> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tryflowy.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Separate Layers

> Pull an image apart into independent layers you can edit, move, and recompose.

export const DemoVideo = ({src, poster, caption, aspectRatio = "16 / 10", className = ""}) => {
  return <figure className={`not-prose my-6 w-full ${className}`}>
      <div className="overflow-hidden rounded-2xl border border-gray-950/10 bg-gray-100 dark:border-white/10 dark:bg-white/5" style={{
    aspectRatio
  }}>
        <video src={src} poster={poster} loop autoPlay muted playsInline className="h-full w-full object-cover" />
      </div>
      {caption && <figcaption className="mt-2 text-center text-sm text-gray-500 dark:text-gray-400">
          {caption}
        </figcaption>}
    </figure>;
};

Separate Layers decomposes the connected image into distinct layers — subject, background, and the elements in between — each one an image you can edit on its own.

<DemoVideo src="/videos/canvas/image-tools-layers.mp4" poster="/images/posters/canvas/image-tools-layers.jpg" caption="Attaching Separate Layers to an image and choosing the max layer count" />

## Using it

Right-click an image node and choose **Tools → Separate layers**. On the connected tool node, set **Max layers** (2–6, default 4) to cap how many pieces the image splits into, then press **Separate layers**. The job runs in the background.

When it finishes, the node shows a thumbnail strip of every extracted layer — click a thumbnail to preview it. To work with the layers individually, click **Split into N nodes**: each layer becomes its own connected image node on the canvas.

## What to do with the layers

Once split out, each layer is a normal image node. Recolor the background with [Transform & Adjust](/canvas/image-tools/transform-and-adjust), upscale only the subject, swap one element with [Inpaint](/canvas/image-tools/inpaint), or stack the pieces in a [Composition](/canvas/nodes/composition) to animate them separately.

<Tip>
  Fewer layers means cleaner splits. Start with **Max layers** at 2–3 for a subject/background separation, and raise it only when the image genuinely has more distinct elements.
</Tip>