A layered asset is an image composed of multiple layers made up of images, audio files, and gradients, with animation optionally applied to one or more layers. For example, this layered asset was made with a static JPEG background and PNG of a plane with some animation applied to it.
Creating a layered asset
On some content, you will see the option to add a layered asset:
Adding a new layer
When you first press Add Asset you'll be prompted to select a layer type. Pick whichever layer you would like to add first. It doesn't matter which you pick as you'll be able to add, reorder, and remove assets later on:
When you add a layer you'll be taken to the asset manager. Here you can either select a previously uploaded file or click Click to browse to upload a new one. You can use the search bar and filters to organize the assets that have already been added:
Once you've added an asset you can click + Add a layer to add more:
Editing image layers
Each image layer can be cropped, rotated, and mirrored using the image editing toolbar:
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You can also use the Flip image for RTL Languages toggle to display a mirrored version of the image to users who have selected a language that reads right-to-left, such as Arabic.
Configuring overlay layers
To configure an overlay layer, click the icon:
You'll see various different sliders and menus that you can use to adjust the colors that make up the gradient you're creating. The preview will change as you make changes, clearly showing how your adjustments are changing the layer:
Pay particular attention to the transparency settings, controlled by the transparency slider and the second set of numbers alongside the Stops blocks. If you don't make your overlay transparent, it won't be much of an overlay. It'll be more of a "lay":
Configuring audio layers
To configure an audio layer, click the icon:
| Volume Level | Sets the volume that the clip will play at. |
| Loop Playback | If set to yes, the clip will repeat itself until the slide is closed. |
| Duration | The amount of seconds that the clip will play for before stopping. |
| Delay | The amount of seconds between the page loading and the clip beginning. |
Ordering layers
Unlike other image editors such as Photoshop, the layers are displayed in descending order. If you look at the layers column on the right you will see the plane is layer number 3 and is displayed at the top of the image. The background image is layer number 2 so it is displayed beneath the plane, and layer number 1 is not visible because layer number 2 is opaque:
You can change the order of your layers by dragging and dropping them in the sidebar:
Changing view
When you click on an individual layer in the sidebar you will be shown just that layer. To view all of the layers click View All Layers. You can click it again to return to a single layer view:
Animating layers
Image layers can be animated within the layered asset editor. To add animation, select the layer you want to animate and then click the icon:
| Animation | The style of animation. |
| Duration | The amount of seconds it takes for the animation to complete. |
| Delay | The amount of seconds between the page loading and the animation beginning. |
When you click View all layers you will see a preview of your animation.