An animation layer’s state determines whether it will receive keyframes and whether its information displays in other windows and editors. Animation layers can be described as being in the following states:

• Active: A layer is active if it is going to receive keys. Active layers display in the Animation Layer Editor with a green dot next to the layer name. Multiple layers can be active at the same time.
• Affected: A layer is affected if it contains attributes of the currently selected objects, but it is not active. Affected layers display in the Animation Layer Editor with a red dot next to the layer name.
• Selected: A layer is selected if it is highlighted in the Animation Layer Editor. Depending on the keying mode you have chosen, selected layers are not necessarily active.