---
title: "Editing"
description: "Select, transform, arrange and reshape layers on the stage."
canonical: "https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/editing/"
last_updated: 2026-10-29
---

# Editing

Select, transform, arrange and reshape layers on the stage.

## Selecting and moving

Click a layer on the stage to select it. The rail (the Properties panel in After Effects or
Figma) shows its controls; the score (the timeline) shows its tracks. Clicking empty stage lets go. Its box has handles:

- **drag the body** to move it, **a corner** to resize it, **an edge** to stretch it one way,
  **the knob above it** to turn it. Its size, angle or place reads out under it.
- While dragging: `⇧` keeps a move to one axis, a resize in proportion, a turn to 15° steps;
  `⌥`-drag takes a copy along; `esc` puts everything back.
- A lone rectangle or ellipse changes its size rather than its scale, so its corners and border
  keep theirs.
- **The anchor** (⊕) is the point it turns and scales about. Drag it to move it; the layer stays
  where it is. Double-click it (or `⌘⌥Home`) to put it in the middle. The rail's anchor grid puts
  it on a corner, an edge or the middle in one click.
- `←` `↑` `→` `↓` nudge the layer a pixel (`⇧`: ten); `esc` gives them back to the score.
- Hold **⌥** over the stage to see the distances from the selection to the layer under the
  pointer, or to the edges.

### Several at once

- **Drag across empty stage** to select the layers the box touches; `⇧` adds to what's selected.
- **⇧-click** a layer to add it or take it away.
- Drag any of them and they all move, as one undo step. Arrows nudge them all; delete takes them
  all.

### Going in and out

- **Double-click** goes into a precomp, to the layer under the pointer. A click elsewhere comes
  back out.
- `enter` goes in (a layout's, a precomp's or a parent's first layer; text to type; a shape's
  paths); `⇧enter` (or `⌥enter`) goes back out. `tab` and `⇧tab` step through the layers
  beside it.

### Zoom

- `⌥`-scroll (or `⌃`-scroll) zooms about the pointer. Zoomed, scrolling (or the middle button)
  moves the stage.
- `⇧0` is 100 %, `⇧1` fits the composition, `⇧2` zooms to the selection; the transport's `%`
  fits it again.

## Snapping and aligning

- A layer dragged on the stage snaps to other layers' edges and middles, the composition's, equal
  gaps between neighbours, and the grid when it shows. Red lines mark what it snapped to, pink
  ticks equal gaps.
- `;` turns snapping off and on. `'` shows the grid; with nothing selected, the rail sets its
  size.
- The rail's **Align** row (`⌥A` `⌥H` `⌥D` `⌥W` `⌥V` `⌥S`) lines layers up: several to the box
  round them, one in the composition. ***Spread*** (`⌥⇧H` `⌥⇧V`) evens out the gaps between three or
  more.

These moves are position edits at the playhead, keyed there when the position animates.

**Grid** accepts 1–1,000 pixels. Snapping, grid visibility and grid size are also in
**Settings** (`F2`) and are kept for the next session.

## Commands on layers

| key | does |
|---|---|
| `⌃C` `⌃X` `⌃V` `⌃D` (`⌘` too) | copy, cut, paste, duplicate. A copy goes on the system clipboard too, so it pastes into another Creator Terminal |
| `⌃G` · `⌃⇧G` | group the selected layers · ungroup |
| `⌥⌃D` | an instance of a group: edits inside one change every use (**make unique** in the rail gives it a copy of its own) |
| `⌥PgUp` `⌥PgDn` · `⌥Home` `⌥End` | forward, backward · to the front, to the back |
| `delete`, `⌫` | delete the layer (`u` brings it back) |
| `⌥L` | lock or unlock it |
| `⌥I` | solo it: only the selected layers show while you edit |

**Right-click** a layer, or the empty stage, for a menu with the same: copy, cut, paste (or paste
where you clicked), duplicate, delete, order, lay out, group.

A **group** puts the layers in a precomp with one layer standing for them, its anchor in their
middle, to animate like any layer. Grouping doesn't sync to Creator yet.

A layer can also become the particle of an emitter, thrown out in copies over time: see
[Particles](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/particles.md).

### Hide, lock and solo

Each layer's first row in the score has an eye and a lock (shown under the pointer, or while on).

- **Hidden**, a layer isn't drawn on the stage or in exports, and players leave it out too. What
  hangs off it still moves with it.
- **Locked**, it can't be picked or moved on the stage. `⌥L` on its row in the score unlocks it.
- **Solo** (`⌥I`) shows only the selected layers while you edit; it never goes in the file.
- **Hide layer**, **Lock layer** and **Solo layer** are in the palette.

## The rail's values

Use **↓ more** and **↑ more**, or scroll over the rail, to reach rows outside the panel.

The rail shows the selected layer's anchor, position, scale, rotation, opacity, fills and strokes
at the playhead.

- Drag a number sideways (`⇧` ten times as far, `⌥` a tenth), or click it and type.
- While typing, `tab` keeps the value and types the next field; `⇧tab` goes to the one before.
  Fields follow the rail's order and wrap from last to first. This works for layer and
  document values, text, points, controls, chart cells, tokens, TEMPLATE and STYLE fields.
  A `tab` just after `enter` continues from the field you kept. If a value is refused, it
  stays typed beside the warning so you can correct it. In the colour picker, `tab` switches
  between hex and opacity.
- The marker by each (◆ a key here, ◇ animated, · not) adds or removes a key at the playhead.
- A colour's **swatch** opens the colour picker: saturation and brightness, hue and opacity, the
  hex to type, the file's own colours, and a dropper that takes a colour off the stage. Drag the
  hex sideways to turn the hue.

Values follow the playhead: where a value animates, the key at the playhead changes (or one is
made there); where it doesn't, its one value changes. Each drag is one undo step. `w` saves.

## Motion paths
See [Motion paths](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/animating.md#motion-paths).

### Motion sketch
See [Motion sketch](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/animating.md#motion-sketch).

## Animation presets
See [Animation presets](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/animating.md#animation-presets).

## Skeleton mode
See [Skeleton mode](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/animating.md#skeleton-mode).

## Onion skin
See [Onion skin](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/animating.md#onion-skin).

## Editing paths

**Double-click** a shape layer (or `enter`, or **edit path** in the rail) to edit its points and
curves. Rectangles and ellipses become paths first. `esc` is done.

- **Click** a point to pick it (`⇧` adds; drag across empty stage for a box; `⌥`-drag for a
  lasso). **Drag** points to move them; arrows nudge.
- **Drag a handle** to bend the curve. The chips in the rail set a point's kind (sharp, mirrored,
  angle, free); `⌥` moves one handle alone.
- **Click a line** to put a point there; **drag a line** to bend it through the pointer;
  `⌥`-click a line to cut it out.
- **Double-click** a point to switch it between sharp and smooth.
- `⌫` takes points out and keeps the curve's look; `⇧⌫` (or **break**) breaks the path there.
- **Drop a point on another** to join them: two ends become one path, or an end on its start
  closes it.
- `⇧P` draws more of the layer with the pen.
- **simplify** (the rail) takes out the points the path doesn't need; again takes out more.
- The rail types a point's x and y, opens or closes the path, and keys it.

A layer's paths are one drawing: points in the same place are one point, so dragging a junction
moves every line there.

Edits happen at the playhead: an animated path gets a key there, and adding or taking out points
changes every key alike, so the shape still morphs.

| Path control | Use |
| --- | --- |
| **points**, **pen**, **curves**, **pencil**, **fill** | Edit points, draw with a pen or pencil, or fill enclosed regions; narrow rails show the choices that fit |
| **Path** marker | Add or remove a path key at the playhead |
| **Point** | Type the selected point's x and y |
| **Kind**: **sharp** | Remove handles |
| **Kind**: **mirrored** | Keep handles opposite and equal in length |
| **Kind**: **angle** | Keep handles on one line, with separate lengths |
| **Kind**: **free** | Move handles separately |
| **Ends** | Switch the path between **open** and **closed** |
| **Shape**: **simplify** | Reduce the number of points |
| **break** | Break the path at the selected points |
| **Done** | Leave path editing |

`⌃A` selects every point while you edit a path. Arrows nudge points one pixel (`⇧`: ten).

![A blue path with its points and the selected point's handles visible](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/assets/shots/draw-path-points.png)

### Paint bucket

`b` while editing (or the rail's **fill**) picks up the paint bucket. The region under the pointer
shows hatched in the bucket's colour, and a click fills it. Regions are wherever the lines
enclose space, crossings included, so you colour line art by drawing the lines, then clicking
between them.

- Click a filled region again to empty it; `⌥`-click to empty it whatever its colour; drag to
  fill every region you pass.
- Moving or bending the lines afterwards takes the fill with them.
- It fills drawings that hold still.

## Combining shapes

For shape and text layers that hold still:

- **Booleans**: select two layers or more and press `⌥⇧U` union, `⌥⇧X` subtract, `⌥⇧I`
  intersect or `⌥⇧E` exclude (or the rail's **Combine** chips, the right-click menu, the palette).
  They become one boolean layer. Double-click it to edit its shapes; the same keys change what it
  does; `⌃⇧G` puts its shapes back as layers. Every player draws it the same. Animate the boolean
  layer itself; its shapes hold still.
- **Shape builder** (`⌥⇧M`): over the selected shapes, the region under the pointer shows
  hatched. Click it to make it a shape of its own, drag across regions to merge them; `⌥` takes
  them away instead. `esc` is done.
- **Flatten** (`⌥⇧L`): the selection becomes one layer of paths that looks the same.
- **Outline stroke** (`⌥⇧O`): strokes become filled shapes to edit point by point; text becomes
  its letters.
(Figma's subtract is `⌥⇧S`; here that keys the scale.)

### Modifiers

A modifier changes a shape layer's paths as every player draws them, and stays live: its values
key like any other. With one shape layer selected, the rail's **Paths › + modifier** (or **Add
modifier…** in the palette, or the right-click menu) lists them:

| Modifier | Its rows |
| --- | --- |
| **Trim paths** | **Start**, **End** and **Offset**: the part of the stroke drawn ([Trim paths and dashes](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/layers.md#trim-paths-and-dashes)) |
| **Pucker & bloat** | **Amount**: the sides pulled in (below 0, pucker) or pushed out (bloat), a percent |
| **Zig zag** | **Size** and **Ridges** (to each segment), and **corner** or **smooth** points |
| **Offset path** | **Offset**: the outline pushed out, or in |
| **Round corners** | **Corners**: how round they are (a rectangle's own roundness; the corner dots set it too) |

Choosing one adds it (one undo step) with its first value ready to type; one the layer has
already is that value, to type. Nothing shows in the rail until one is added. Twist and merge
paths aren't offered, as the stage can't draw them. An SVG export leaves offset, pucker & bloat
and zig zag out, and says so ([Export](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/export.md)).

## Layer commands in the palette

Press `:`, type a command’s name and press `enter` to run it. Commands that need a selection
appear when you select a suitable layer.

| Command | Use |
| --- | --- |
| **Rename the layer** | Type a name for the selected layer |
| **Set the position**, **Set the anchor** | Type x and y, separated by a space |
| **Set the scale** | Type one percentage, or separate percentages across and down |
| **Set the rotation**, **Set the opacity** | Type degrees or a percentage |
| **Go into the layer**, **Back out of the layer** | Enter or leave its contents |
| **Anchor to the middle** | Centre its anchor while keeping the drawing in place |
| **Bring forward**, **Send backward**, **Bring to front**, **Send to back** | Change the drawing order |
| **Union**, **Subtract**, **Intersect**, **Exclude**, **Flatten**, **Outline stroke**, **Shape builder** | Combine or convert the selection |
| **Add modifier…** | Choose a live path modifier |

## The mouse

In Ghostty, kitty, WezTerm and the app's own window, the mouse is read to the pixel, so you can
grab a key or a curve handle exactly.

- **Hover** highlights what you're over and changes the pointer's shape, and the bottom line says
  what clicking or dragging will do.
- **Box pointers**: a corner shows resize arrows turned with the layer, the knob shows arrows
  going round, the anchor shows move arrows, a corner's rounding dot shows a rounded corner,
  turned as that corner is.
- **Keys and moves**: drag a key to retime it, drag a move to shift both its keys, double-click a
  move to play it in a loop. The bottom line reads out the change ("2 keys shifted −500 ms"), and
  keys snap to the playhead and to other keys.
- **Presets on hover**: hovering a preset plays it on the stage without changing anything.
- **The score**: `⌥`-scroll (or scroll over the ruler) zooms about the pointer; a sideways swipe
  pans; `⤢` resets.

Watch: [Anchor points](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/anchor-points/).

Try [making a hinged layer](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/how-to/make-a-layer-turn-from-one-end.md).