PDF layers

PDF layers allow you to view, navigate, and print layered content in PDFs from applications like InDesign, AutoCAD, and Visio. You can control the display of layers using default and initial state settings. In Acrobat Pro, you have various options for managing layers, such as renaming, flattening, merging, changing properties, and adding actions.

You can use Acrobat Pro to:

• View and manage layers
• Control layer visibility
• Edit layer properties
• Reorder layers
• Add layer navigation
• Import layers
• Merge and flatten layers
• Edit layered content
• Combine layered PDFs

Acrobat Pro doesn't let you author layers that change visibility based on the zoom level. However, you can highlight a portion of a layer by creating a bookmark that magnifies or hides the layer using page actions. You can also add links that let users select a visible or invisible link to navigate or zoom in on a layer.

To retain layers when converting InDesign CS documents to PDF in Acrobat Pro, you must do the following:

• Set the compatibility to Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) or higher.
• In the Export Adobe PDF dialog box, select Create Acrobat Layers.

View and manage layers

To show or hide layers, use the Layers panel. Locked layers can’t be hidden, and some layers may be organized into nested groups. The lock icon indicates that a layer is for information only. In Acrobat Pro, locked layer visibility can be changed using the Layer Properties dialog box. 

• To open the layers panel, from the right panel, select 
  
• If the  icon isn't visible, go to  > View > Show/Hide > Side panels > Layers. 

Control layer visibility

The Layers panel provides options to control layer visibility for different purposes:

• List Layers For All Pages - Shows every layer across all pages.
• List Layers For Visible Pages - Shows layers only on the currently visible pages.
• Reset To Initial Visibility - Resets layers to their default state.
• Apply Print Overrides - Displays layers according to the print settings.
• Apply Export Overrides - Displays layers according to the export settings.
• Apply Layer Overrides - Displays all layers, overriding individual settings.

To Show/Hide a layer, select the eye icon. This setting temporarily overrides the settings in the Layer Properties dialog box.

Layer visibility set using the eye icon in the Layers panel doesn't save when you close the file. To save a different view of a layered PDF in Acrobat Pro, change the default state of the layers in the Layer Properties dialog box.

Edit layer properties

In Acrobat Pro, you can edit layer properties to control visibility and printing. The Layer Properties dialog box allows you to change the layer name, default state, visibility, print, and export settings. These changes take effect if the option "Allow layer state to be set by user information" is selected in the documents Preferences.

To access layer properties:

1. Open the layers panel and then select the layer.
2. Select  > Layer Properties.
3. In the Layer properties dialog, set the following properties as required.

• Intent as View to toggle the layer on or off.
• Intent as Reference to keep the layer always on for editing (appears in italics).
• Default State defines the initial visibility when the document is opened or when visibility is reset. Eye icons for layers are initially shown or hidden based on this setting. For example, if set to "off," the eye icon is hidden when the document is opened or when "Reset To Initial Visibility" is selected.
• Visibility defines the onscreen visibility of the PDF layer. 
• Print determines if the layer will be printed.
• Export determines if the layer appears in the resulting document when exporting the PDF to a supported layered format.
• More properties associated with specific layers are displayed in the bottom box of the Layer Properties dialog box.

For example, if a layer contains a watermark that you want to be invisible on screen but appears in print and when exporting to other formats, modify the following settings:

• Set the Default state to On.
• Initial State Visibility to Never Visible. 
• Initial State Print to Always Prints.
• Initial State Export to Always Exports. 

Reorder layers

You can reorder individual layers in the Layers pane except for locked layers and layers in nested groups. To reorder a layer, select it and drag it to the desired location.

Add layer navigation

You can add links and destinations to layers to change the view of a document when users select a bookmark or link. By associating layer visibility with bookmarks or link destinations, you can control the display of specific layers.

To associate layer visibility with bookmarks:

1. Set the required layer properties, visibility, and magnification level for the target PDF layer in the document pane.

2. From the right panel, select the Bookmarks icon > New bookmark icon.

3. Select the new bookmark and then select  > Properties.

4. In the Bookmark properties dialog box, select the Actions tab.

5. For Select Action, choose Set layer visibility and then select Add. Then, select Ok.

6. Select the bookmark label in the Bookmarks panel, and name the bookmark.

To associate layer visibility with a link destination:

1. Set the required layer properties for the destination in the document pane.
2. Select  > View > Show/Hide > Side panels > Destinations.
3. The Destinations pane appears in a floating panel. You can add it to the other panels by dragging it to the navigation pane. If the panel is collapsed, select Destinations to expand it.
4. From the Options menu, select New Destination and name the destination.
5. Select the Link tool icon and drag it into the document pane to create a link. Note: Since the content is added to all layers, the link works from any layer, even if you're apparently creating the link on the target layer.
6. In the Create Link dialog box, select Custom Link, and then select Next.
7. In the Link Properties dialog box:
   1. Under the Appearance tab, set the appearance of the link.
   2. Under the Actions tab, select Set Layer Visibility.
   3. Select Add.
8. Close the dialog boxes. 
9. You can test the link by changing the layer settings, selecting the Hand tool, and selecting the link.

Import layers

In Acrobat Pro, you can import layers from PDF or image files into a target PDF. Supported image file formats include BMP, GIF, JPEG, JPEG 2000, PCX, PNG, and TIFF. The import options include creating new layers, adding to existing layers or layer groups, and copying layers from the source document.

To import layers:

1. Select  > View > Show/Hide > Side panels > Layers.
2. From the Options menu, select Import as layer.
3. In the Import As Layer dialog that appears, select Browse and locate the file to import.
   If the source file is a multipage document, enter the page number you want to import in Page Number. If the target file is a multipage document, specify the Target Page Number in the Preview section of the dialog box.
4. Select one of the following import options:
   • Create New Layer  - It creates a single, separate layer from the source document. Enter a name for the new layer.
   • Add To Group - Specifies the existing layer group in which to add the imported layer. This option is available only when the target PDF contains one or more existing layer groups and when Create New Layer is selected.
   • Add To Existing Layer - Adds the content from the source document to an existing layer in the target document. Select a layer from your target document. The imported content will have the same layer properties as the existing layer in the target document. This option is available only when the target document contains layers.
   • Copy Layers From Source - Imports the layers from the source document. This option is available only when the source document contains layers.
5. Adjust the Position and Appearance settings as needed, and then select OK.

Merge and flatten layers

Merging layers combines their properties into a target layer, while flattening layers hides non-visible content and consolidates all layers. Note that merging or flattening operations cannot be undone.

To merge layers:

1. Select  > View > Show/Hide > Side panels > Layers.
2. From the Options menu, select Merge Layers.
3. In the Layers to be merged dialog, select one or more layers and then select Add.
4. To remove a layer from the center panel, select the layer and then select Remove.
5. In the Target Layer To Merge Into pane, select the layer to merge the selected layers.
   
6. To flatten layers, from the Options menu, select Flatten Layers.

Edit layered content

When editing layered content, select or copy using the Select tool or Snapshot tool. Content selection includes all visible content regardless of the layer. Editing content associated with one layer affects only that layer, while content associated with multiple layers changes in all layers. Additional content can be added to layered documents, but it is not associated with specific layers.

Combine layered PDFs

Acrobat allows you to merge PDF documents that contain layers using the Merge Files Into A Single PDF command. The layers for each document are grouped under separate headings in the Layers panel, which can be expanded or collapsed as needed.