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.

Community Manager

Question

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

Forum|Forum|4 months ago
November 20, 2025
4 replies
632 views

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.

Radiant_skill5623

Participant

Thats great it’s incorporated now but I would love it to not break with 3D layers.
Most of the time when I have needed 3D layers to stay within the new comp it is when I have a lot of pre-comped UI elements nested in each other.
If I want to add depth and make the layers 3D in the pre-comps then I’ve always had the problem of the 3D layers misaligning in the master layout and being impossible to see in the pre-comps. What you mentioned above(camera‑agnostic crop mode) seems relevant. If the artwork could always stay in the original position in a pre-comp then at least you know your artwork will correct.

Hopefully that would be possible to fix.

Roland Kahlenberg

Legend

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

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J

joel pitrel

Inspiring

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

J

Jordan25723983x0w3

Participant

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.