New in AE: Quick Apply

Forum|Forum|1 month ago
May 4, 2026
4 replies
210 views

Still digging through menus to find effects, presets, or commands?

With Quick Apply, you can now search and instantly apply anything in After Effects—from effects to animation presets to menu commands—all from one place.

Quick Apply acts like a universal command bar, letting you find and execute tools in seconds instead of hunting through menus.

What can you do with it?

Search and apply effects, animation presets, and menu commands instantly
Skip navigating multiple panels—just type and apply
Create new layers with effects already applied (in one step)

Put it to use in your workflow:

Apply effects faster (no more panel hunting)
Trigger animation presets instantly

How to use it

Press:
- Mac: Cmd + Return
- Windows: Ctrl + Enter
Start typing what you need (effect, preset, or command)
Press Enter to apply instantly

You can also:

Type e: for effects
Type p: for presets
Type m: for menu commands

Read the full article to get started: Quick Apply

Pro tips

Hold Cmd/Ctrl + Enter to apply to a new layer
Hold Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + Enter to create an adjustment layer
Customise the shortcut in the Keyboard Shortcuts setting

Have you tried it yet? Does it replace how you browse for effects?

Let us know how it fits into your workflow!

jackthegiantkiller

Very useful feature, just wish I could read the tiny tiny text that I can’t enlarge via Spectrum UI or any other previous hacks despite being promised this was top tier on the list.

Nishu Kushwaha

Author

Community Manager

Thanks for the feedback. I completely understand the frustration. UI scaling and text readability have been a long-standing request. Feedback like this does get shared with the team, and accessibility/readability improvements are definitely an area of ongoing focus.

Let me know if there are any other questions.

Thanks,

Nishu

jackthegiantkiller

“...accessibility/readability improvements are definitely an area of ongoing focus.”

I know many of you have to be obtuse here but I’m so sick and tired of this game of one moderator declaring “we are working on it right now!” to another playing the corporate vague game. Give us a realistic timeframe already!