I wonder if there is a faster way to Select All Layers, instead of either 1) using the Select Tool to highlight objects visible on the canvas, 2) tapping the layers one by one in edit mode, or 3) swiping right on each layer one by one when not in edit mode. I thought I encountered a similar feature for selecting all objects on the active layer, but I can’t find it now.
It would be convenient if I could select multiple layers in one or more of the following ways:
A. Using an iPad’s external keyboard, perform a shortcut that selects or deselects all layers in a document
B. Tap one layer to select it, then hold the Shift key and use the Up and Down arrow keys to select subsequent layers
C. Using either a finger, an Apple Pencil or other stylus, or the trackpad on and external keyboard, perform some sort of tap/click and drag gesture on the list of layers to highlight multiple objects/layers at once.
If you zoom out a little (if needed) to see all the objects/canvas, you can just drag a selection box (with the Selection tool) around all the objects (locked and non-visible layers excluded).
To deselect, tap outside the canvas/objects.
It’s the on-canvas equivalent of your option C. Fairly fast, and possibly faster than doing it in the layers list.
Or did you want to also include locked and non-visible layers?
Or did I miss the point somewhere?
Oops, even easier, the first icon on the Actions bar (up the top, the bar with the rubbish bin / trash can icon and cut, copy, paste icons) is a Select All icon (locked and non-visible layers excluded) or becomes a Deselect All icon if something is already selected.
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The main issue I have is that there is no way to quickly select multiple layers in Edit Mode. Edit Mode is the only way to select multiple layers and then show/hide them ALL at once with a single tap on the eye symbol. Even if I go into Edit Mode, and then use the on-canvas method of dragging an area of selection over all the objects, that doesn’t select any of the layers shown on the list for Edit Mode, and the Eye symbol at the bottom of said list remains unusable. In other words, the fastest method of hiding/showing a massive number of layers with a single tap on the Eye is to…
- Go into Edit Mode
- Tap each layer individually until they are all selected
- Tap the Eye symbol
…which doesn’t sound bad, except that the illustration I’m working on contains over 100 layers, and the point of said image is to generate derivative images by switching on and off various combinations of those many layers.
It seems like the most intuitive way to change the interface might be to enable the user to drag an area of selection over the list of layers when they use Edit Mode. Either that, or allow the user to tap and hold on one layer, then scroll up or down the list of layers to select more as long as the user’s finger/stylus remains in contact with the screen.
As it stands, the process of tapping 10 layers at a time, then scrolling, then tapping 10 more layers—in order to select more than 100 of them, many times per day—is a huge time sink. If there is any one change that would improve this app and put it on par with the PC app I used prior to getting my iPad, it is adding this one quality of life change to the UI.