Layered drawings in Word 365?

[Jeff H]

I’m wondering if Word 365 has the capability to do layered drawings. And if so, a good resource for learning to use the feature. (For example, I’ve never quite understood the difference between the Send Backward and Send Behind options.)

Specifically, what I’d like is four layers, capable of being edited, saved, and printed separately or in any combination.

First layer: a simple outline of three gardens. Second: an overlay showing rocks and paths. Third: a grid overlay used to help me indicate the locations of specific plants. And fourth, the main purpose: placement of the actual plants.

Am I dreaming, do I need a more serious drawing app, or is this actually a possibility in Word?

[HansV]

Word has reasonable drawing capacities, but it is not a dedicated graphics program. It basically has 3 layers: the text layer, a layer behind the text and a layer in front of (on top of) the text.

Drawing objects have a Z-order: one object can be in front of another object or behind it.
Send Backward means that the selected object is moved behind the next lower object, and Bring Forward means that the selected object is moved in front of the next higher object.
Send to Back means that the selected object is moved behind all other objects in the same layer, and Bring to Front means that the selected object is moved in front of all other objects in the same layer.
Send Behind Text moves an object from the layer in front of the text to the layer behind the text, and Bring in Front of Text moves an object from the layer behind the text to the layer in front of the text.

But there is no option to view or print individual layers.

You'd need a dedicated graphics program. Photoshop is one of the best known such programs, but it is expensive. Free alternatives are GIMP and Paint.Net (you can easily find them in your favorite search engine).

[Jeff H]

Great explanation! I will try those drawing apps. Thanks, Hans.

[Jay Freedman]

A small addition to Hans' explanation: There is a way to view and/or print individual layers. Click Home > Select > Selection Pane. In the pane, click the button ("eye" icon) to the right of any object to hide it or show it. It can be tedious if there are a lot of objects in a particular layer, as there isn't a way to hide/show an entire layer with one click, but it can be done.

[Jeff H]

A small addition to Hans' explanation: There is a way to view and/or print individual layers. Click Home > Select > Selection Pane. In the pane, click the button ("eye" icon) to the right of any object to hide it or show it. It can be tedious if there are a lot of objects in a particular layer, as there isn't a way to hide/show an entire layer with one click, but it can be done.

Good tip, Jay. Thanks. This all clears up a lot of confusion I've always had with Word graphics, but also I tried out GIMP and paint.net. I found paint.net more intuitive than GIMP and I was able to create my 4 layer image yesterday fairly easily.