Participant

Answered

How to duplicate a pre-comp and make it independent

Forum|Forum|10 years ago
September 25, 2015
12 replies
293064 views

I have tried to duplicate an effect and to make it independent but it keeps on making it the same.

from the top left box i have the Project screen with the composition A. i canot drill into the compostion A.

once i double click the composition A then the timeframe screen appears on the bottom. within there is many layers.

example layer 1 has effect with text and videos. this is what i want to copy and duplicate to keep the effects but be able to change videos and texts.

I have tried all the ctrl + D and Ctrl C and V but to no avail.

Can someone help?

[Title updated by Mod.]

How to

Correct answer Nitin Aggawawl

Hi.

I don't know if i am late but i was having this same issue. Googled it and landed here.

I thought i had to die because this issue was so irritating. When i read answers here, as Rick_Gerard mentioned that duplicate you pre-comp in project panel instead of layers area, I listened him and did the same. It worked.

1. Make duplicate of pre-comp in project panel

2. Drag that copied pre-comp down in the layer area.

3. Its done.

Show previous replies

bmacsmith

Participant

try saving the project and importing it back into the project. Then those comps are independent. Its stupid that Adobe doesn't have a better option, but there you go.

stefan_gru

Inspiring

Mariko: Do any of these solutions help you?

Danny51

Inspiring

It is really very simple. Everything in the timeline except shape and text layers comes from the Project Panel. You cannot have anything but text layers and shape layers in a timeline unless that asset exists in the Project Panel. Duplicating something in the timeline does not duplicate that resource in the Project Panel, it just creates another copy of the asset in the timeline. If the asset in the timeline is a composition then duplicating the asset in the timeline just gives you another copy of the same asset in exactly the same way duplicating footage in the timeline gives you a copy of that footage. If you need a unique copy of a composition you have to duplicate it in the Project Panel. If you need different footage in your timeline you have to drag it into the timeline from the Project Panel using the replace footage workflow. The same technique is used for replacing a nested comp (pre-comp) in the timeline. You select the layer you want to replace in the Timeline, hold down the Alt/Option key and select the replacement asset in the Project Panel and drag it to the timeline.

Duplicating something in the timeline does not duplicate that resource in the Project Panel, it just creates another copy of the asset in the timeline. If the asset in the timeline is a composition then duplicating the asset in the timeline just gives you another copy of the same asset in exactly the same way duplicating footage in the timeline gives you a copy of that footage. If you need a unique copy of a composition you have to duplicate it in the Project Panel. If you need different footage in your timeline you have to drag it into the timeline from the Project Panel using the replace footage workflow. The same technique is used for replacing a nested comp (pre-comp) in the timeline. You select the layer you want to replace in the Timeline, hold down the Alt/Option key and select the replacement asset in the Project Panel and drag it to the timeline.

If you need a unique copy of a composition you have to duplicate it in the Project Panel. It is exactly the same f you need different footage in your timeline you have to drag it into the timeline from the Project Panel using the replace footage workflow. The same technique is used for replacing a nested comp (pre-comp) in the timeline. You select the layer you want to replace in the Timeline, hold down the Alt/Option key and select the replacement asset in the Project Panel and drag it to the timeline.

I hope this clears things up a bit.

If I have a precomp that contains images and text layers and I want to duplicate the precomp and change the text for the duplicate - how is that accomplished without changing the text also for the original precomp? I tried duplicating it in the project panel and it DOESN'T turn it into a second independent precomp. Everything i do affects both precomps. There is no footage for the text in the project panel, it is just text within the precomp.

R

Rick Gerard

Community Expert

Select the Pre-comp in your timeline
Right click and choose Reveal in Project
Click on the selected Pre-comp in the Project Panel and press Ctrl/Cmnd + D
Rename the duplicated Pre-comp

There you go.

M

marikon96357335Author

Participant

Hi Rick,

I have tried this already. after

Click on the selected Pre-comp in the Project Panel and press Ctrl/Cmnd + D

i now get the precomp added to the project list name. i renamed it to something else (add 2 at the end)

i then make changes and add to the timeline of the original comp. The new changes have also changed the original layer.

The original layer has many effects and i want to reuse the effects and make changes to the pictures/video and text.

M

marikon96357335Author

Participant

True Comp Duplicator v3 Demo - YouTube

i have similar problem to the video above. however i want to copy the layer on the main comp within the timeline and reuse it whilst changing the pictures/texts.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded