Creating and Deleting Layers

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Creating and Deleting Layers

You can add new layers as you need them while creating the ingredients of a particular scene in your movie.

To add a new layer:

1. In the Timeline, select a layer. Flash always adds the new layer directly above the selected layer, so be sure to choose the layer that you want to lie directly beneath the new layer. If you want to add a layer beneath the current bottom layer, create it first and then click and drag it to reposition it at the bottom of the stack.

2. Do one of the following:

   • From the Insert menu, choose Layer. (Figure 5.2).

     Figure 5.2. Choose Insert > Layer to add a new layer to the Timeline.

     

   • In the Timeline, click the Insert Layer button.

     Flash adds a new layer and gives it a default namefor example, Layer 4 (Figure 5.3). Flash bases the number in the default name on the number of layers already created in the active scene of the movie, not on the number of layers that currently exist.

     Figure 5.3. Select the layer that you want to wind up beneath the new layer (top); Flash inserts a new layer directly above the selected layer and gives the new layer a default name (bottom).

     

To delete a layer:

1. In the Timeline, select the layer you want to delete.

2. Click the Trash icon (Figure 5.4).

   Figure 5.4. Click the Trash icon to delete a selected layer.

   

   Flash removes that layer (and all its frames ) from the Timeline.

Tip

• The contextual menu for layers offers some choices that otherwise are available only via buttons in the Timelinefor example, the Delete Layer command (Figure 5.5). To access this menu, Control-click a layer on the Mac or right-click it in Windows.

  Figure 5.5. The contextual menu for layers gives you easy access to layer commands, including some that you can otherwise access only via buttonsfor example, Delete Layer. To access the contextual menu for layers, Control-click (Mac) or right-click (Windows) the layer icon.

  

To delete multiple layers:

1. In the Timeline, select the first layer you want to remove.

2. -click (Mac) or Ctrl-click (Windows) every layer you want to remove.

   This method of selection allows you to choose multiple layers that are not contiguous (Figure 5.6).

   Figure 5.6. To delete noncontiguous layers, -click (Mac) or Ctrl-click (Windows) the layers you want to add to your selection; then click the Trash icon.

   

3. Click the Trash icon.

   Flash removes the selected layers (and their frames) from the Timeline.

Tips

• To select a range of layers, click the lowest layer you want to delete; then Shift-click the highest layer you want to delete. Flash selects it and all the layers in between.

• You can drag selected layers to the Trash icon to delete them instead of selecting and clicking the Trash icon in two steps.

• You cannot delete all the layers in the Timeline. If you select all the layers and click the Trash icon, Flash keeps the bottom layer and deletes the rest.

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