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Overview

The Layers Panel displays the layer structure of your sprite, allowing you to create, organize, and modify layers. Layers let you separate different elements of your artwork for easier editing and animation.
Layers in Aseprite are independent drawing surfaces. Each layer can have different content at each frame, enabling complex animations.

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Layer types

Aseprite supports several types of layers:
The standard layer type for drawing pixel art. Image layers can contain cels (frame content) and support all drawing tools.Use cases:
  • Character sprites
  • Individual body parts
  • Foreground and background elements

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Creating layers

1

Create new layer

Click the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers panel, or press Shift+N.
2

Choose layer type

The default is an image layer. Use Layer → New menu for other layer types (Group, Tilemap, Reference).
3

Name the layer

Double-click the layer name to rename it with something descriptive.
-- Create layers programmatically
local sprite = app.activeSprite
local newLayer = sprite:newLayer()
newLayer.name = "Character Head"
Use descriptive layer names from the start. It’s much easier than renaming dozens of layers later.

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Layer properties

Each layer has properties that control its behavior and appearance:

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Basic properties

The layer’s display name. Use clear, descriptive names for easier navigation.
Toggle with the eye icon. Hidden layers don’t appear in the canvas or exports.
Toggle with the padlock icon. Locked layers cannot be edited but remain visible.
Adjust layer transparency from 0 (invisible) to 255 (opaque). Access via Layer → Properties.
Control how the layer blends with layers below. Options include Normal, Multiply, Screen, Overlay, and more.

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Advanced properties

Access advanced properties via Layer → Properties (or double-click the layer):

Continuous

Automatically extend cels when creating new frames

Background

Convert to/from background layer (removes transparency)

Reference

Mark as reference layer (won’t export)

User Data

Add custom metadata and color tags for scripting

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Layer operations

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Selecting layers

Multiple selection techniques:
  • Single layer: Click on a layer in the panel
  • Multiple layers: Ctrl+Click (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Click (macOS)
  • Range selection: Shift+Click to select all layers between two points
  • All layers: Ctrl+A (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+A (macOS) when focused on the Layers panel

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Moving layers

Reorganize your layer stack:
Click and drag layers to reorder them. Drag layers into groups to organize hierarchically.
Background layers cannot be moved. Convert to a normal layer first with Layer → Layer from Background.

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Duplicating layers

Create copies of layers:
  1. Select the layer(s) to duplicate
  2. Press Ctrl+D (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+D (macOS)
  3. Or right-click and select Duplicate Layer
Duplicating a layer copies all its cels across all frames, not just the current frame.

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Merging layers

Combine multiple layers into one:
1

Select layers

Select the layers you want to merge using Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click.
2

Merge down

Right-click and select Merge Down or use Layer → Merge Down (Ctrl+E/Cmd+E).
3

Result

The selected layers are combined into the bottom-most selected layer.
Merging layers is destructive and cannot be undone beyond the undo history limit. Consider duplicating your sprite first.

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Flattening layers

Merge all visible layers:
  • Layer → Flatten: Combines all visible layers into a single layer
  • Layer → Flatten Visible: Same as above, respecting visibility settings
Flatten layers before exporting to simplify your file or reduce file size.

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Layer groups

Organize complex sprites with layer groups:

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Creating groups

1

Create group

Click New Layer Group button or use Layer → New → Group (Ctrl+Shift+N/Cmd+Shift+N).
2

Add layers

Drag existing layers into the group or create new layers while the group is selected.
3

Name the group

Double-click to rename the group with a descriptive name.

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Group operations

Click the arrow icon next to the group name to collapse or expand. Collapsed groups save vertical space in the panel.
Drag groups just like layers. All child layers move with the group.
Hiding a group hides all its child layers. Use this to quickly show/hide entire sections of your sprite.
Locking a group locks all child layers, preventing accidental edits to multiple layers at once.
Create groups within groups for deep hierarchical organization.
Use groups like folders in a file system. Keep related elements together and use clear naming conventions.

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Layer visibility

Control which layers are visible:

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Visibility controls

  • Eye icon: Click to toggle layer visibility
  • Show/Hide all: Shift+Click the eye icon to show/hide all other layers
  • Solo layer: Alt+Click the eye icon to show only that layer

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Visibility shortcuts

ActionShortcut
Toggle visibilityClick eye icon
Show only this layerAlt+Click eye icon
Show all layersShift+Alt+Click eye icon
Hidden layers are not included in exports unless you specifically enable Include Hidden Layers in export settings.

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Layer locking

Protect layers from accidental edits:

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Lock controls

  • Padlock icon: Click to toggle layer lock
  • Lock all: Right-click in Layers panel → Lock All Layers
  • Lock others: Shift+Click padlock to lock all other layers

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Lock behavior

Drawing locked

Cannot draw or erase on locked layers

Transformations locked

Cannot move, scale, or transform locked layer content

Visibility unlocked

Locked layers remain visible and can be toggled

Selection unlocked

Can still select locked layers to view properties
Lock your reference layers and background elements to avoid accidentally drawing on them.

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Layer blend modes

Control how layers composite together:

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Common blend modes

Default mode. Layer pixels replace underlying pixels based on opacity.

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Accessing blend modes

  1. Double-click a layer or right-click → Properties
  2. Select a blend mode from the Mode dropdown
  3. Preview the effect in real-time on the canvas
Blend modes affect how the layer composites with layers below. The effect is cumulative through the layer stack.

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Background layers

Special layer type with unique properties:

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Background layer features

  • No transparency: Background layers have no alpha channel
  • Cannot move: Always at the bottom of the layer stack
  • Auto-created: New sprites start with a Background layer by default

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Converting layers

Convert a Background layer to a normal layer: Layer → Layer from Background.This adds transparency support and allows the layer to be moved.
Convert a normal layer to Background: Layer → Background from Layer.This removes transparency and locks the layer to the bottom.
Converting to Background removes all transparency. This operation cannot be undone beyond the undo history.

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Reference layers

Use reference layers for rotoscoping and tracing:

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Creating reference layers

1

Create layer

Create a new layer or select an existing one.
2

Mark as reference

Double-click the layer → Enable Reference Layer checkbox.
3

Add reference art

Import or paste reference images into the layer.

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Reference layer benefits

Non-exported

Reference layers don’t appear in exported files

Visual guides

Keep reference art visible while working

Locked by default

Prevents accidental editing of reference material

Distinctive icon

Easy to identify in the Layers panel
Use reference layers for character model sheets, color references, or original sketches you want to keep alongside your final art.

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Layer opacity

Control layer transparency:

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Setting opacity

  1. Double-click a layer or right-click → Properties
  2. Adjust the Opacity slider (0-255)
  3. Or enter a specific value

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Opacity uses

  • Watermark layers: Low opacity for subtle overlays
  • Blending effects: Combine with blend modes for advanced compositing
  • Temporary guides: Reduce opacity of sketch layers while inking
  • Fade effects: Animate opacity across frames for dissolve transitions
Layer opacity is separate from pixel alpha values. A 50% opacity layer with opaque pixels will appear at 50% transparency.

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Continuous layers

Automate cel extension across frames:

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Enabling continuous mode

  1. Select a layer
  2. Click the film strip icon in the layer controls
  3. Or enable in Layer → Properties → Continuous

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Continuous behavior

When you add a new frame, continuous layers automatically extend their last cel to the new frame.
Continuous layers create linked cels by default, saving memory and file size.
Useful for static backgrounds that don’t change across frames.
Use continuous mode for background layers, shadows, or any element that stays consistent across most frames.

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Layer shortcuts

Speed up your layer workflow:
ActionWindows/LinuxmacOS
New layerShift+NShift+N
New groupCtrl+Shift+NCmd+Shift+N
Duplicate layerCtrl+DCmd+D
Delete layerShift+DelShift+Del
Merge downCtrl+ECmd+E
Layer propertiesShift+PShift+P
Move layer upCtrl+[Cmd+[
Move layer downCtrl+]Cmd+]
Toggle visibilityClick eye iconClick eye icon
Toggle lockClick lock iconClick lock icon

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Best practices

Use descriptive names

Name layers clearly: “head”, “body”, “shadow” instead of “Layer 1”, “Layer 2”

Organize with groups

Group related layers together for easier management and navigation

Lock reference layers

Prevent accidental edits to reference art and backgrounds

Delete unused layers

Keep your layer stack clean by removing empty or unnecessary layers

Use consistent naming

Develop a naming convention and stick to it across all sprites

Collapse finished groups

Save screen space by collapsing groups you’re not actively editing

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Scripting with layers

Automate layer operations with Lua: 
local sprite = app.activeSprite

-- Create a new layer
local layer = sprite:newLayer()
layer.name = "Character"
layer.opacity = 255

-- Iterate through all layers
for i, layer in ipairs(sprite.layers) do
  print("Layer " .. i .. ": " .. layer.name)
end

-- Create a layer group
local group = sprite:newGroup()
group.name = "Character Parts"

-- Add a layer to a group
local headLayer = sprite:newLayer()
headLayer.name = "Head"
headLayer.parent = group
Learn more in the Scripting API documentation.

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Related topics

Timeline

Work with frames and animation

Layer Concepts

Understand layer fundamentals

Sprite Sheets

Export layered sprites to sprite sheets

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