A composition becomes easier to refine when each layer has a clear role and a deliberate interval on the timeline. Use this guide when you are combining visuals or when an element appears at the wrong moment.
Separate appearance from timing
A layer answers what is drawn. Its clip answers when it can appear. Selecting a layer does not guarantee it is visible at the current playhead position.
For example, in a six-second composition, a background might cover the entire interval while a title appears only in the middle. Moving the playhead to the start should show the background without the title. That is expected behavior, not a missing layer.
Before changing a layer's appearance, move to a time inside its clip. This prevents a common mistake: changing controls repeatedly while looking at a frame where the layer is inactive.
Build in visual roles
- Start with a background or base visual. Check it in isolation through the whole composition.
- Add the focal element. Give it enough contrast and space to remain distinct from the background.
- Add supporting content only if it contributes to the message. For text, pause on the busiest frame and check readability.
- Select each layer and review its controls. Use the drag handle to reorder an unlocked layer when you need to change its relationship to other visuals; verify the result in the viewport.
- Watch the complete scene before adding effects. Resolve clutter through scale, timing, and contrast first.
A full-frame background drawn by a code layer can cover other content depending on the layer order and blending. In the coding tutorials, motion.draw.setBackground() deliberately fills that code layer's canvas. If you need an overlay instead, remove that fill and retain motion.draw.clear() so the drawing starts from a cleared canvas each frame.
Use visibility, lock, and solo for different jobs
Visibility lets you remove a layer from the visible result without deleting it. Use it to compare two arrangements or find which layer introduces an unwanted element.
Lock protects a layer while you work around it. Unlock it before trying to edit or reorder it. A lock is not a visibility control: a locked layer can still be part of the result.
Solo isolates selected content from the rest of the scene. It is useful for checking a layer's motion or effects. Review solo states when other layers unexpectedly disappear, and clear them before evaluating the finished composition.
If controls are disabled across the project, check whether you are viewing a shared, read-only composition. Create an editable copy before making changes. Unlocking a layer does not make a read-only project editable.
Inspect clip boundaries
Scrub to just before a clip begins, then inside it, then just after it ends. This shows whether the layer appears and disappears where you intended. Repeat this check after changing composition duration; a clip that covered the old duration may not cover the new one.
For a continuous loop, keep recurring elements visible throughout the cycle unless their entrance and exit are part of the design. Correct periodic motion can still jump if its layer disappears near the end.
Code-layer time is relative to the clip: motion.time starts at zero at the clip's beginning, and motion.duration is its length. Moving a clip shifts the animation with it. Trimming or extending it changes the speed of formulas that divide time by duration. For a loop spanning the composition, align the clip's start and end with the composition boundaries. Read Timeline time and loops for the underlying model.
Verify the assembled scene
Review three passes: first the focal element alone, then supporting layers, then the entire composition. At each pass, watch both the still design and the motion. This makes it easier to distinguish a layer problem from an interaction between layers.
Before exporting, confirm that the expected layers are visible, temporary solo states are cleared, clip intervals are intentional, and the final scene reads at its delivery size. If something still disappears, follow the ordered checks in Troubleshoot a composition.