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Help Center/Layers and tools/Apply layers/Select layers

Select layers

To view or edit layer properties, you need to select the layer first. Motiff supports selecting layers in the canvas and the Layer panel.

Select layer in the canvas

Select a single layer

In most cases, clicking on a layer within the canvas will select it, but selecting a layer requires more precise operations in complicated designs where layers are nested within groups or frames.

Select nested layers

You can follow the steps listed below to select nested layers.

  1. 1.Click on a group of nested layers to select its parent layer by default.
  2. 2.Double-click the layer or press Enter to select the next level of the child layer.
  3. 3.Repeat the above action until the layer you want is selected.

To switch the selected layer, you can use the following shortcuts:

  • Press Enter to select child layer
  • Press Shift + Enter to select parent layer
  • Press Tab to select the next sibling layer
  • Press Tab + Enter to select the previous sibling layer

Deep select

When there are too many nested levels, you can use the deep selection feature to quickly select the layer you need by pressing ⌘ Command / Ctrl and clicking on the required layer in the canvas.

You can select the required layer in the canvas through the Select layer menu.

  1. 1.Right-click on the layer you need to select in the canvas.
  2. 2.Hover the mouse over the Select layer.
  3. 3.Motiff will display the icons and names of the layers in the order they appear in the Layers panel.
  4. 4.Choose the layer you need.

'select layer menu.png'

Tip: Motiff supports selecting layers that are locked or hidden.

  • Hidden layers will not appear in the Select layer feature menu unless you unhide them.
  • Locked layers cannot be selected by clicking or dragging, but can be selected through the Select layer feature.

Select multiple layers

Click to select

  1. 1.Select a layer in the canvas.
  2. 2.Hold down ⇧ Shift and click another layer.
  3. 3.Repeat the above step to select more layers as needed.

Tip: Hold down ⇧ Shift and click on the selected layer again to deselect it.

Click and drag to select

The Select tool allows you to select all layers within a specific area of the canvas.

  1. 1.Click and drag the cursor over the layers you want to select in a blank area of the canvas.
  2. 2.A selection box will appear around the selected layers.
  3. 3.To select nested layers, you can hold down the modifier key ⌘ Command / Ctrl and then drag to select.

Note: When you select a parent layer with Select tool, Motiff will select all child layers by default, at which point you can move all content.

Select all layers

You can use the shortcut keys to select all content within the canvas:

  • macOS: ⌘ Command + A
  • Windows: Ctrl + A

Tip: To deselect all layers, you can choose to anywhere on the canvas or use the shortcut key ESC.

Select layer in the layers panel

Every layer in the canvas is displayed in the Layers panel, where you can select the layer you need.

Select a single layer

You can follow the steps listed below to select a single layer in the Layers panel.

  1. 1.Hover the mouse over a layer in the Layers panel. Motiff will highlight its position in the canvas area.
  2. 2.Click on the layer name in the Layers panel to select the layer.

Tip: For nested layers, you can click the arrow to the left of the parent layer in the Layers panel to expand and view the child layers.

Select multiple layers

When you have the following needs, you can select multiple layers at the same time:

  • Modify the properties of multiple layers at the same time.
  • Adjust layer sizes in batch.
  • Move the position of multiple layers.
  • Create groups or frames for multiple layers.

Note: When you select multiple layers, you can use the Selection color feature in the right sidebar to modify individual fills, styles, or strokes.

Select every layer between two layers

  1. 1.Select the first layer in the Layers list.
  2. 2.Hold down the modifier key ⇧ Shift.
  3. 3.Click to select the last layer.
  4. 4.Motiff will select every layer between the two layers.

Select any number of layers

  1. 1.Click to select the first layer in the Layers panel.
  2. 2.Hold down the modifier key ⌘ Command / Ctrl .
  3. 3.Click to select the other layers you need.

Invert selection

You can use shortcut keys to deselect the current layer and select all other ones that are not currently selected.

  • macOS: ⇧ Shift + ⌘ Command + A
  • Windows: Ctrl + Shift + A