Setting the layering order of tracks

Because a movie can have different types of tracks that contain visible content and tracks can begin at any time in a movie, tracks are arranged in layers. For example, suppose a movie contains a video track and a color track that both start simultaneously in the same size and location in the movie viewer window. When you view both tracks in the QuickTime player, the track that is visible is the one at the bottom of the track list area in the Timeline Editor. That is, the bottom track covers any other tracks at the same position and time in the movie viewer window. (The bottom layer is referred to as layer 1 in the QuickTime player properties.) In the preceding example, if a color track is below the video track in the track list, the color track covers the video track when you view the movie, making the video track invisible. (This example assumes that the color track doesn't have a translucent blend mode. See Setting the basic track and sample properties.)

To specify the layering order of tracks in the Timeline Editor, drag the layers up and down in the track list area. To place a layer closer to the viewer (covering other layers), drag the layer toward the bottom of the list. When adding a track, you can drag the track's icon from the Objects palette directly to the position in the track list where you want the track placed in the layering order. You can also set the layering order in the Layout tab in the movie viewer window. (See Using the Layout tab toolbar and Using the Movie menu for the movie viewer window.)