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The four layer types available in the Flash authoring environment are normal, Mask, Guide, and Motion guide. Mask layers apply to nested masked layers and Motion guide layers apply to nested guided layers. A unique layer icon identifies each layer type.
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You can assign or modify layer types in the Layer Properties dialog box, which you invoke by double-clicking any layer icon.
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When you select multiple items on the same layer and use the Distribute to Layers command, they can automatically be moved to new, auto-created layers.
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You use Guide layers to hold content that is only needed for reference in the authoring environment, or to speed up movie testing as you develop a project — by temporarily keeping the content on specific layers from being exported with the .swf.
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To move a tweened element along a specific path, you can add a Motion guide layer to control the animation.
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Motion guide layers are actually Guide layers that have another layer nested below them as a guided layer.
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Timeline Effects cannot be directly applied to a symbol that is animated along a path with a guided Motion tween — to combine Timeline Effects with Motion guides, you must use nested Movie Clip timelines.
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You can mask any content that you create in a Flash document with a static or animated Mask layer.
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You can use filled shapes, text, and symbol instances to define the mask area (or window) on a Mask layer, but this content will not be visible in the final movie (.swf).
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You can animate the content of a Mask layer by creating a Motion tween or a Shape tween directly on the Main Timeline, but you cannot apply Motion guides to Mask layers. To control the animation of a mask with a Motion guide, use a Movie Clip instance to define the area of the mask. You can then create the Motion tween and the Motion guide layer on the Movie Clip timeline.
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You can modify the linkage between various layers at any time by rearranging the order of the layer stack.
