A Null becomes a Solid when dropping from the footage stack

[Dhal_Naka]

I can't understand that. I need to use lot's of nulls, but I don't want to have thousand of them created using "Layer\New\Null Object".

The first one created works properly as a null, but if I drag and drop it from the footage stack, it's works as a solid... How could I avoid that behavior? I need it to be always a null.

when I use "thisLayer.nullLayer == true" must be something that works properly.

[Roei Tzoref]

Use consolidator script to reduce your solids and nulls in a project:

http://lesterbanks.com/2017/11/consolidator-clean-solids-nulls/

[Dhal_Naka]

Thanks for your reply!

That could be a workaround but I don't understand why a Null becomes a Solid when dragging and dropping from the footage stack... I think Adobe should fix that.

[Roei Tzoref]

That could be a workaround but I don't understand why a Null becomes a Solid when dragging and dropping from the footage stack... I think Adobe should fix that.

Null is unique in Ae and you are correct for suggesting it's confusing.

if you want, you could duplicate the null that are currently in your composition and they will be connected to the same source, or you could just select all the nulls and highlight just one of them in the project panel and replace source by using the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+/ - this will replace the source for all the nulls and now you can delete the rest of them. but really Consolidator is easier.

if you want to suggest the Ae team to fix/change this null/solid behavior - just ask in the wishform page.

[P.M.B]

So can nulls with different attributes and keyframes all be fed from a single instance or does that only work if the nulls are identical in size and behavior?

[Roei Tzoref]

So can nulls with different attributes and keyframes all be fed from a single instance or does that only work if the nulls are identical in size and behavior?

nulls are usually uniform in size. that is their source size is default at 100x100px. so this makes them really useless in the solids folder too. even if you do use different null sizes, I don't see how it can affect your rig/setup other than visually seeing different size nulls.

so we have consolidator script that will reduce nulls and solids automatically (I am guessing based on their size and color) for the ones who want a more organized project but I usually don't bother. so I have 1000 nulls, put them in the folder and forget about them.

[P.M.B]

What are you doing?  Dragging a null from the project panel (solids folder) to the timeline & then using an expression to turn it back into a null 1,000 times?

And you're doing that because you don't want to have to navigate to "Layer\New\Null Object" 1,000 times?

Well, you could just use the "create null" shortcut which you can find by navigating to "Layer\New\Null Object"...one last time and taking note of its shortcut immediately to the right of the menu item.

One of the bonuses of using the shortcut to create nulls instead of dragging pre-existing nulls from the project window will be that

you wont have to rename all your nulls so they are not all the same name

That and you won't have to navigate up to your Project Panel>Solids Folder, twirl open the folder.

Now I'm going to go bang my head against a wall.

[Dhal_Naka]

The thing is that I don't want to have "a thousand" Nulls in the Solids Folder being all of them for the same thing. Should be enough with one that works as a Null always hehe

[P.M.B]

Yes...I'm a little slow

[Dhal_Naka]

Haha

Maybe you have hit the wall too much times! Don't be that harsh with yourself xD

[P.M.B]

Ohh..... Now I understand.   Banging my head against the wall must have helped.

A

[Rick Gerard · Accepted solution]

IMHO nulls should never have been added to the Project Panel.

If you use AE more than once a month you should be using the Keyboard shortcuts to create nulls, solids, adjustment layers, and to reach all of the tools in the toolbar. I can add 50 nulls to a layer with three shortcuts in under 2 seconds. Shift + Alt/Option + Ctrl Cmnd + d five times, Ctrl/Cmnd + a to select all layers, the Ctrl/Cmnd + d four more times. That's about how long it takes to create one null using a mouse. For common tasks, there is no reason to ever go to a menu. The standard keyboard shortcuts and even the shortcuts you create or modify are all shown just to the right of every menu item that has a shortcut. It is nothing but laziness to not learn them.

[P.M.B]

Yes Rick.  Dhal_Naka was dragging them from the project panel to try and avoid a null being added to the solids folder every time a null was created which happens whether a shortcut is used or not.

[Rick Gerard]

Gutter-Fish  wrote

Yes Rick.  Dhal_Naka was dragging them from the project panel to try and avoid a null being added to the solids folder every time a null was created which happens whether a shortcut is used or not.

Sounded like he was trying to speed things up. Nulls in the Solids folder do not add any overhead to the project at all. Using menu's for common tasks is a waste of time for anyone that uses an app made by anyone more than once a week.

As I said, Nulls should never have been added to the project panel. Shape layers and text layers are not so why should you add something that is never going to render?

[P.M.B]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Rick+Gerard  wrote
so why should you add something that is never going to render?

For the same reason the knife juggler has only eight fingers.   They're not the good at what they do.

[Dhal_Naka]

IMHO nulls should never have been added to the Project Panel.

100% agree, at least for the use I want to give them.