Selecting Layers
Before
you can create a new layer or work on an existing layer, you need to
select it first. Simply click the layer name in the Layers panel. A
single selected layer appears with the black triangle in the corner and
is called the current layer.
In some cases, such as moving, deleting, or restacking layers, you want
to select multiple layers. You can select multiple sublayers or objects
at the same nesting level within the same top-level layer. However, you
can’t select multiple sublayers or objects on different top-level
layers.
Select Layers
Open a multi-layered document, and then select the Layers panel.
To select a single layer, click the name in the Layers panel.
To select multiple layers in the Layers panel use the following options:
- Contiguous Layers. Click on the first layer, and then Shift+click the last layer to select first, last, and all layers in-between.
- Non-Contiguous Layers. Click on a layer, hold down the Ctrl (Win) or
(Mac) key, and then click on another layer.
To deselect layers in the Layers panel use the following options:
- Deselect Individual. Hold down the Ctrl (Win) or (Mac) key, and then click on a layer for a multiple selection.
- Deselect All. Click the Select menu, and then click Deselect Layers.
Deleting Layers
While
Illustrator lets you add a lot of layers to a document, it also lets
you delete layers. Remember that once you’ve deleted a layer and saved
the document, there is no way to recover the deleted layer. However,
while the document is open, you can use the Undo command to recover a
deleted layer.
Delete Layers
- Select the Layers panel.
- Select the layers that you want to delete.
- Hold down the Ctrl (Win) or (Mac) key, and then click to select multiple items.
- Click the Delete Layer button.
- If prompted, click Yes to delete any objects on the layer or sublayer.
You can delete layers without the prompt. Select the layers that you want to delete, and then drag them onto the Delete Layer button.
