# Changing the Layering Order of Elements

You can change the order of elements to determine how they are layered for playback and rendering.

- In the Exposure Sheet, elements to the left are layered on top of elements to the right.
- In the Timeline, top layers are layered on top of the lower layers.

To change the layering order of elements in the Exposure Sheet window, do one of the following:

- Press [Command] and drag the element to its new layering position in the columns of the Exposure Sheet. In the Exposure Sheet, element columns to the left are on top of element columns to the right.
- Drag the element to its new layering position in the Element List panel. In the Element List panel, elements at the top of the list are on top of elements at the bottom of the list.

You can also use the following commands in the Element > Arrange menu:

- Bring to Front: move the element on top of all elements.
- Bring Forward: move the element in front of the element currently on top of it.
- Send to Back: move the element behind all elements.
- Send Backward: move the element behind the element currently below it.

| When you are changing the layering order from the Exposure Sheet or using the Arrange commands, if the element you are trying to change is the child of an dynamic element, such as a peg or an effect, you will only be able to reorder layers within the parent element. You will not be able to reorder layers if doing so requires Toon Boom Studio to detach the element from its parent to change its layering order.

To change the composition order of elements in the Timeline window, use one of the following methods:

- Drag the element to its new layering position in the Timeline window.

- In the Timeline list, click the name of the element you want to move.
- Drag the element to its new position in the layering order. Your pointer changes to indicate if the element can be placed in the position you have selected.

You can also force elements to appear behind or in-front of other elements in your animation using the options of the Type list in the Drawing tab, Image tab, and Media tab. When an element is in a peg hierarchy, the Type setting applies to its position within the peg hierarchy.

- Foreground: Forces the element to appear in-front of other elements. When you have more than one element set to Foreground, the layering order in the Timeline determines the order of the Foreground elements.
- Normal: Allows the elements to follow the layering order of the Timeline order or the front/back position in the Offset field in the Properties window. If you select this option, then you must make sure that your foreground and background images are in the right layering order in the Timeline list.
- Background: Forces the element to appear behind other elements. When you have more than one element set to Background, then the layering order in the Timeline determines the order of the Background elements.

See Also
Renaming Elements
Deleting Elements
Exporting Your Movie