diff --git a/ges/ges-internal.h b/ges/ges-internal.h
index 502b11ba90..ece5bb69fb 100644
--- a/ges/ges-internal.h
+++ b/ges/ges-internal.h
@@ -354,6 +354,7 @@ G_GNUC_INTERNAL GList*            ges_clip_create_track_elements  (GESClip *clip
  *              GESLayer                            *
  ****************************************************/
 G_GNUC_INTERNAL gboolean ges_layer_resync_priorities (GESLayer * layer);
+G_GNUC_INTERNAL void layer_set_priority               (GESLayer * layer, guint priority, gboolean emit);
 
 /****************************************************
  *              GESTrackElement                     *
diff --git a/ges/ges-layer.c b/ges/ges-layer.c
index 7809065eb1..0bfae4b334 100644
--- a/ges/ges-layer.c
+++ b/ges/ges-layer.c
@@ -105,7 +105,8 @@ ges_layer_set_property (GObject * object, guint property_id,
 
   switch (property_id) {
     case PROP_PRIORITY:
-      ges_layer_set_priority (layer, g_value_get_uint (value));
+      GST_FIXME ("Deprecated, use ges_timeline_move_layer instead");
+      layer_set_priority (layer, g_value_get_uint (value), FALSE);
       break;
     case PROP_AUTO_TRANSITION:
       ges_layer_set_auto_transition (layer, g_value_get_boolean (value));
@@ -165,6 +166,10 @@ ges_layer_class_init (GESLayerClass * klass)
    *
    * Note that the timeline needs to be commited (with #ges_timeline_commit)
    * for the change to be taken into account.
+   *
+   * Deprecated:1.16.0: use #ges_timeline_move_layer instead. This deprecation means
+   * that you will not need to handle layer priorities at all yourself, GES
+   * will make sure there is never 'gaps' between layer priorities.
    */
   g_object_class_install_property (object_class, PROP_PRIORITY,
       g_param_spec_uint ("priority", "Priority",
@@ -282,6 +287,23 @@ ges_layer_resync_priorities (GESLayer * layer)
   return TRUE;
 }
 
+void
+layer_set_priority (GESLayer * layer, guint priority, gboolean emit)
+{
+  GST_DEBUG ("layer:%p, priority:%d", layer, priority);
+
+  if (priority != layer->priv->priority) {
+    layer->priv->priority = priority;
+    layer->min_nle_priority = (priority * LAYER_HEIGHT) + MIN_NLE_PRIO;
+    layer->max_nle_priority = ((priority + 1) * LAYER_HEIGHT) + MIN_NLE_PRIO;
+
+    ges_layer_resync_priorities (layer);
+  }
+
+  if (emit)
+    g_object_notify (G_OBJECT (layer), "priority");
+}
+
 static void
 new_asset_cb (GESAsset * source, GAsyncResult * res, NewAssetUData * udata)
 {
@@ -413,23 +435,19 @@ ges_layer_remove_clip (GESLayer * layer, GESClip * clip)
  *
  * Sets the layer to the given @priority. See the documentation of the
  * priority property for more information.
+ *
+ * Deprecated:1.16.0: use #ges_timeline_move_layer instead. This deprecation means
+ * that you will not need to handle layer priorities at all yourself, GES
+ * will make sure there is never 'gaps' between layer priorities.
  */
 void
 ges_layer_set_priority (GESLayer * layer, guint priority)
 {
   g_return_if_fail (GES_IS_LAYER (layer));
 
-  GST_DEBUG ("layer:%p, priority:%d", layer, priority);
+  GST_FIXME ("Deprecated, use ges_timeline_move_layer instead");
 
-  if (priority != layer->priv->priority) {
-    layer->priv->priority = priority;
-    layer->min_nle_priority = (priority * LAYER_HEIGHT) + MIN_NLE_PRIO;
-    layer->max_nle_priority = ((priority + 1) * LAYER_HEIGHT) + MIN_NLE_PRIO;
-
-    ges_layer_resync_priorities (layer);
-  }
-
-  g_object_notify (G_OBJECT (layer), "priority");
+  layer_set_priority (layer, priority, TRUE);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/ges/ges-timeline.c b/ges/ges-timeline.c
index da618e77ea..99149dcb51 100644
--- a/ges/ges-timeline.c
+++ b/ges/ges-timeline.c
@@ -744,9 +744,7 @@ _resync_layers (GESTimeline * timeline)
 
   timeline->priv->resyncing_layers = TRUE;
   for (tmp = timeline->layers; tmp; tmp = tmp->next) {
-    GST_ERROR_OBJECT (tmp->data, "New index: %d", i);
-    ges_layer_set_priority (tmp->data, i);
-
+    layer_set_priority (tmp->data, i, TRUE);
     i++;
   }
   timeline->priv->resyncing_layers = FALSE;
@@ -2540,6 +2538,9 @@ static void
 layer_priority_changed_cb (GESLayer * layer,
     GParamSpec * arg G_GNUC_UNUSED, GESTimeline * timeline)
 {
+  if (timeline->priv->resyncing_layers)
+    return;
+
   timeline->layers = g_list_sort (timeline->layers, (GCompareFunc)
       sort_layers);
 }
diff --git a/tests/check/ges/layer.c b/tests/check/ges/layer.c
index 5524f7dd4d..14a9be32ed 100644
--- a/tests/check/ges/layer.c
+++ b/tests/check/ges/layer.c
@@ -26,24 +26,23 @@
 GST_START_TEST (test_layer_properties)
 {
   GESTimeline *timeline;
-  GESLayer *layer;
+  GESLayer *layer, *layer1;
   GESTrack *track;
   GESTrackElement *trackelement;
   GESClip *clip;
 
   /* Timeline and 1 Layer */
   timeline = ges_timeline_new ();
-  layer = (GESLayer *) ges_layer_new ();
 
   /* The default priority is 0 */
+  fail_unless ((layer = ges_timeline_append_layer (timeline)));
   fail_unless_equals_int (ges_layer_get_priority (layer), 0);
 
-  /* Layers are initially floating, once we add them to the timeline,
-   * the timeline will take that reference. */
-  fail_unless (g_object_is_floating (layer));
-  fail_unless (ges_timeline_add_layer (timeline, layer));
   fail_if (g_object_is_floating (layer));
 
+  fail_unless ((layer1 = ges_timeline_append_layer (timeline)));
+  fail_unless_equals_int (ges_layer_get_priority (layer1), 1);
+
   track = GES_TRACK (ges_video_track_new ());
   fail_unless (track != NULL);
   fail_unless (ges_timeline_add_track (timeline, track));
@@ -92,7 +91,7 @@ GST_START_TEST (test_layer_properties)
       51, MIN_NLE_PRIO + TRANSITIONS_HEIGHT + LAYER_HEIGHT * 31, TRUE);
 
   /* and back to 0 */
-  g_object_set (layer, "priority", 0, NULL);
+  fail_unless (ges_timeline_move_layer (timeline, layer, 0));
   assert_equals_int (ges_layer_get_priority (layer), 0);
   assert_equals_uint64 (_PRIORITY (clip), 1);
   ges_timeline_commit (timeline);
@@ -121,16 +120,9 @@ GST_START_TEST (test_layer_priorities)
 
   /* Timeline and 3 Layer */
   timeline = ges_timeline_new ();
-  layer1 = (GESLayer *) ges_layer_new ();
-  layer2 = (GESLayer *) ges_layer_new ();
-  layer3 = (GESLayer *) ges_layer_new ();
-
-  ges_layer_set_priority (layer2, 1);
-  ges_layer_set_priority (layer3, 2);
-
-  fail_unless (ges_timeline_add_layer (timeline, layer1));
-  fail_unless (ges_timeline_add_layer (timeline, layer2));
-  fail_unless (ges_timeline_add_layer (timeline, layer3));
+  fail_unless ((layer1 = ges_timeline_append_layer (timeline)));
+  fail_unless ((layer2 = ges_timeline_append_layer (timeline)));
+  fail_unless ((layer3 = ges_timeline_append_layer (timeline)));
   fail_unless_equals_int (ges_layer_get_priority (layer1), 0);
   fail_unless_equals_int (ges_layer_get_priority (layer2), 1);
   fail_unless_equals_int (ges_layer_get_priority (layer3), 2);
@@ -189,9 +181,7 @@ GST_START_TEST (test_layer_priorities)
   assert_equals_int (prio3, 1 + MIN_NLE_PRIO + LAYER_HEIGHT * 2);
 
   /* Move layers around */
-  g_object_set (layer1, "priority", 2, NULL);
-  g_object_set (layer2, "priority", 0, NULL);
-  g_object_set (layer3, "priority", 1, NULL);
+  fail_unless (ges_timeline_move_layer (timeline, layer1, 2));
   ges_timeline_commit (timeline);
 
   /* And check the new priorities */