Copy and paste layers from one slide to another

Mar 13, 2013

Hi

Is it possible to copy and paste layers from one slide to another?  I have a number of slides in my story and most of them use the same set of layers.  Not knowing if copying and pasting layers between slides is doable, I have been diligently creating the same set of layers over and over again for each slide and it is agonizingly time-consuming.  So, is it possible to do that?  Thanks!

29 Replies
Leslie McKerchie

Hi Linda!

Unfortunately, there's no real way to copy the entire layer itself. However, if you haven't already added the content to your new slide, you could duplicate the slide with the layers and then add  your new content in a new layer.

Another alternative would be to go into the layer with your content, copy (using CTRL+A) everything in the layer and then paste it (using CTRL+V) into a new layer on the new slide. 

I do believe that this would make an awesome feature request.

Erin Hefferin

Hi Leslie -

What do you mean by "go into" the layer with your content? I clicked on the layer (in Layers, on the right), then followed your other instructions, but nothing happened. And then how do I paste? Click on the layer in Layers? Click on the slide? Both?

"Another alternative would be to go into the layer with your content, copy (using CTRL+A) everything in the layer and then paste it (using CTRL+V) into a new layer on the new slide."

Christine Hendrickson

Hi Erin and welcome to E-Learning Heroes!

Correct - she was referring to opening the layer if there's content on that layer. You do so by clicking on the layer in the pane on the right-hand side. Once you're here, click inside of the layer's slide. 

Pressing CTRL+A on your keyboard should select all of the content you have on that layer. This will copy everything in that layer's slide to your clipboard. 

Now, open the slide or layer where you'd like to paste the content. Click within the slide and press CTRL+V on your keyboard. This should paste the content into the slide you have open.

Another option is to click and drag your mouse around all of the items in the slide. Alternatively, you can hold down the CTRL button and select each individual item to select them. This helps if you want some of the content copied, but not all of it. Once they're selected, you'd use the same CTRL+C and CTRL+V commands to copy and paste.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

Thanks!

Aneta Andrle

I have a great solution to this problem.

Copy everything on your layer, open your feedback master and create a custom master slide (for example Menu). Paste everything, then close feedback master.

Now go back to your layer and change its layout.

The advantage of this method is that if for example you would like to change something in the layer (move object/translate into another language), you do not need to change the layers on 100 different slides but just once, in the Feedback Master.

The limitation of this method are some types of triggers, which do not work (e.g. close this layer when user clicks a certain object). When this happens, however, you can always add a hotspots in the layer (not the Feedback master) which will substitute the function.

Hope this helped, good luck! :)

Leandra Blair

I built on the master level and have two layers for menu and transcripts. I have that on the Main/first slide in the master view...I expected this to be inherited by the rest but that was not the case...tried to right click on the layer so I could copy it to the other layout views...that didn't work. I then tried to use the copy feature in the layers panel and drag and drop it into the other layout. That didn't work.

Am I understanding that the only way to get the layers into the other layout designs is Ctrl+A/Ctrl+B and add both layers to each layout?

 

ibrar  younas

found it finaly! 
just click on "add layer" then choose "import" from the drop down menu, its right at the end. then select the slider, slide, and the type of layer ( text, img, etc). it will bring up all the layers sorted by the slide names. just click the + sign on th layer you want to add, and you are done.

Jacques Theron
ibrar younas

found it finaly! 
just click on "add layer" then choose "import" from the drop down menu, its right at the end. then select the slider, slide, and the type of layer ( text, img, etc). it will bring up all the layers sorted by the slide names. just click the + sign on th layer you want to add, and you are done.

Hi ibrar,

Would you mind explaining this in more detail please? The option in Storyline 2 is 'New Layer' and then there is no drop down menu I can see. Am I missing something obvious?

I have added layers using multiple avenues (New layer icon; Insert>Slide Layer) but the additional importing option was never offered.

It would be great if this can work as the duplicate slide then customise option will be a bit long winded in my circumstances, although it seems to be the only option available. 

Thank you :)