How can I dig into the stack of layers? I mean choose an object that is n layers behind the front one.

[ggt667]

How can I dig into the stack of layers? I mean choose an object that is n layers behind the front one. Is there a key combo for this? Such as alt+click? I already tried this to no avail.

[Lee D]

Hi ggt667,

 

Open Preferences > User Interface, tick Show Selection in Layers Panel and then Close. Now when you right click an object it will highlight that object in the Layers Panel.

[ggt667]

I'm in Affinity Designer

 

I would like to be able to click 1 time to select the object closer to me, I would like to hold a key and click one more time to select the object below, I would like to hold the same key and click the object deeper, and so on. When the latter 2 combined with shift I would like to be able to select the object 1 deeper in addition to my current selection.

[JimmyJack]

Alt/option Key.

 

Shift Alt/option Key.

 

:)

[Wim Daniels]

I think a lot of us would like that. The layers panel is pretty neat and works fine to keep track of things. But sometimes we just want simplicity. Like clicking with a modifier key pressed to select underlying objects. And use shift when we want to select multiple objects.

Thanks,

 

Wim

[ggt667]

Alt/option Key.

 

Shift Alt/option Key.

Does this work for you? Or are these your wishes?

[Alfred]

Alt/option Key.

 

Shift Alt/option Key.

 

:)

 

 

Does this work for you? Or are these your wishes?

 

It works for me in the Windows beta version, but only with two or three layers. With five layers in a test document, Shift+Alt-click selects the top object on the first click, the top two objects on the second click, the second object alone on the third click, the second and third objects on the next click, and the top three objects on the click after that. Subsequent clicks toggle between deselecting and reselecting the top object in the stack, with the bottom two objects being completely ignored. If used without the Shift key, Alt-click cycles through the objects as expected.

[JimmyJack]

Yeah, works as Alfred described.

 

Alt click works all the way down.

 

Shift Alt works to three layers.... if the objects you're trying to get to are completely obscured under what's above it. Otherwise Alt shift works fine if clicking on a just a piece of each.

 

BUT: If you want to select all objects within different layers at once just drag select. That works for me. No limit (within reason I guess  ;) . Didn't test beyond 10.)

 

I don't know of a way to select, say, only two.... for example, an object in layer 6 and an object in layer 10 and leave the rest untouched (again, if they are obscured) with any of these types of combos. For that I'd go to the layer stack to refine the selection.

 

Cheers

[Wim Daniels]

Hey, it turns out that in 1.5 it almost works as expected. The alt/option key will select objects below the one currently selected. Using shift will add to your current selection. Really nice in most situations!

Alas when subsequently trying to add more objects to the selection, the top object will become deselected. I'm afraid this is a bug. The alt/option key should always select objects below the selection, not on top. This way one can only select 3 objects at most. And it takes much longer than it should.

 

A neat trick I learned in this video though, is that you can use cmd/ctrl to select elements in groups or compounds. Moreover this works with shift as well, making it possible to select elements in different groups/compounds.

It should be possible to combine this with the alt/option key. But due to the bug, it won't work well.

[ggt667]

I'm on Mac, I have managed to do this 2 times out of several hundreds, something is not right. Frustrating.

 

Version is 1.5.1 from the AppStore.