Layer Groups

What are layer groups?#

Layer groups combine two or more layers into a unit that selects, moves, aligns, and organizes together in Orshot Studio — like groups in Figma. Grouping is a design-time convenience only: it has zero effect on rendering, dynamic parameters, or any API response.

How groups work in the editor#

• Group: select 2+ layers and press ⌘G (Ctrl+G), or right-click → Group Selection
• Select: clicking any member selects the whole group (single purple ring + name pill)
• Move: dragging any member moves every member by the same delta — relative layout is preserved
• Edit one layer: double-click a member to enter the group and work on it individually; Esc steps back out
• Align / distribute / gap / bulk position: a selected group is treated as one rigid block — its combined bounds align, members keep their relative positions
• Rename: click the name pill below the selection, or rename the group's row in the Layers panel
• Layers panel: groups render as expandable folders; the group row's visibility/lock controls apply to all members, and the group reorders as one unit
• Ungroup: ⌘⇧G (Ctrl+Shift+G) or right-click → Ungroup — members keep their positions and z-order

Duplicating or copy-pasting grouped layers creates a new group for the copies; they never join the original.

Groups and your renders#

Renders are byte-identical with or without groups. Grouping changes nothing about:

• Render output — images, PDFs, and videos render exactly the same
• Dynamic parameters — members keep their parameterIds; modifications work unchanged
• Credits — grouping has no effect on usage

This is by design: the renderer reads element geometry and content, and simply ignores group metadata.

How groups are stored#

Groups live in the template's pages_data as two small, additive pieces of metadata:

• each member element carries a groupId
• the page carries a groups registry with display names

{
  "pages_data": [
    {
      "elements": [
        { "id": "el-1", "type": "text", "groupId": "9f2c…", "parameterId": "heading" },
        { "id": "el-2", "type": "text", "groupId": "9f2c…", "parameterId": "subtext" },
        { "id": "el-3", "type": "shape" }
      ],
      "groups": [{ "id": "9f2c…", "name": "Hero Text" }]
    }
  ]
}

Everything else — the render pipeline, modifications extraction, template export/import, and the Design Agent — passes these fields through untouched. A group "exists" whenever two or more elements share a groupId; if members are deleted down to one, the group dissolves automatically.

Notes & limits#

• Groups are single-level — grouping a selection that includes grouped layers absorbs them into the new group
• Locked members move with the group (like Figma) but can't be selected or edited individually; hidden members also move with the group, though they're excluded from the group's selection bounds
• Duplicating a group preserves Smart Stacking relationships between members — the copies stack to each other; stacking to elements outside the group is dropped from the copy
• Group names are cosmetic — they never appear in API responses or rendered output

Related#

• Smart Stacking — position elements relative to each other for dynamic content
• Setting Parameters — make grouped or ungrouped layers dynamic