Introducing Crop Comp to Selected Layer(s) Bounds in After Effects Beta 26.0x40

[Amir Stone]

We’re excited to introduce a small but mighty workflow boost: Crop Comp to Selected Layer(s) Bounds. Starting with After Effects Beta version 26.0 build x40, AE will resize your composition to the visible bounds of the selected layers: either shrinking the comp to tightly frame smaller content, or expanding it to include layers that extend beyond current comp edges.

Many of you have asked for a quicker, native way to make pre-comps and assets fit their true content size—without manual resizing or third‑party scripts. This helps you:

• Pre‑comp faster with comps that match the content you actually need.
• Keep projects tidy by removing empty margins.
• Avoid effect cutoffs when elements (like glows/blur) spill beyond the frame.

How to Use:
Select one or more 2D layers, then choose "Crop Comp to Selected Layer(s) Bounds" from:

• The Composition menu
• Right-click on the selected layers in the Timeline
• Right-click on the selected layers in the Composition panel

Note: This feature is designed for 2D layers and is not available for 3D layers. 3D layer bounds depend on the active camera and its perspective, and adjusting the comp or camera could break keyframed animations.

We need your feedback:

• 2D workflows: Try it in your day‑to‑day (pre‑comping, export of graphic elements, templating). Does it save clicks/time? Any surprises, pleasant or unpleasant?
• 3D expectations: If you work in 3D, what behavior would be most useful without breaking camera‑dependent animation? (e.g., a camera‑agnostic crop mode, safe‑zone pads, warnings, per‑view options, etc.?)

Please share examples, edge cases, and before/after screenshots. Your input will help us tune defaults and decide what (if anything) we should explore for 3D.

[Jordan25723983x0w3]

This is great, it would be nice if it gave you the option to crop your comp in the pre-comp menu when first creating a precomp.

[joel pitrel]

I love it! I would also like to be able to &match the comp's length to the selected layer(s)'s length

[Roland Kahlenberg]

1 - Make the Crop option available in the PreCompose Dialog
2 - Selecting a nested comp (in its Child Comp) should also allow for Crop Parent Comp to Layer Boundaries - see option C below
3 - can be destructive and alarming to uninitiated user if selected layers < all layers in the comp cos unselected layers will be outside of the comp frame. I'm thinking there should be an option to Retain Comp Size so that you only affect selected layers without losing focus of the current comp. So, you're looking at 3 features - 

A - crop Comp to Selected Layer(s) Boundary
B - preComp to Selected Layer(s) Boundary - and this should provide option to create one Parent Comp or Multiple Parent Comps, one for each selected layer
C - Crop Parent Comp to Layer Boundaries

[Szalam]

This is one of those little QoL things that is not flashy and can't really be marketed, but is going to be very useful to daily AE users.