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Graphic Design vocabulary · Design Software & Tools

Layer

Meaning in graphic design, with examples

/ˈleɪər/nounCore term

In graphic design, layer means: One level in a design file that holds its own elements, stacked on top of others like transparent sheets, so each part can be edited, hidden or moved separately.

In Turkish: katman

How it is used

Used in all major design software. You create, name, lock, hide, group, merge or flatten layers; tidy, well-named layers are expected when you hand over source files.

Example sentences

  1. Please name your layers before you send the PSD; I can't find anything in ‘Layer 47 copy’.

  2. Lock the background layer so you don't move it by accident.

Common collocations

  • name the layers
  • lock a layer
  • hide a layer
  • flatten layers
  • adjustment layer
  • opacityHow solid or see-through an element is, usually set as a percentage: 100% is completely solid and 0% is invisible.
  • clipping maskA software feature that uses one shape or layer to show only part of another image or object, hiding everything outside the shape without deleting it.
  • source filesThe original, editable working files of a design, such as AI, PSD, INDD or Figma files, as opposed to final exported files like PDFs or PNGs.
  • artboardA separate page-like area inside a design file, especially in Illustrator and similar tools, so one file can hold several sizes or versions of a design.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Design Software & Tools

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