How to make image layers first appear on the bottom of the layer hierarchy, not the top.

[DanDaMan4200]

Hey, so I'm making an image where I need to import a lot of images and have them be on top of each other. But whenever I import an image, it first appears at the top of the layer list. It would save me a lot of time if they first appear at the bottom of the layer list is there a way I can do this?

[walt.farrell]

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

Which application are you using, and is it V1 or V2?

[DanDaMan4200]

I am using Affinity Photo V2.

 

[DanDaMan4200]

7 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

Which application are you using, and is it V1 or V2?

I am using Affinity Photo V2.

[walt.farrell]

Thanks.

First, no, you can't control where they end up in the Layer stack. They will end up above the currently selected layer, or at the top of the stack if nothing is selected.

I'm not sure if your problem is that you need them at the bottom, or if it's that you need them in the inverse order in the stack (that is, rather than (from the top) you're getting file3, file2, then file1 but you need file1, file2, file3).

If you just need them at the bottom, it should be simple enough to select them all after you add them, then drag them down the the stack in the Layers panel.

If you need them in the inverse order, you can Group them. Then select them all in the Layers panel and use Arrange > Move Outside from the menu. Then delete the empty group that's left.

[walt.farrell]

Also, you seem to have asked this question twice, so now you have two discussions going on.

The other one:

 

[thomaso]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

If you need them in the inverse order, you can Group them. Then select them all in the Layers panel and use Arrange > Move Outside from the menu.

Aha! – Do you know why this way of ungrouping causes the inverse order (while Move Inside or dragging or ungroup shortcut don't)? – If it is on purpose to enable an easy way to inverse the order of selected layers, why is it not named in the UI in any way? And why was this feature combined with ungrouping (respectively un-nesting, in case of another layer type)?

[MEB]

Hi @thomaso,
This is a bug that was never fixed and has being suggested as a work around for when users want to invert the order of layers (for which we do not have a specific command). It's been around for quite some time. I will check if this is logged/what state is in.

[thomaso]

9 minutes ago, MEB said:

This is a bug that was never fixed and has being been suggested as a work around for when users want to invert the order of layers (for which we do not have a specific command). It's been around for quite some time. I will check if this is logged/what state is in.

Thanks for the info. But please don't change this option, it is an easy way (the only?) to achieve an inverse layer order, while other simple ways to ungroup exist, too! (… unless there will come a new menu entry or toolbar button).

[Dangerous]

On 4/19/2023 at 1:04 AM, walt.farrell said:

If you need them in the inverse order, you can Group them. Then select them all in the Layers panel and use Arrange > Move Outside from the menu. Then delete the empty group that's left.

Neat trick, I often want Artistic Text that has been converted to curves to appear in the layers panel in 'word' order.