How to use Layer Select in Procreate

The Layer Select feature lets us switch between different layers as we work without needing to jump in and out of the Layers menu each time. It's pretty handy, and it can be assigned to a variety of different gesture inputs. So let's get to it. We can assign gestures in Actions, then Preferences, and just here, Gesture Controls. Now let's find Layer Select on the left. For this example, we'll assign Layer Select to a couple of different inputs. We'll use the Modify button with Apple Pencil as one, and Touch and Hold as another. If we ever assign a gesture that's already bound to a different tool, then we're going to get a little yellow warning sign pop-up next to that previously assigned tool. Touch and Hold has a delay before it responds, which can be adjusted with the slider here. Time is valuable, so let's set this to be as quick as possible. Alright, let's head back and give it a whirl. Let's take a look at Touch and Hold first. This works by holding a finger on any content that belongs to the layer that we want to select. If the point on the canvas that we're holding is occupied with content from multiple layers, then we get a list of those layers appear. We can perform this gesture either by lifting our finger after the list appears, and then tapping to select, or without lifting our finger, we can slide to the list, then lift to select. Now, the other input that we assigned was holding the Modify button, and then touching with the Apple Pencil. This method is a little different to Touch and Hold, in that we can slide the pencil around the canvas to find the point we'd like to make our layer selection, then pause in place until our selections appear.