After Effects - Change Ruler view measurement to percentage

[Editor Jim]

I can't seem to find this answer anywhere so it may not be possible but I'm wondering if you can change the ruler measurement setting to percentage in After Effects? I'm not talking about the timeline ruler, which is what comes up the most on a search.

[Warren Heaton]

Hello Editor1961:

Unfortunately, the After Effects Composition rulers only display pixels.

Since we can change this in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, it can leave a designer scratching their head a little bit over why this isn't also a feature in AE.

Sometimes the percentage values are pretty easy to calculate, like 10% of 1080 being 108, but then when  you're subtracting 108 from the bottom of the 1920-by-1080 Comp is suddenly gets trickier to do in your head.

Sometimes I use the Shape dialog box of rectangular Masks applied to a Solid layer that's at the same size as the Comp.  Other times I use the Scale dialog box that allows for changing those units to Percent of Comp.  Then I draw Guides to those results.

Other times I draw guides in a Photoshop or an Illustratror document that's the same dimensions as the Comp and import that as a Comp.  Photoshop and Illustrator guides get converted to After Effects guides on import (another unfortunate thing is that this isn't a live relationship).

You may notice that the Composition pulldown menu has options to import and export Guides, but this is just to go back nd forth with Premiere Pro (also unfortunate).

-Warren 

[Editor Jim]

Thanks Warren,

I appreciate the good response info. 

I usually work in Premiere then move over to After Effects to do some compositing so I sort of bypass the Photoshop and/or Illustrator step. 

I use some of the same tools you were describing but was hoping for the other solution.

Fortunately you gave me a few more "tools for my toolbox" so it's all good!

Thanks again.

J

[Warren Heaton]

Whenever I get the chance to speak to the AE team, PR team, PS team and AI team, if the opportunity to ask that they match how drawing guides behaves in InDesign, I do.

I rank them in this order for drawing guides (best to worst):

• InDesign

• Illustrator

• Photoshop

• After Effects

• Premiere Pro

At least Premiere Pro has them now. For a long time it had nothing.

[Editor Jim]

This is true. I was screaming for guides in Premiere for ages. At least there is that now.

[Astonished_Palette98BC]

Classic Adobe, it's like they listen to their customers, pretty annoying sometimes