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MOWADesign17237830
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May 7, 2026

Layers above keyframes now only show single thumbnail in center instead of full length of scene

  • May 7, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 32 views

It’s impossible to tell at a glance which layers in a scene have a fade animation effect, making it beyond frustrating to try to control my animation. It used to be you could see in the layer strip where the image faded to transparent, but now, the layer strip only shows a tiny square and there’s nothing to indicate whether it has an animation attached to it. I noticed this on the iOS app and hoped my desktop version would be different. After updating my iPad version, the problem got even worse: the layer strips don’t appear at all, so now the app is completely unusable. 

Could you restore the layer visibility to show the fade animation again, please?

 

    2 replies

    Amitej S
    Community Manager
    Amitej SCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    May 13, 2026

    Hi ​@MOWADesign17237830, thanks for sharing this. 

    As of now, this is how it shows up for me on desktop web and a similar view on iPad- (desktop screenshot)

     

    Let us know if you see something different than this. 

     

    Also, to help us investigate this further, please share a screen recording of what you see in both the iOS app and the desktop version. Also include your device model, OS version, and the version of the Adobe Express app you have installed.

    We’ll then be able to take a closer look at the behavior and let you know. 

     

    Best!

     

    Radwan Almsora
    Radwan Almsora
    Participant
    May 10, 2026

    Hello!

    ​I completely understand your frustration. When you are managing complex animations, being able to see the 'Fade' transition directly on the layer strip is crucial for timing. The change to a 'single thumbnail' is part of a recent UI optimization to reduce clutter, but it has clearly made tracking animations like Fade much harder.

    ​Here is how you can manage this and some steps to address the disappearing layers on your iPad:

    1. ​Toggle Timeline Zoom: On the desktop version, try zooming into your timeline using the slider at the bottom. Sometimes, the 'full length' thumbnail preview only triggers when the layer strip is wide enough on the screen.
    2. ​Check 'Animation' Indicators: While the visual fade might be gone from the thumbnail, look for a small Diamond or Dot icon on the layer strip itself. Adobe has shifted to using these markers to indicate that an animation is active on that specific layer.
    3. ​Fix for iPad (Layers not appearing):
      • ​Force Restart & Clear Cache: Go to Settings > Adobe Express > Reset App. This often fixes UI rendering bugs where layers go invisible after an update.
      • ​Check 'Timeline' View: Ensure you haven't accidentally toggled the 'Compact' view. Tap the three dots in the timeline area and ensure 'Show Layers' is enabled.
    4. ​Feedback to Engineering: Since this is 'Open for Voting,' I will add my internal note to this report. The loss of the 'Fade to Transparent' visual on the layer strip is a significant regression for animators.

    ​Quick Tip: On Desktop, if you select the layer and open the Animation panel, it should highlight the duration on the timeline with a purple/blue bar. It’s not as fast as a 'glance,' but it will show you exactly where the effect starts and ends."

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