Layers Panel

The Layers panel (Window → Layers) shows all layers in the active document as a stack. Layers at the top of the list appear in front of layers below them.

Layer Types

Type	Description
Pixel Layer	A rasterised bitmap layer. Painting tools work directly on this layer.
Vector / Shape Layer	Contains resolution-independent vector paths that can be restyled at any time.
Text Layer	Live editable text. Re-select with the Text tool to edit.
Adjustment Layer	A non-destructive color or tonal adjustment that affects all layers below it in the group.
Smart Object	An embedded or linked file. Non-destructively transformed; double-click to edit the source.
Group	A folder that contains other layers. Useful for organisation and applying blend modes / masks to multiple layers at once.

Layer Operations

Action	How to
Select a layer	Click its row in the panel.
Select multiple layers	`Shift`+click for a range; `Ctrl`+click for individual layers.
Toggle visibility	Click the eye icon on the left of the layer row.
Lock a layer	Click the padlock icon in the layer row.
New layer	Click the + button at the bottom of the panel, or press `Ctrl`+`Shift`+`N`.
Duplicate layer	Drag a layer to the + button, or press `Ctrl`+`J`.
Delete layer	Drag to the trash icon, or press `Delete` with the layer selected in the panel.
Reorder layers	Drag a layer row up or down.
Group layers	Select multiple layers then press `Ctrl`+`G`.
Rename a layer	Double-click the layer name.
Select Pixels	Ctrl-click the layer thumbnail, or right-click the layer → Select Pixels.

Select Pixels

Select Pixels loads a layer's opaque area as the document selection — the marching ants trace everywhere the layer has non-transparent pixels, with partially-transparent edges giving a partial (feathered) selection.

Replaces the current selection.
The selection reflects the layer as rendered — filters and adjustments baked into the layer's own content are included, but blending with other layers is not.

3D layers. A 3D layer has no fixed 2D extent — what you see depends on the current view camera, so Select Pixels outlines the scene exactly as framed on screen at the moment you run it. Orbiting or zooming the camera afterwards does not move the selection; run the command again to match the new framing. If the camera is positioned inside the geometry, the selection falls back to the whole visible area. A scene with only an environment/skydome and no meshes also selects the full visible area. A 3D layer isn't selectable while no camera is available to render it.

Whether the selection can extend past the canvas edge depends on the view's Clip to Document setting (View menu): with it on (the default), the selection is clamped to the document canvas; with it off, the selection is clamped to the visible window instead, so content scrolled outside the canvas — including 3D content at negative coordinates — can be selected too, as far as the window shows it.

Blend Modes

Each layer has a blend mode dropdown (default: Normal) and an opacity slider. Blend modes control how the layer's pixels interact with the layers beneath it. Common modes: Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light, Color Dodge, Color Burn, Difference, Hue, Saturation, Color, Luminosity.

Layer Masks

A layer mask controls the transparency of the layer using a grayscale image. White areas are fully visible, black areas are fully hidden, and gray values are semi-transparent. Add a mask via Layer → Layer Mask: Reveal All / Hide All (a solid mask), Reveal Selection / Hide Selection (from the current selection), or From Transparency (the layer's own alpha). The same submenu has Delete, Apply (bake the mask into the pixels), and the Enabled and Linked switches. Paint with black or white on the mask to hide or reveal parts of the layer.