Edit All Layers

[coranda]

Can anyone explain to me what the "Edit All Layers" button in the Layers Panel of AP does - and why I might want to use it?

[chr.schmitz]

No idea? I also would be interested to hear, what this button is good for.

 

Chris

[DWright]

Hi coranda and chr.schmitz,

 

The Edit All Layers allows you to select and edit objects on different layers at the same time rather than on the current layer, so if you have shapes on two different layers and you are on the background layer you can draw a selection area that covers these objects and these two layer will now be selected.

 

Regards,

Darren.

[retrograde]

Here's what I use it for.

 

Imagine you have a multi layered complex project and you want isolate one layer only to work on. Selecting that layer and de-selecting the "edit all layers" button will only allow selection and/or editing to that one layer. You no longer need to worry about selecting unwanted elements underneath or above that layer.

 

Now if we can get the ability to enact a shortcut or a right click menu operator for this it would be much better and faster. :-)

[Boldlinedesign]

perhaps someone can help me understand how the "edit all layers" is helpful if it force unlocks layers locked as templates? Is there a way to set Affinity to never unlock locked layers? Where only the user can do so?

[MEB]

Hi Boldlinedesign,
Edit All Layers is not the same as locking layers - it simply lets you pick objects (on canvas) contained in any layer rather than limit your selection to a specific layer. If you want to lock objects, groups or layers to prevent them from being transformed on canvas accidentally select the object/group/layer/whatever then click the small padlock icon on the top right of the Layers panel. Note that in Affinity apps you can still select a locked object/group/layer layer if you select them directly in the Layers panel - this is considered an intentional action.

[DavidMac]

This is a very old post but I am having exactly the same puzzlement as to the use of the button. I have set up a multi layered document. No matter which layer is active and no matter the setting of this button I can still select any and all of the other layers singly or multiply in the canvas by clicking on them or by marquee selection. I am unable to make this this button change selection behaviour in any manner whatsoever. Sorry to be so dense but, in really simple terms please, what am I missing here? 

[walt.farrell]

27 minutes ago, DavidMac said:

This is a very old post but I am having exactly the same puzzlement as to the use of the button. I have set up a multi layered document. No matter which layer is active and no matter the setting of this button I can still select any and all of the other layers singly or multiply in the canvas by clicking on them or by marquee selection. I am unable to make this this button change selection behaviour in any manner whatsoever. Sorry to be so dense but, in really simple terms please, what am I missing here? 

Perhaps you're missing that it applies only when you are working with:

1. Layers tagged as (Layer) in the Layers panel.
2. Artboards.

[DavidMac]

44 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Perhaps you're missing that it applies only when you are working with:

1. Layers tagged as (Layer) in the Layers panel.
2. Artboards.

OK half way there. Thanks Walt.

I don't use Artboards so that's cleared up.

But I am not clear what you mean by tagged as Layer? I can't recall ever seeing this tag. (Image, Pixel, Text, Shape names, but Layer?) I hope I am not being forehead slappingly stupid. 

[R C-R]

54 minutes ago, DavidMac said:

But I am not clear what you mean by tagged as Layer?

In AD one of the buttons at the bottom of the Layers panel is an "Add Layer" button. It creates a "(Layer)" layer, which is a kind of container layer sort of like a group layer.

[DavidMac]

Walt, R C-R, my apologies. I didn't state clearly that I am in AP. My fault entirely. Sorry to waste your time. 🙁
 

[Alfred]

40 minutes ago, DavidMac said:

I didn't state clearly that I am in AP. My fault entirely.

To be fair, the original post in this thread explicitly refers to AP. Having said that, you did say “I don’t use Artboards” instead of “I don’t have Artboards”; saying that you don’t use them implies that you could do, but that would only apply to a document which was created or edited in AD.

[DavidMac]

Yes. Senior moment. I'm getting better at them with advancing years! 😆

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, DavidMac said:

Senior moment. I'm getting better at them with advancing years! 

In fairness, I could have pointed out that Edit All layers is basically meaningless in Photo unless you're dealing with a document created or modified in one of the other applications, rather than leaving the reader to figure out the implications.

[DavidMac]

I had sort of come to the conclusion that it was one those tools I probably could live without .............  

[R C-R]

6 hours ago, DavidMac said:

Walt, R C-R, my apologies. I didn't state clearly that I am in AP.

No apology needed. I should have made it clearer that since all the Affinity apps can work on documents created in the others, you may see "(Layer)" layers in files you open in AP, including ones with the .afphoto extension.

In this Layer & artboards.afphoto example, note that if you select the text in the "(Layer)" layer, its bounding box is a different color from anything else you select. That is because (Layer)" layers have a "Properties" item if you right-click on them in the Layers panel, & one of their properties is layer color. Other layer types do not have this.

[DavidMac]

Thank you. That admirably clarifies my confusion. Since I am basically a photo compositor ( http://www.cambiguities.com ) as opposed to designer my forays into AD territory are pretty scarce. In the end I have learned that this is one button I can safely ignore without feeling I am missing something critical.  

[Artistsoulinme]

Hello

can anyone tell me if the edit all layers feature is available on the iPad app.  I cannot seem to find it in any menu and I’m working in layers on an art board and I cannot use then move tool to select anything. I have to go to the layers panel to select the layer.  Newbie here taking an affinity designer online course and tried googling but could not find an answer to this question.  
 

TIA

[Artistsoulinme]

Turning off edit all layers actually did the trick. But I thought the opposite was true. That I needed it on to edit the way I wanted to.  Any knowledge or insight anyone can add is appreciates]d

Edited July 11, 2021 by Artistsoulinme

[MEB]

Hi @Artistsoulinme,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
When enabled Edit all layers lets you select any object no matter the artboard or layer where it is located. With it disabled you can only select object contained within the selected artboard or layer.

[Alvaro64]

On 5/8/2021 at 4:27 AM, R C-R said:

No apology needed. I should have made it clearer that since all the Affinity apps can work on documents created in the others, you may see "(Layer)" layers in files you open in AP, including ones with the .afphoto extension.

In this Layer & artboards.afphoto example, note that if you select the text in the "(Layer)" layer, its bounding box is a different color from anything else you select. That is because (Layer)" layers have a "Properties" item if you right-click on them in the Layers panel, & one of their properties is layer color. Other layer types do not have this.

Thanks. Your example made it very easy to understand what that option means 🙂