Creating cool animations in After Effects is often really quite straightforward, but to make things even easier you’ll want to be using these handy tips and expressions. We’ve spent years creating motion graphics and animated sequences, so we thought we’d share our go-to, time-saving pointers – the shortcuts we use all the time! Included in this list. Activating tools (keyboard shortcuts) Note: You can activate some tools only under certain circumstances. For example, you can activate a camera tool only when the active composition contains a camera layer.To momentarily activate a tool with a single-letter keyboard shortcut, hold down the key; release the key to return to the previously active tool. Export an After Effects project as an Adobe Premiere Pro project; Converting movies; Automated rendering and network rendering; Rendering and exporting still images and still-image sequences; Using the GoPro CineForm codec in After Effects; Working with other applications. Dynamic Link and After Effects; Working with After Effects and other.
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Constantly using the mouse in After Effects can become annoying. Use these handy shortcuts instead to speed through your next project.
After Effects is a powerful creative tool that many people find intimidating. But, as you work more with the software, you’ll realize the value of keyboard shortcuts
Ctrl Alt Keyboard
Visual Keyboard Shortcut Editor. We can work visually when we lay out our keyboard shortcuts with.
Here are 7 handy ctrl/cmd key shortcuts that will save you time and ease your workflow.
1. Paste Layer at Current Time
- Windows: Ctrl + Alt + V
- Mac: Cmd + Option + V
When you normally copy and paste a layer, it’s positioned at the beginning of the composition. With this shortcut, the position of the time indicator will determine the paste location.
2. Fit Layer to Comp
- Windows Ctrl + Alt + F
- Mac: Cmd + Option + F
The old way to fit a layer to comp was to open up the layer, go to scale, and edit the parameters so it would fill the screen. However, with this shortcut, you can instantly fit any layer to the composition (within a few seconds) without any transform properties.
3. Group and Ungroup Shapes
Group
- Windows: Ctrl + G
- Mac: Cmd + G |
Ungroup
- Windows: Ctrl + Shift + G
- Mac: Cmd + Shift + G
Staying organized is important when working in After Effects. Within some shape layers, you’ll have multiple groups that you can pair together. This shortcut is a great way to make sure you keep your project clean and efficient.
4. Move a Specific Layer Backward/Forward
- Windows: Ctrl + [ or ]
- Mac: Cmd + Option + ↑ or ↓
Paired with the next shortcut, this is a great tip for cycling through a project. Instead of clicking and dragging layers everywhere, use this shortcut to move any layer through your composition.
5. Switch Between Layers
- Windows: Ctrl + ↑ or ↓
- Mac: Cmd + ↑ or ↓
When I’m working in After Effects, I always run into the problem of clicking a layer and accidentally moving it. This shortcut allows you to cycle through every layer and find what you’re looking for. Once you find it, use the previous shortcut to move it up or down among the other layers.
6. Scrubbing Through the Timeline
- Windows: Ctrl + ← or →
- Mac: Cmd + ← or →
This one is huge for me — I use it all the time. When I’m doing any frame-by-frame animation, I use this shortcut to make it more efficient (instead of scrubbing through with the mouse). Constantly going through the timeline and reaching for the mouse every other second gets old fast. This shortcut is, by far, my personal favorite.
7. Lock and Unlock Layers
To Lock
- Windows: Ctrl + L
- Mac: Cmd + L
To Unlock
- Windows: Ctrl + Shift + L
- Mac: Cmd + Shift + L
Finally, this is a quick way to lock or unlock any clip. If you have a large project with a number of layers you want left alone, highlight them all and use this shortcut to make sure they stay untouched.
Learning all of these will take some getting used to, but not only will they improve your workflow, they’ll also free you up to think creatively.
Need an easy way to reference these shortcuts? Here’s a roundup of all the shortcuts and their keys.
Ctrl Alt Home After Effects Download
Looking for more After Effects tips and tricks? Check these out.