After Effects

When you shorten the length of a comp, it trims the length of any image, text or solid layer to the length of the comp. This causes problems in many cases. For example if you want to time remap and loopOut() a precomp which was trimmed in this way then you have to go in and manually extend the last frame beyond the end of the precomp, otherwise you get a blank frame in the loop! Say I have an image layer 10 seconds long. I change the comp to 1 second duration. It trims the layer to 1 second long, rather than just leaving it as a 10 second long layer which extends beyond the end of the 1-second comp duration. But if I did the same thing with a comp containing a movie file, the movie would simply extend beyond the end of the timeline without being trimmed. Likewise if I manually set an image duration to 10 sec it can happily extend beyond the end of the comp, so it doesn't seem like there's any technical reason it shouldn't retain the duration. Even more nonsensically, layers w

After Effects built in camera tracker is really nice but now in 2022-23 starts to need a few necessary improvements. I want to share some suggestions into it for consideration:- Lens Distortion Workflow: although having Optics Compensation effect, it does not exactly count as a proper workflow in the many cases we need to track and comp elements into footage that has different and sometimes extreme lens distortions.- Detection of Masks: without the need to precompose, this would be an extra bonus if it detected also Track Mattes, or even have a set matte option built-in the effect itself.- Add User Tracks: like for example the ones being generated via the tradicional 2D motion tracking panel do help estimation and help the auto tracks to be more accurate.- Point cloud generation: This can be used to visualize and assist in setting ground planes and creating objects.- Manually set the error threshold: This already kind of exists in the 2D tracker options with the confiden

Could you add a shortcut/command to select all keyframes in a comp? Not sure if already it exists. I couldn't find a way to do that. CTRL+ALT+A only select the keyframes visible in the timeline.

Remix is in Premiere... would be great to have in AE!!

I can't imagine trying to edit without using comp markers all along the timeline. I am starting to think I must be an odd bird. When working in After Effects I feel like I'm trying to edit with my feet, when I want to jump through a series of continuous markers either forwards or backwards but I CAN'T. Yes there are workarounds. I don't find it empowering to have to keep the labels "1", "2", "3".... if I want direct access, but I guess it's better than not. What do you folks use instead of descriptive markers? Text layers? Sincerely,- DK

I've recently gotten into scripting with the fantastic Automation Blocks. It's opened a world of control and automation I've never experience before due to a total lack of personal programming ability (no temperment for typos and formatting). In the past 4 weeks I've made tools that I've yearned for during my 25 years of After Effects experience. That said, I've found a bunch of things inside the program that Automation Blocks can't touch and would like to request the following as touchable by scripts. Interpret Footage - Main Options TabThese functions can't be touched by scripts and there HAVE to be set manually. "Remember Interpretation" and "Apply Interpretation" help, but are not useful in situatons where properly formatted footage exist. Interpret Footage - Color Management TabWhen "Importing" or using "EXR files as proxies" we have to set this check box manually since there is no way to get to it with a script. 6 clicks is a lot to get footage working. Projec

Since many scripts and plugins have shown that it is technically possible to have way more options when it comes to handeling compositions.. i wonder why none of that made it into AE ever. Like: - Duplicating a composition while making duplicates of all subcomps (maybe even assets within). "True Comp Duplicator" is showing us for over 12 years that people need these options. - Changing length of current comp AND all pre-comps and objects inside, that reach their comps end or at least match all pre-comps to the current one. Sounds specific... but "Match Comp Duration" is a must when u need it. - Enlarging a pre-comp by pulling on either side! Would be a equally appreciated. With an option to also pull everything inside that touches this side (maybe via modifier key) - Enlarging the current comp by dragging the In/Out-Point-Bar's left or right handle further in that direction while holding a modifier key - Uncomp Pre-Comps. I know that this wouldnt be possible wi

In Version 18, they removed the "VR Goggles" from the Composition Window which is where we would change the projection for the Adobe Immersive Enviroment so that the footage would be properly displayed inside of a VR Headset. You didn't give us another place to change this settings so any versions of AE past 17.7.0 are unusable for 360 VR workflows. Can we get our button back? #Adobe_UX_QC_Fail

Hi Adobe,I'd like to see the wave form of my audio in the afx footage window so I can more easily single out a section. Preferbaly scaled to the size of the window. It would safe me a lot of time. (Yes I know its also possible in the layers but it is tiny and sometimes when looking for a cetrain section you need more clear reference. I also know I can open up audition, but for some fast edits I would love to be able to edit it inside afx.) Thanks, 

1) When using a different layer as the source, make the tool not to reset the source to the paint layer every time you alt-click for a new source location.2) If you have done some cloning, done some other stuff, and then go back to cloning, allow new strokes to be added to the previous application of the paint effect, rather than creating paint 2, paint 3, &c. As an aside--make the forum searchable to isolate program suggestions, so I don't have to go through 266 posts asking why the clone brush doesn't work in order to see if someone has previously suggested these.

I would love to see a way to make more precisely rounded shapes with the otherwise-pretty-great pen tool in AE--like the curvature tool in Illustrator does. Perhaps the entire tool doesn't need to come in--for instance, if you had a rectangle, you could insert a point on two sides would define the ends of those edges' straight points (defining the beginning and ending points of the curve), delete the existing corner vertex, select the two newly created define-the-ends-of-the-curve points, right click and choose "create curvature", something like that. There would be no need to have any options--the curve itself would be defined by the locations/angles of the defining/connecting edges.

It would be really helpful to be able to animate seeing both at the same time...

I think Adobe should steal this idea of selection types by drag from Autodesk Autocad software. It works this way, if you click-drag mouse from left to right, whatever the box touches gets selected and if it is the opposite, whatever that falls completely within the selection bounds gets selected. The visual differentiation is shown by a blue tinted selection for cross select and green tinted box for window select. If this feature is included in all Adobe suite products, particularly Illustrator, PS, Aftereffects and InDesign, it'd accelerate the workflow exponentially. If this feature is already available and hidden, someone kindly show me the way.

it will be a good idea if the fonts also been collected while collecting the project, no need to link or need to be active in the new location where the collected project is being worked on, just keeping it in a folder will help the user to install the fonts if they don't have them in their system (since most of the fonts aren't available on Adobe Fonts). It will be a great feature that helps a lot of people who use a third-party method on the project pipeline instead of sharing via Adobe CC.

It's not readily apparent if GPU or the JavaScript Engine are enabled in a project, which can lead to slow performance and expression errors.  This is most relevant for users who forget to check their “Project Settings” upon inheriting a project file. This happens with team projects, where project files are passed around between multiple users and multiple machines. I'd love to see two small icons added at the bottom of the Project panel, between the Color Depth icon and the Trash Can icon.These icons have a green top-right corner when set to "GPU" or "JavaScript."The icon corner appears yellow when set to "Mercury Software" or "Legacy ExtendScript".Clicking either icon opens up the relevant "Project Settings" tab.Alt-Clicking the icon toggles the setting project-wide. 

The expression engine was revamped in 2018, but I'm still regularly answering questions where people have an expression issue - and invariably, the answer is simply that their AE is set to the old engine. They certainly aren't doing this intentionally, as most of them never even knew this setting existed.  Opening a project built in an earlier version seems to (rightfully) revert the engine to the Legacy Extendscript, but then this setting sticks for subsequent new projects they create, and eventually creates a problem they never knew they had to solve. Would it be possible for new projects to simply force this setting to Javascript, versus holding onto the settings from a previously-opened project? Is there any benefit to this setting being accidentally held like this? 

Bonjour,se serait pas mal de pouvoir choisir ou selctionner un vertice ou un point suivant d'une shape ou d'un mask avec un raccourci clavier.MerciFabrice

I have created many Composition Presets specific to common device screens, individual projects, and other unique uses. There doesn't appear to be a way to save or load these presets, or manage the order of the list. Ae should have the ability to do this, much the same was we can already manage Render Settings and Output Modules.

When I reduce a project I would like an option to keep the empty folders in the project panel. Many of us work from specific project templates and don't want specific folder containers removed with unused assets.

An option to have a snapshot taken with every adjustment.  Another way this could work is for AE to take this snapshot with every change and use it as the first thing you see when you hit undo once. As soon as you make a change again of course this snapshot image goes away.  I just often work on projects that are so dense a single change can take 20 seconds to refresh and having to remember to click the snapshot every time is annoying. Thanks adobe!

On MacOS programs stay open after you close the document or project window, but for some strange reason, AE quits and you have to open it again everytime.... or at least add a preference to change this behavior. OS and version:Every version of AE does this on every MacOS i've ever used... Steps:clic the red icon to close the project window... app quits Expected results:app stays open, like every single other app in my computer Actual result:After Effects quits... This is valuable because I can close my project windows and move to other programs without AE quitting, so it's already open when I have to work on another project...

Please add a 'Cursor Key Distance' Preference like in Adobe Illustrator. Woul be a real time saver. Option: Additionally add a similar Preference for moving keyframes.

would be great if keyframes inherit color of the layer by defolt.

Having access to the filename of a placeholder in a MOGRT would be incredible! I have about 300 images that I'm using in a project and it's easy enough to drag and drop the image in the MOGRT but having to enter the filename of the asset that corresponds with each image is a pain. Another department is handling the images and I receive them with the title as the filename. If I could access the filename and use it as the sourcetext of another layer minus the extension it would save so much time! Please add this! Thanks,Dex

LUTs are currently inaccessible to scripts because:1. They are buried in effects you have to "Open Dialog" to2. They are buried in popdowns So my proposal is this: What if After Effects directly imported the LUT file directly into the "Project Window". And then drag them into the Comps timeline. They wouldn't do anything since AE can't necessarily be expected to do everything with any kind of file, but...A plug in could then be applied to interpret the data inside "imported" LUT file. "Apply Color LUT" would just do what it does on the file that's now directly IN a comp. Since most shots only have a few LUTs, templates can be setup and hidden LUTs lost in a plug in become a thing of the past. Better still, scripts can be written to swap LUT files at the project level container level. I recognize this is a significant shift away from where we are now, but if you don't ask...