Master the process of creating and distinguishing layers in a design program through this informative article. Learn how to properly align and intersect elements for a cleaner design output.
Key Insights
- The article guides readers on the creation of new layers for their icons, done through the layers panel of their design tool. Creating specific layers for different elements allows for better organization and distinction of elements.
- Detailed instructions on zooming and maneuvering the design perspective are provided. This helps in making precise alterations, especially when intersecting elements in the design.
- The article emphasizes the importance of regularly saving work to prevent data loss. It also highlights the need to ensure elements are placed in their correct respective layers for an organized design outcome.
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In this video, we're going to be creating a new layer for our final icons. To do this, we'll go to our layers panel and select "Create New Layer, " as shown by the new page icon on the bottom right-hand side.
If we click this, we'll see that Layer 2 is now added to our layers panel. Next, we're going to make sure that we have a "Working" layer as well as a "Final" layer, allowing us to distinguish where each of our items resides. So, let's retitle Layer 2 as our "Working" layer by double-clicking and typing "Working, " and next, we'll double-click Layer 1 and title it "Final" and hit ENTER.
This will help us distinguish where each of these elements resides within our layers panel. As one additional change, let's now zoom in a little bit closer, as it looks like the end of my arrow doesn't exactly intersect. To zoom in, remember we'll use CTRL + PLUS (+) on the keyboard, and now we can actually scroll to the right in our perspective by holding CTRL on the keyboard and scrolling with the mouse.
If you'd prefer, you can also use the Hand Tool by pressing H on the keyboard as a shortcut and click and drag to adjust your perspective. As we can see here, the end of the arrow doesn't exactly intersect, so let's change this by dragging our lines to the edge so they intersect. We'll hit V on the keyboard to access our selection tool, and we'll click the bottom line and drag it to make sure it intersects with the top path.
As we can see, they don't quite intersect. If we zoom in a little bit closer and scroll up with the mouse and over, we'll see that these paths don't exactly intersect. To make them intersect, we'll simply click this path and drag it down until they meet.
We'll then do the same with the top line, ensuring it intersects as well, and release. We now have a nice edge to our arrow, and we can zoom out and save our work using CTRL + S. Additionally, let's make sure that our arrow is in the "Final" layer by checking the layers panel, and we'll see that the arrow is here in the "Final" layer. We can click the dropdown menu to ensure that these lines and guides are also in the "Final" layer.
Let's now save our work using CTRL + S on the keyboard to save, and in the next video, we'll be working on our download icon. See you there!