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Participant
August 30, 2023
Answered

Can't double click and go into a precomp, instead goes into layer view.

  • August 30, 2023
  • 3 replies
  • 274 views

I think this is a bug. But, it might just be a new feature.

Since using beta I have had trouble navigating around because Im used to double clicking on a precomp to go inside of it. And when I started testing Rotobrush 3 I realized maybe its doing that because its trying to let me rotobrush the precomp instead of going inside of it. 

To clarify,  Normally we double click on comps to navigate around our project. 

Pro-workflows often require having comps within comps within comps, but now with rotobrush 3, when you click on a precomp nothing happens. It just opens the layers so that we can use rotobrush. Is sort of disorienting when you are used to navigating that way. 

Obviously you can go into the project window and track down the precomp you are trying to go into. But often times you are working with someone else's project that you didn't create and you dont know your way around the project yet. So part of the investigation process is just clicking into all of the precomps to find out how stuff works. and then you go back to the project to see how it is organized. Not being able to click into a precomp makes it harder to navigate around a project. Especially if you are used to navigating this way. Maybe going to the layer window only happens when you have the rotobrush tool on. Because that's when you would want it to perform this function. Or maybe going into the layer requres a shift click or other hotkey. Most people are unaware of rotobrush 3, and a lot of pro people are still going to rely on traditional roto, so the ability to go into the layer to access rotobrush 3 would be a lower priority. The higher priority would be the application navigating or behaving similar to the way it has worked. Otherwise, like I said it is disorienting. I thought something was broken at first. I kept doing a lot of double clicking. It took me a long time to figure out the reason I couldnt get into precomps was because getting into the layer is for rotobrush 3. Im actually not entirely certain thats why. Regardless, navigating around in AE Beta is sort of difficult right now. I can see a lot of artists getting really frustrated with this bug if it is a bug. 

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Correct answer MarkusM_FOX_Account

Okay, that was helpful. Weird that the default settings didn't migrate as I have never once changed this setting. I'm using AE currently on 4 different computers at home and 1 computer at work across versions from Beta down to CC2019 and had never once needed to change that checkbox. But that checkbox fixed my problem in Beta, thanks Paul!

3 replies

JohnColombo17100380
Community Manager
Community Manager
August 31, 2023

@MarkusM_FOX_Account, have you looked at these preferences in the General section? They control how double-clicks on pre-comps are interpreted.

 

 

Cheers,

- John, After Effects Engineering Team 

MarkusM_FOX_AccountAuthorCorrect answer
Participant
August 30, 2023

Okay, that was helpful. Weird that the default settings didn't migrate as I have never once changed this setting. I'm using AE currently on 4 different computers at home and 1 computer at work across versions from Beta down to CC2019 and had never once needed to change that checkbox. But that checkbox fixed my problem in Beta, thanks Paul!

Inspiring
August 30, 2023

I think this has been the default behaviour for quite some time. Maybe you changed your prefs in the regular AE but it hasn't migrated as you're on the beta? Bottom of General Prefs, 'Open Layer Window when Double-clicking with Paint, Roto Brush, and Refine Edge Tools.'

As you said, it's because those tools can only be used in the Layer Window, so the assumption is that's what you probably want to open if you have the tool selected. You can always do the opposite of whatever is the current behaviour by holding the option key when double-clicking.