.
In Illustrator, using multiple layers is the way to control the information within a document. There are times when you will create several layers; each layer will contain a separate aspect of the total design. Having multiple layers allows you to adjust and move each element independently. Eventually, multiple layers may no longer be necessary. However, you might not want to link them together, or even place them within the same folder. Instead, you might want to combine them into a single unit. Once again, Illustrator comes to the rescue by giving you several options for combining layers without flattening the entire document.
IL 1.7, 2.8
With the Layers panel, you can control elements of an Illustrator design by assigning separate layers to each individual object. A top-level layer appears at the top of the Layers panel, which indicates the top of the stacking order. You can create layers and sublayers (nested layers) within a top-level layer. The current layer in the Layers panel appears with a black triangle in the upper right corner of the layer. The circle icon on the right is the target, which you can use to apply and edit appearances. A small square next to the target indicates an object selection. The arrowhead next to a layer thumbnail allows you to expand/collapse a layer group. To access the Layers panel, select the Layers panel or, if the Layers panel is not visible, click the Window menu, and then click Layers.
Show/Hide. Click this icon to show and hide the layer, sublayer, group, or object.
Lock/Unlock. Click this icon to lock or unlock the layer, sublayer, group, or object.
Target. Click this icon to apply or edit appearances for an object or group.
Make/Release Clipping Mask. Click the Lock Transparent Pixels, Lock Image Pixels, Lock Position, or Lock All button.
New Sublayer. Click this button to create a new sublayer in the active document.
New Layer Click this button to create a new layer in the active document.
Delete Selection. Click this button to delete the active layer.
Layers Options. Click this button to access a menu of layer-specific commands.
IL 1.7
Illustrator doesn’t have a lot of options for controlling the Layers panel itself; in fact, there are only a few—changing the size of the layer row and showing or hiding layers by type. You can choose to view the layer row size in a small (12 pixels), medium (20 pixels), or large (32 pixels) size, or you can select a custom size. You can choose to show or hide thumbnails based on type, including Layers, Top Level Only, Groups, and Objects.
Select the Layers panel.
Click the Layers Options menu, and then click Panel Options.
Deselect the Show Layers Only check box to show all layers. Select it to show only top-level layers and sublayers.
Click an option for Row Size: Small, Medium, Large, or Other, and then enter a size (12-100 pixels).
Select the check boxes you want for Thumbnails: Layers, Top Level Only, Groups, and Objects.
Click OK.
IL 1.7
Layers give you control over the design elements of your document, so Illustrator makes sure you have plenty of layers available to you. This flexibility guarantees that you have the creative options to carry your designs to any level you desire. To create a new layer, you must first have an open document. A new document in Illustrator has a single top level layer. If you have more than one document open, make sure the active image is the one to which you want to add a layer. You can quickly create a top level layer or sublayer using a button or add a layer and select options using a dialog box. When you create a new vector object, you also create a sublayer with the name <Path>. Each object that you create or place appears as a new sublayer in the Layers panel.
Select the Layers panel.
Click the top level layer that you want the new layer to appear above.
Click the New Layer button on the Layers panel.
A new top level layer appears with the name Layer and the next number in order.
To rename the layer, double-click the layer, enter a name, and then click OK.
Select the Layers panel.
Click the top level layer or sublayer that you want the new sublayer to appear within.
Click the New Sublayer button on the Layers panel.
A new sublayer appears with the name Layer and the next number in order.
To rename the layer, double-click the layer, enter a name, and then click OK.
Select the Layers panel.
Click the top level layer that you want the new layer to appear above, or sublayer that you want the new sublayer to appear within.
Alt+click (Win) or Option+click (Mac) the New Layer or New Sublayer button on the Layers panel.
The Layer Options dialog box appears.
Enter a name for the layer or sublayer.
Click the Color list arrow, and then select a color.
Select the check boxes that you want to apply to the layer or sublayer:
Template. Select to make a template layer uneditable.
Show. Select to show the layer in the Layers panel.
Preview. Select to view the layer in Preview view.
Lock. Select to lock the layer.
Print. Select to enable printing for the layer. Nonprintable layers appear in italics in the Layers panel.
Dim Images to 50%. Select to gray out images by the specified percentage.
Click OK.
IL 1.7
Before you can create a new layer or work on an existing layer, you need to select it first. Simply click the layer name in the Layers panel. A single selected layer appears with the black triangle in the corner and is called the current layer. In some cases, such as moving, deleting, or restacking layers, you want to select multiple layers. You can select multiple sublayers or objects at the same nesting level within the same top-level layer. However, you can’t select multiple sublayers or objects on different top-level layers.
Open a multi-layered document, and then select the Layers panel.
To select a single layer, click the name in the Layers panel.
To select multiple layers in the Layers panel use the following options:
Contiguous Layers. Click on the first layer, and then Shift+click the last layer to select first, last, and all layers in-between.
Non-Contiguous Layers. Click on a layer, hold down the Ctrl (Win) or 
(Mac) key, and then click on another layer.
To deselect layers in the Layers panel use the following options:
Deselect Individual. Hold down the Ctrl (Win) or (Mac) key, and then click on a layer for a multiple selection.
Deselect All. Click the Select menu, and then click Deselect Layers.
IL 1.7
While Illustrator lets you add a lot of layers to a document, it also lets you delete layers. Remember that once you’ve deleted a layer and saved the document, there is no way to recover the deleted layer. However, while the document is open, you can use the Undo command to recover a deleted layer.
Select the Layers panel.
Select the layers that you want to delete.
Hold down the Ctrl (Win) or (Mac) key, and then click to select multiple items.
Click the Delete Layer button.
If prompted, click Yes to delete any objects on the layer or sublayer.
Did You Know?
You can delete layers without the prompt. Select the layers that you want to delete, and then drag them onto the Delete Layer button.
IL 1.7
In an earlier chapter you learned how to select objects using selection tools on the Tools panel and the Select menu. You can also select objects using the Layers panel. When you click the Selection area to the right of the target circle for a specific layer, all the paths, groups, and objects on the layer become selected. A selection square appears next to that target circle. In addition, the target circle for each path and group becomes selected and ready for editing.
Select the Layers panel.
To select objects in a layer use the following options:
Top-level. Click the Selection area for the top-level layer.
A selection square appears for each sublayer, group, and object on all the layers within it.
Individual Layers. Expand the top-level layer, and then click the Selection area for the layer that you want to select.
To deselect objects in the Layers panel use the following options:
Top-level. Shift+click the Selection square for the top-level layer.
Individual All. Expand the top-level layer, and then Shift+click the Selection square.
Select the Layers panel.
Expand the layers with the objects that you want to select in the Layers panel.
Click the selection area or target circle for the first object.
Shift+click the other individual group or object layers that you want to include in the selection.
The layers don’t need to be adjacent to each other. They can be anywhere in the Layers panel.
To deselect a group or object layer, Shift+click the Selection square for the layer.
IL 1.7, 2.8
The layers in the Layers panel appear from top to bottom as they appear in the document window. The first layer (top-level layer) at the top of the Layers panel is the topmost layer in the document window. The last layer in the Layers panel is the bottommost layer in the document window. You can change the stacking order of the layers in the Layers panel. When you change the order in the Layers panel, the objects in the document window change too.
Select the Layers panel.
Select the layers that you want to move.
Drag the selected layers up or down the list in the Layers panel.
As you drag, the pointer changes to a hand and double black lines or a large black arrow appears.
The double black lines indicate the new location of the layers within the same indent level when you release the mouse.
The large black arrow indicates the new location of the layers in a different indent level when you release the mouse.
Release the mouse at the location where you want to move the layers.
Select the Layers panel.
Select the layers that you want to move.
Click the Object menu, and then point to Arrange.
Click one of the following commands:
Send to Current Layer. Moves the selected layers to the current layer.
Bring to Front. Moves the selected layers up to the top level.
Bring Forward. Moves the selected layers up a level.
Send Backward. Moves the selected layers down a level.
Send to Back. Moves the selected layers down to the last level.
IL 1.7
There are times when you will need a copy of a Photoshop layer. Duplicating a layer is a simple process that creates a pixel-to-pixel copy of the selected layer. Once the copied layer is created, it becomes a separate image within the document. You can then begin to make changes to the new layer. Duplicating a layer gives you the ability to control each layer separately and to apply nondestructive effects to your image by making them on a copy of the image instead of the original.
Select the Layers panel.
Select the layers that you want to duplicate.
Hold down the Ctrl (Win) or (Mac) key, and then click to select multiple items.
Click the Layers Options menu, and then click Duplicate “Layer Name.”
Did You Know?
You can duplicate a layer with the New Layer button. Drag the layer over the New Layer button and Illustrator creates an exact copy of the layer and appends the word copy at the end of the original layer name.
You can duplicate a layer by dragging a Selection square. Alt+drag (Win) or Option+drag (Mac) the Selection square up or down in the Layers panel to the location where you want to place the duplicate layers.
IL 1.7
When you don’t want an object to be moved or modified, you can lock it in the Layers panel. When you lock a layer, the objects remain visible in the document window. When you click the edit (second) column in the Layers, a padlock icon appears indicating the layer is locked. When you lock a layer, all the objects on the layer are locked. To unlock a layer, you simply click the padlock icon to remove it. You can lock/unlock individual layers, multiple layers, and top-level layers.
Select the Layers panel.
Use any of the following:
Lock/Unlock Individual. Click the edit (second) column for each layer that you want to lock or unlock.
Lock/Unlock Multiple. Click and drag the edit (second) column.
Lock/Unlock Top-Level. Click the edit (second) column for the top-level layer.
All the layers in the top-level are locked/unlocked.
Lock/Unlock Except One. Alt+click (Win) or Option+click (Mac) the edit (second) column for a top-level layer to lock/unlock all the other top-level layers except the one you clicked.
IL 1.7
When you have a lot of objects in the document window, it can be hard to work with them. In the Layers panel, you hide layers and objects to reduce the clutter and make it easier to work with the layers and objects that you want. When you click the visibility (first) column in the Layers, an eye icon appears indicating the layer is visible. To hide a layer, you simply click the eye icon to remove it. When you hide a top-level layer, all the objects within it are also hidden. The eye icons appear dimmed. You need to make the top-level layer visible to show all the objects within it. Hidden objects don’t print and don’t appear in the document window in either Preview or Outline views. When you save, close, and reopen your document, any hidden objects remain hidden until you show them.
Select the Layers panel.
Use any of the following:
Show/Hide Individual. Click the visibility (first) column for each layer that you want to show or hide.
Show/Hide Multiple. Click and drag the visibility (first) column.
Show/Hide Top-Level. Click the visibility (first) column for the top-level layer.
All the layers in the top-level are shown/hidden.
Show/Hide Except One. Alt+click (Win) or Option+click (Mac) the visibility (first) column for a top-level layer to show/hide all the other top-level layers except the one you clicked.
IL 1.7
If you have objects on multiple layers and want to consolidate them onto one layer, you can merge them together. You can merge two or more groups, or a combination of groups and sublayers (if they are both in the same top-level layer). However, you can’t merge an object with another object. If a layer is locked or hidden, you can still use them in a merge. Before you use the Merge Selected command, it’s a good idea to make a copy of your document as a backup to preserve a copy of the separate layers.
Select the Layers panel.
Select two or more layers, sublayers, or groups that you want to merge.
Hold down the Ctrl (Win) or (Mac) key, and then click to select multiple items.
Click the last layer into which you want to merge the selected layers.
Click the Layers Options menu, and then click Merge Selected.
IL 1.7
With the Collect in New Layer command, you can move all the selected layers in the Layer panel into a new layer. You can select top-level layers, sublayers, groups, or objects. With the Release to Layers (Sequence) command, you can move objects or groups that are nested within a top-level layer into separate layers within the same layer. If you want to build an animation, you can use the Release to Layers (Build) command to create a sequence of objects that you can use to create the animation in a program such as Adobe Flash.
Select the Layers panel.
Select the layers that you want to move. The layers must all have the same indent level.
Hold down the Ctrl (Win) or (Mac) key, and then click to select multiple items.
Click the Layers Options menu, and then click Collect in New Layer.
Sublayers, groups, or objects are nested in a new sublayer within the same top-level layer.
To rename the layer, double-click the layer, enter a name, and then click OK.
Select the Layers panel.
Select the top-level layer, sublayer, or group (not an object layer) that you want to use.
Click the Layers Options menu, and then click Release to Layers (Sequence).
Sublayers, groups, or objects are nested in a new sublayer within the same top-level layer.
To rename the layer, double-click the layer, enter a name, and then click OK.
Did You Know?
You can create objects for animation. Select the Layers panel, select the top-level layer, sublayer, or group (not an object layer) that you want to use, click the Layers Options menu, and then click Release to Layers (Build).
After you separate your layers, you can use the Export command on the File menu to export your document layers to a Flash SWF file.
See Also
See “Exporting as a Flash Movie” on page 354 for more information on exporting an Illustrator document as a Flash SWF file.
IL 1.7
The Flatten Artwork command allows you to flatten an entire document into one top-level layer with sublayers and groups nested within it. After you use the Flatten Artwork command, all objects remain editable and any appearances on layers are applied to all the objects in your document.
Select the Layers panel.
Select the top-level layer or a layer within it that you want to use as a new main layer for the document.
Click the Layers Options menu, and then click Flatten Artwork.
If any of the layers are hidden, an alert appears, asking if you want to discard the hidden layers.
If prompted, click Yes to discard the hidden layers, or click No to preserve them.
When the Layers panel contains a lot of layers, groups, and objects, it can be hard to find the one you want to work on, especially if the object is in a collapsed layer. All you need to do is select the object that you want to find in the Layers panel, and then choose the Locate Object command.
