# Layers and blend modes

> Organise a PlexiiDraw artwork in vector and paint layers. Hide, lock, reorder, merge and rasterize layers, and blend them with opacity and blend modes.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-layers-and-blending
Section: Office > PlexiiDraw
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

A PlexiiDraw artwork is a stack of layers, like sheets of clear film. What is on a higher layer covers what is below. Layers let you keep a sketch, the clean line work and the colour apart, so you can change one without touching the others, hide what you are not working on, and lock what is finished.

There are two kinds:

- **Vector layers** hold shapes, paths and type you can keep editing. The pen, pencil, shape, line and type tools draw on them.
- **Paint layers** hold pixels. The brush, eraser and paint bucket work on them.

## Before you start

- Layers are on every plan.
- Open an artwork. A new artwork has one vector layer, **Layer 1**. See [Start an artwork and set up the artboard](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-start-artwork).

## The layers panel

The layers panel is under the inspector on the right. Layers are listed top to bottom in the order they stack, with an icon showing whether each is a vector or a paint layer. Click a layer to make it the one you work on. It is highlighted, and new shapes or paint go onto it.

## Add a layer

Click one of the two buttons next to **Layers**: **New vector layer** or **New paint layer**. The **Layer** menu has the same two commands.

The new layer goes just above the one you are on. Vector layers are named **Layer 2**, **Layer 3** and so on, and paint layers **Paint 1**, **Paint 2** and so on. Using a painting tool on a vector layer also adds a paint layer for you if there is none. See [Paint with brushes](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-painting-and-brushes).

## Work with a layer

Each row has buttons for that layer:

- **Hide layer** and **Show layer** (the eye): a hidden layer is not shown and is left out of exports.
- **Lock layer** and **Unlock layer**: shapes on a locked layer cannot be selected or changed, and a locked paint layer cannot be painted on.
- **Rename**: double-click the layer's name and type a new one.
- **Move layer up** and **Move layer down**: change where it sits in the stack.
- **Duplicate layer**: makes a copy just above it, named with "copy" after the original's name.
- **Rasterize layer** (vector layers only): turns the layer's shapes into pixels, so you can paint over them. The layer becomes a paint layer of the same name.
- **Merge down**: combines the layer with the one below it.
- **Delete layer**: removes it. An artwork always keeps at least one layer.

Each change is one step to undo, so Undo brings back a layer you deleted or merged by mistake.

### Merge down

- Merging two vector layers keeps everything as editable shapes in one layer.
- Merging when either layer is a paint layer gives a paint layer, with the upper layer painted into the lower one exactly as it looked. The merged layer keeps the lower layer's opacity and blend mode.

The bottom layer has nothing to merge into, and a message says so.

> **Tip:**
> Before you rasterize a vector layer to paint on it, duplicate it and hide the copy. You then still have the editable shapes if you need them later.

## Opacity and blend modes

At the top of the layers panel, **Blend** and **Opacity** apply to the layer you are on:

- **Opacity** fades the whole layer, from fully see-through to fully solid.
- **Blend** decides how the layer mixes with the layers below it.

| Blend mode | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| **Normal** | The layer covers what is below. |
| **Multiply** | Darkens: white disappears and colours deepen, like layers of ink. Good for shading and line art over colour. |
| **Screen** | Lightens: black disappears. Good for glows and highlights. |
| **Overlay**, **Soft Light**, **Hard Light** | Add contrast, keeping the lights and darks of what is below. |
| **Darken**, **Lighten** | Keep whichever is darker, or lighter, of the layer and what is below. |
| **Color Dodge**, **Color Burn** | Brighten or darken what is below strongly, for intense highlights and shadows. |
| **Difference**, **Exclusion** | Invert colours where the layer is light, for graphic effects. |
| **Hue**, **Saturation**, **Color**, **Luminosity** | Take just that quality from the layer, such as tinting what is below with the layer's colour. |

Single shapes have the same choices: select a shape and use **Opacity** and **Blend** in the **Appearance** section of the inspector. See [Vector tools and Pathfinder](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-vector-tools-and-pathfinder).

> **Tip:**
> Put line art on a layer set to **Multiply** above a paint layer of flat colour. The white of the line art drops out and the colour shows through underneath.

## Common questions

**I cannot select a shape.** Its layer is locked or hidden. Unlock or show the layer in the layers panel.

**My brush does nothing on this layer.** It is a vector layer, or a locked paint layer. Click a paint layer, or unlock it.

**Something is missing from my export.** Hidden layers are left out. Show the layer and export again. See [Export artwork](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-export).

**Can I turn a paint layer back into shapes?** No. Pixels stay pixels. Keep a copy of the vector layer before you rasterize it.

## Related tasks

- [PlexiiDraw overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-overview)
- [Paint with brushes](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-painting-and-brushes)
- [Vector tools and Pathfinder](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-vector-tools-and-pathfinder)
- [Export artwork](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-export)
- [Start an artwork and set up the artboard](https://plexiidesk.com/help/draw-start-artwork)