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Mega Jyro
Mega Jyro
Participant
April 19, 2018
Answered

I clicked "Trim Comp to Work Area" assuming I could get back to see everything else I've completed.

  • April 19, 2018
  • 3 replies
  • 4873 views

I clicked "Trim Comp to Work Area" assuming I could just undo it after a while then add a new clip, etc. But when I tried looking for a way to undo it, there was none.

I have a screenshot of my problem and and I can't see past the "comp lines" or whatever they're called.

I have my comp fully zoomed out and I still can't see everything I have worked on up to this point.

This is really bad for me because I have a deadline (kind of) for this and I was nearly done for the night.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Roland Kahlenberg

Trim Comp to Work Area is destructive. The only way back is via Undo. However, you will lose all work done from the time you invoked your less-than-favorite feature to invoking the Undo. If you have a saved, previous version then that may come in handy but it all depends on the work you did since invoking TCWA and how/if you can replace assets/properties to suit your needs.

3 replies

M
mattcgriffs
Participant
October 7, 2021

This just happened to me... can I point out that the default control-shift-X is WAY too close to control-shift-Z which is "redo" and something I use a lot... I wasn't watching my Comp timeline as I was working on multiple graphics in the viewer... so I passed my undo limit before realising what had happened... To me this is poor bit of design - it should be harder to do something so destructive

 

    Roland Kahlenberg
    Roland Kahlenberg
    Legend
    October 7, 2021

    Agreed. You can create your own showcut or even remove the shortcut for Trim Comp to Work Area - it can still be activated via the Composition Menu. FWIW, I have reset the shortcut to CTRL+SHIFT+/ . This shortcut is not easily accessed but it's there cos I do occasionally use it. Of course, you will use the Keyboard Shortcuts Visualizer to set/remove/re-assign your AE shortcuts.  

    Very Advanced After Effects Training | Adaptive & Responsive Toolkits | Intelligent Design Assets (IDAs) | MoGraph Design System DEV
    Mega Jyro
    Mega JyroAuthor
    Participant
    April 20, 2018

    Thank you for your help but sadly I closed after After Effects auto-saved while I was in that mode so now i'm probably going to have to redo it.

    Roland Kahlenberg
    Roland KahlenbergCorrect answer
    Legend
    April 19, 2018

    Trim Comp to Work Area is destructive. The only way back is via Undo. However, you will lose all work done from the time you invoked your less-than-favorite feature to invoking the Undo. If you have a saved, previous version then that may come in handy but it all depends on the work you did since invoking TCWA and how/if you can replace assets/properties to suit your needs.

    Very Advanced After Effects Training | Adaptive & Responsive Toolkits | Intelligent Design Assets (IDAs) | MoGraph Design System DEV
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