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Manipulating Shapes

Groups & Nested Composition

Creating Groups

Select two or more elements and press Ctrl+G (or Layer → Group). The selected elements are enclosed in a Group container. The group appears as a single layer in the Layer Panel with an expand arrow to reveal its members.

Group Properties

Groups have their own transform properties (position, rotation, scale, opacity) that operate on all members as a unit. Individual member properties are preserved and operate independently of the group transform — they compose.

Transform Composition Example

A group containing a circle at position (100, 50) is moved to position (200, 0) at the group level. The circle's actual rendered position is (300, 50) — the sum of group and member transforms.

Group Blend Mode

A group can have its own blend mode and opacity. When a group has a blend mode other than Normal, the group is composited as a single unit first, then blended with the layers below the group.

Pass-through vs. Isolated

  • •
    Pass-through mode: When a group's blend mode is set to "Pass-through," the group does not composite internally — each member blends directly with the layers below the group as if the group didn't exist. This is the default for groups.
  • •
    Isolated mode: When a group has any blend mode other than Pass-through (including Normal), it is isolated — members blend only with each other inside the group, not with layers below. The flattened result of the group then blends with lower layers.

Entering and Exiting Groups

To edit elements inside a group without ungrouping:

  • •Double-click the group to enter it. The rest of the canvas dims. The Properties Panel and Layer Panel now show only the group's members.
  • •Press Escape or click outside the group to exit back to the top level.

Nested Groups

Groups can be nested inside other groups to any depth. This is useful for hierarchical animations — animating a "shoulder" group that contains an "upper arm" group that contains a "forearm" group, each with its own rotation pivot.

Ungrouping

Ctrl+Shift+G dissolves the group. All members return to the parent level (or the parent group if ungrouping a nested group). All individual properties and keyframes are preserved.