Skip to main content
J
Community Manager
jenkmeister17177426Community Manager
April 15, 2026
News

New in Beta: Copy Frame to Clipboard (26.3x46)

  • April 15, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 492 views

Sometimes you just need a copy of what’s in your Composition panel—a still of the current frame, ready to paste into chat, email, socials, etc. Exporting a frame works, but it’s more steps than it should be.

We’re (finally) introducing Copy Frame to Clipboard: a one click option accessible from the Composition, Footage, or Layer panel to grab the currently rendered frame and put it on the system clipboard.

 

How do I use it?

  • Set the Current Time Indicator to the frame you want to copy and let it render.
  • Click the Toolbar button in the Composition, Footage, and Layer panel toolbars.
  • Or use the Keyboard shortcut when any of those panels are active.
    • Defaults: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F5 (Windows) and Cmd+Option+Shift+F5 (Mac).

 

What Does Copy Frame to Clipboard Support?

  • On Mac and Windows, a PNG will be placed on the clipboard (up to 16-bit when using 16bpc or 32bpc comps in After Effects). On Windows, a bitmap  representation is also provided, so more apps can paste reliably.
  • With regard to color, what you see is what you copy : when a project working color space is active and Display Color Management is in effect, or when you’re using an OCIO display transform, the copied pixels are transformed to match the viewer.
  • Enabling Toggle Transparency Grid  will include the transparent areas in the copied image (when the destination supports it).

 

  • With Toggle Transparency Grid OFF, the image is composited over the composition background color, matching how the frame looks with the solid background in the viewer.
  • Copying works with the Classic 3D, Advanced 3D, Cinema 4D and Draft 3D renderers.
  • The resolution of the Frame (Full, Half, Quarter, Third, etc.) is used in determining the copied frame size.


What Does Copy Frame to Clipboard Not Support?

There are certain stages of a preview that are done after the composition pixels are rendered, and as such, those adjustments are not currently captured. These include:

  • Viewing Individual Channels (Red, Green, Blue, Alpha) will still result in the full RGB being copied. If you need individual channels, try pasting into Photoshop and viewing individual channels and copy from there.
  • Panel Exposure changes are not included. Add an Exposure effect to the composition as needed.
  • Grids, Guides, Rulers, Title Safe, Mask Overlays, etc. are not included.
  • Region of Interest is not respected.
  • Draft 3D’s Extended Viewer and Ground Plane is not included.

If any of these seem critical to your usage, please let us know.

 

We’d love to hear how you use Copy Frame to Clipboard and which apps you paste into most. If you find an application that doesn’t paste correctly, please let us know.

      3 replies

      J
      Community Manager
      jenkmeister17177426Community ManagerAuthor
      April 27, 2026

      Update for Build 26.3x58 

      • You can now paste directly to Explorer or Finder or any other place a FILE of type PNG is supported. The name of the file will be the Composition name, followed by the frame number (i.e. the same default format as exporting a FILE sequence). 

       

       

        S
        simon0815
        Inspiring
        April 29, 2026

        that’s great! :-D

        Many thanks for the feature! I like it!

         

        remains the question: If I have an Alpha and Toggle to see the Grid, I get an Alpha channel. ok, why not, I just have to remember what I need for the screenshot. ok, no question actually :-)

          S
          simon0815
          Inspiring
          April 16, 2026

          great to see, you are fast with some ideas :-D
           

          I can copy the file directly into Directory Opus (I just have 12.33). But as jpg with low quality. 

          It’s not possible to copy it directly into the Win Explorer? (still on Win 10)

           

           

           

          J
          Community Manager
          jenkmeister17177426Community ManagerAuthor
          April 16, 2026

          AE will only put a PNG on the clipboard for Mac, and then a PNG and BMP on the clipboard for Windows. It does not put a file version on the clipboard, so it won’t be able to paste into Explorer. I don’t know what Directory Opus does but AE is definitely not serving a JPEG so I’m guessing Directory Opus is doing the conversion,

          J
          Community Manager
          jenkmeister17177426Community ManagerAuthor
          April 18, 2026

          We’ve added the paste as a png file to disk to the backlog of work. Hope to have something to share on that in the next couple of weeks. 

            J
            Jarle Leirpoll
            Legend
            April 15, 2026

            Thank you! This is a huge time saver!

            For those of us who do lots of After Effects training, it would also be great for tutorials, books, and user guides if we could copy EXACTLY what we see in the Composition panel. Viewers, Rulers, Guides, source rectangles (outlines with handles) etc.

            The whole thing! Exactly as we’ve chose to see it in the Composition panel. That would eliminate the need to take manual screen shots, trying to hit exactly in the corners of the panel.

            J
            Community Manager
            jenkmeister17177426Community ManagerAuthor
            April 16, 2026

            Thanks for sharing those scenarios!

              Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
              Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices