What should I tap first on Level 401?

Use white 36, then white 34, and wait for the two white streams before dark-purple 40.

Why does the portrait remain after the yellow lock opens?

The lock only releases the next queues; the dark hair, pale-cyan shirt, white trousers and outline still need their own returned holes.

Colony Flow! level guide

hard 5 colors

Open the yellow lock with the white 36/34 route, then pace dark-purple 40 stacks around pale-cyan 20 until the character portrait clears in layers.

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Tap white 36 and white 34 in order; wait until their white ant streams finish and the upper counters settle.
Tap dark-purple 40, then pale-cyan 20 when the returning hole is free; wait before the next long card.
Continue through the dark-purple 40/40 pair, using exposed white 36/40 cards only as a buffer slot opens.
Open the yellow lock after the white route returns, then feed pale-peach 55 and the next dark-purple 40 one at a time.
Alternate the remaining dark-purple 40 cards with pale-cyan 20 and white cards while the hair and shirt shrink.
Prioritize the late short dark, white and pale-peach cards as their visible values fall through roughly 25/15, 19/9, 7/3 and 1/1.
Clear the final dark hair, pale-cyan shirt and white trouser pixels, then wait for the empty board and victory logo.

Colors in this level:

White, Dark purple, Pale cyan, Yellow, Pale peach

Starting a second 40-count dark-purple card while white or pale-cyan ants are still returning fills the buffer and delays the lock release.
Treating the yellow lock as cleared when only the first portrait layer has disappeared leaves the shirt and final outline queues untouched.

Board notes 5 details

Layout: The board depicts a dark-haired person in a pale-cyan shirt and white trousers. The opening reserve shows white 36/34, dark-purple 40, pale-cyan 20, a yellow lock, more dark-purple 40 cards and a white 36; a pale-peach 55 card appears later.
Goal: Release the yellow lock and remove the dark hair, pale-cyan shirt, white trousers and final outline fragments until the portrait and board are empty.
Opening: Tap white 36, then white 34 as it surfaces, wait for the white ants to reach the upper hole, then take dark-purple 40 and pale-cyan 20.
Danger Zone: The long dark-purple 40 cards and pale-cyan 20 occupy the five white buffer slots; starting another 40-count card before a return hides the short lock-release route.
Mechanics: The yellow lock is a staged portrait gate. Dark hair, shirt, trousers and outline pixels split into separate queues, so each hole must be reused after its ant stream completes.

What should I tap first on Level 401?
Use white 36, then white 34, and wait for the two white streams before dark-purple 40.
Why does the portrait remain after the yellow lock opens?
The lock only releases the next queues; the dark hair, pale-cyan shirt, white trousers and outline still need their own returned holes.