1. A computer-implemented method for processing graphics for presentation on a display of a data processing system, the method comprising: receiving a first set of graphics commands from a first application executing on a processing system, the first set of graphics commands stored in memory, the first set of graphics commands associated with the first application, the first set of graphics commands corresponding to a first image layer; receiving, asynchronously to receiving the first set of graphics commands, a second set of graphics commands from a second application executing on the processing system, the second set of graphics commands stored in memory, the second set of graphics commands associated with the second application, the second set of graphics commands corresponding to a second image layer; determining whether composite processing is required to combine the first and second image layers as a composite image; generating one or more compositing graphics commands for the compositing processing to combine the first image layer and the second image layer, in response to the determining that the compositing processing is required to combine the first image layer and the second image layer, the composite image corresponding to graphics commands including the first set of graphics commands, the second set of graphics commands and the compositing graphics commands; and processing the first set of graphics commands, the second set of graphics commands, and the compositing graphics commands in a graphics system of the data processing system to display the composite image, wherein the graphics system executes the first or the second set of graphics commands in parallel with processing of the compositing graphics commands.