Replace layers in a composition in AfterEffects
I found this tip somewhere and thought I’d share this as the first in hopefully several posts of the “post a week ‘othon”.
To replace a layer in a composition with a new item from the project window select the layer to be replaced in the composition window. Press option and drag the item from the project window and drop it on top of the selected layer in the composition window. Simple.
This preserves everything you had done to the first layer. So this saves you the hassle from dropping in the new item, copying animation, effects and transforms.
I don’t know why I didn’t know before last week.
Thank’s for sharing, you just saved me a lot of time!!!
- 2036, 17:00 - 6. 09. 2009
Thank you SO MUCH! I wonder why this tip isn’t more popular and why it’s that tricky to achieve the effect. But you really saved me A LOT of time! /subscribed
- luis, 18:55 - 9. 02. 2010
If you’re on Windows, it’s the same but with the Alt key.
- Alan, 5:07 - 26. 04. 2010
Awesome, you saved me hours. Well, lots of minutes maybe, but still, thanks!
- Fernando, 18:40 - 10. 08. 2010
I agree with the rest of the guys… I can even spare time now to write this post.
- Luigicix, 2:53 - 18. 10. 2010
Thanks, that was a most usefull information. I don’t know, why there is no RM menu to this!
- Lucienl, 17:58 - 18. 09. 2011
Thanks from Poland! Dziękuje!
- miko, 15:15 - 12. 01. 2012
This was very helpful. I’ve been using After Effects for a while now and I thought there had to be some automated process for replacing a parent composition with multiple compositions. The problem I would run into would be if the comp layers are 3d and have a lot of parameters.
So thanks, good tip
- Joe, 23:13 - 16. 01. 2012
Just what I was looking for!
Thanks!
- Gilles, 18:21 - 18. 01. 2012
Thank you !! From italy and Colombia
- Jeriav, 11:54 - 14. 03. 2012
Adobe love hiding vital little tricks like this away. Thanks for sharing this one – exactly what I was after!
- John, 23:07 - 14. 04. 2012
Oh my goodness! This tip totally saved me tonight! Thanks!
- Jeremy, 11:19 - 20. 04. 2012
Dude.. so simple. But so effective. I have been copying shit for hours. This really will save me alot of time.
- Sander Smeekes, 13:19 - 9. 05. 2012
Sweet. Thanks, man. Not something I would have figured out on my own, since there aren’t any visual cues when you hold down alt.
- Dave, 0:05 - 10. 05. 2012