Copy/paste effects is broken after update to AE 24

[Artem_]

After updating to AE24 I started to have two problems with copy/pasting effects in the Effect Controls panel:

1. Copy/paste within a single layer no longer works — when I need to stack the same effect on a layer, if I copy effect it in the Effect Controls panel using Cmd+C and try to paste it on the same layer using Cmd+V it does not work anymore. For this one there's a workaround, as Cmd+D to Duplicate still works, but there's another problem, probably connected to it, which is...

2. Copy/pasting effect from one layer to another layer that already has the same type of effect just overrides it. Say, if you have Numbers effect on Layer 1, copy it using Cmd+C in the Effect Controls panel, select Layer 2 which already has same Numbers effect applied with different params, and paste effect using Cmd+V — the parameters of existing effect get overriden with parameters of the pasted effect, while the expected result (and as it always used to work) — the pasted effect should become stacked as a separate instance in the Effect Controls panel. To workaround this bug I need to duplicate existing effect, then paste the copied one to actually override the second effect.

Obviously a bug that breaks expected workflow that always used to work in AE.

[Rick Gerard]

Try Ctrl/Cmnd + D in the Effects Control Panel.

[JohnColombo]

Hi @Artem_,

Thank you for making this report. The behavior you've described is not a bug, but an intended behavior to facilitate easier pasting of effects to selected layers without having to select a specific effect or repeatedly delete unneeded duplicates. We've added a Note about this behavior to the After Effects documentation here under "Apply an effect or animation preset".

As noted by Rick, you can use Duplicate to create a second instance of an applied effect, or you could apply a new instance from the Effect menu or the Effects & Presets panel. Once a layer has two instances of any effect, pasting that same effect will add a third instance as you expected.

To lobby for a change to this established behavior, which has existed at least since the After Effects version that shipped with CS5.5, please create a post in the Ideas section. This will allow others who would also like to see a change in this behavior to add their support.

Thanks again, 

- John, After Effects Engineering Team 

[Artem_]

Thank you @JohnColombo ,

while an intent of making pasting effects may sound as a good one, I still want to emphasize that experience of copy/pasting effects now actually inconsistent (it changes depending when you paste over layer with one effect instance, or with more than one), and thus feels broken, and actually complicates my usual workflow: for some reason, the apps logic now decides instead of me to override effect parameters on pasting. While previously it was my decision, as a user: if I select an existing effect instance and paste over it — I override its params, if no effect selected — I stack it as a new instance. As straightforward as it can be, and makes me feel in control.

While now, as I wrote in my point 2, it makes it actually more complicated to paste an effect from layer to layer if there's already an existing instance of same effect — I need to duplicate an existing instance first, then select it to make sure I'm overriding this one, not the first one, and only then paste. Very questionable improvment, with actually no facilitation. I think it was made with quite naive thinking of After Effects users — as if they don't understand when they need and when don't need duplicates of their effects, and making decision on their behalf.

Submitting this thread to ideas to revert this change.

[JohnColombo]

Thanks very much for creating that Idea thread, @Artem_. You've mentioned a couple of times that this special behavior wasn't present in previous versions, which contradicts my own experience. Just to ensure we are talking about the same thing, would you be able to share a screen recording of the desired behavior in a previous version?

Thanks again,

- John, After Effects Engineering Team