Layers

Each document includes at least one named layer. By using multiple layers, you can create and edit specific areas or kinds of content in your document without affecting other areas or kinds of content. For example, if your document prints slowly because it contains many large graphics, you can use one layer for just the text in your document; then, when it’s time to proofread the text, you can hide all other layers and quickly print the text layer only. You can also use layers to display alternate design ideas for the same layout, or versions of advertisements for different regions.

Think of layers as transparent sheets stacked on top of each other. If a layer doesn’t have objects on it, you can see through it to any objects on layers behind it.

Additional layer notes:

• Each document layer has a disclosure triangle that can be expanded to reveal the objects and their stacking order on that layer for the active spread. Groups, buttons, and multi-state objects also have disclosure triangles that can be expanded to display their contained objects. You can re-order these objects, lock and unlock them, and add or remove them from groups.

• Objects on parents appear at the bottom of each layer. Parent items can appear in front of document page objects if the parent page objects are on a higher layer. (See About parents, stacking order, and layers.)

• Layers involve all pages of a document, including parents. For example, if you hide Layer 1 while editing page 1 of your document, the layer is hidden on all pages until you decide to show it again.

• For information on converting layers from Adobe PageMaker® or QuarkXPress, see Converting QuarkXPress and PageMaker documents.

Create layers

You can add layers at any time using the New Layer command on the Layers panel menu or the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers panel. The number of layers a document can have is limited only by the RAM available to InDesign.

Create layers

Specify layer options

Assign a layer color

Assigning a color to a layer makes it easier to distinguish the layers of different selected objects. For each layer that contains a selected object, the Layers panel displays a dot in the layer’s color. On the page, each object displays the color of its layer in its selection handles, bounding box, text ports, text wrap boundary (if used), frame edges (including the X displayed by an empty graphics frame), and hidden characters. The layer color does not appear for a deselected frame if its edges are hidden.

Add objects to layers

Any new object is placed on the target layer, the layer currently displaying the pen icon in the Layers panel. Targeting a layer also selects it. If multiple layers are selected, targeting one of them doesn’t change the selection, but targeting a layer outside the selection deselects the other layers.

You can add objects to the target layer by any of the following methods:

• Creating new objects with the Type tool or drawing tools.

• Importing, placing, or pasting text or graphics.

• Selecting objects on other layers, and then moving them to the new layer.

  You cannot draw or place a new object on a hidden or locked layer. When you select a drawing tool or the Type tool, or place a file when the target layer is hidden or locked, the pointer changes to the crossed-out-pencil icon when it is positioned over the document window. Either show or unlock the target layer, or target a visible, unlocked layer. If you choose Edit > Paste when the target layer is hidden or locked, an alert message gives you the choice of showing or unlocking the target layer.

When you click a layer in the Layers panel to target it, the pen icon appears on the layer you clicked, and the layer also highlights to indicate that it is targeted.

Select, move, and copy objects on layers

By default, you can select any object on any layer. In the Layers panel, dots mark layers that contain selected objects. The layer’s selection color helps you identify an object’s layer. To prevent selecting objects on a specific layer, lock the layer.

Paste objects into different layers

The Paste Remembers Layers command affects how objects pasted from other locations interact with existing layers.

If the Paste Remembers Layers command is selected, objects cut or copied from different layers retain their layer assignments when pasted to the new page or position. If you paste objects to a document that doesn’t have the same layers as the document from which they were copied, InDesign adds the objects’ layer names to the Layers panel in the second document, and pastes each object on its layer.

If the Paste Remembers Layers command is deselected, objects cut or copied from different layers are pasted together on the target layer.

Duplicate a layer

When you duplicate a layer, you copy its contents and settings. The duplicate layer then appears above the original layer in the Layers panel. Any duplicated frames that were threaded to other frames on the layer remain threaded. Duplicated frames whose originals were threaded to frames on other layers are no longer threaded to those frames.

Change the order of layers

Change the stacking order of layers in your document by rearranging the layers on the Layers panel. Rearranging layers changes the order of layers on every page, not just on the target spread.

You can also change the stacking order of objects within a layer by repositioning objects within the layer. See Arrange objects in a stack.

Show or hide layers and objects

You can hide or display any layer at any time, and you can hide or display objects on a layer. Hidden layers and objects can’t be edited, and don’t appear on screen or in print. Hiding layers can be useful when you want to do any of the following:

• Hide parts of a document that are not meant to appear in the final document.

• Hide alternate versions of a document.

• Simplify the display of a document, to make it easier to edit other parts of the document.

• Prevent a layer from printing.

• Speed up screen redraw when a layer contains high-resolution graphics.

Set a layer as nonprinting

Lock or unlock layers

Locking is useful for preventing accidental changes to a layer. A locked layer displays a crossed-out pencil icon in the Layers panel. Objects on locked layers cannot be selected or edited directly; however, if objects on locked layers have attributes that can be edited indirectly, they will change. For example, if you edit a tint swatch, objects on locked layers using that tint swatch will reflect the change. Similarly, putting a series of threaded text frames on both locked and unlocked layers will not prevent text on locked layers from recomposing.

You can also use the Layers panel to lock or unlock objects in a layer. See Lock or unlock objects.

Delete layers

Remember that each layer is document-wide—it appears on every page of a document. Before deleting a layer, consider hiding all other layers first, and then turn to each page of the document to verify that it is safe to delete the remaining objects.

Merge layers in a document

You can reduce the number of layers in a document without deleting any objects by merging layers. When you merge layers, objects from all selected layers are moved to the target layer. Of the layers you merge, only the target layer remains in the document; the other selected layers are deleted. You can also flatten a document by merging all layers.

You can also merge identically named layers for exporting a book to PDF.