Mac Pinch Zoom in AfterEffects

Report · Jan 31, 2017

One of the features in AfterEffects I use more than anything, but notice the least out of all of them, was the pinch-zoom and two-finger scroll. I'm not sure if you can use these features on PC but if you've got a trackpad on your Mac, you've probably become just as dependent on this feature as I have. You can not only scroll and zoom on your preview, but you can scroll and zoom on your timeline as well, which is just the stuff dreams are made of.

But for some reason in AfterEffects, this amazing, intuitive feature has been removed/altered in the last 2 updates! I just installed the latest one this morning and the feature remains unfixed. I mean, you can still zoom on the preview but it just zooms in and out of 0,0 rather than centrally and certainly not where you put the cursor like before. And yes, the scroll works in the timeline, but the zooming isn't!

This feature isn't replaceable before you tell me to just use '+/-' instead. This is sacred.

My perfect resolve to this question is for someone to tell me there's a checkbox I need to go tick buried deep in the preferences somewhere.

If not:

ADOBE STOP SCREWING ME

Thank you

Report · Sep 07, 2017

I to have lost the pinch zoom feature on the timeline. I totally crave this feature since I work in AE everyday at work. I hope Adobe brings it back

Report · Sep 13, 2017

Is there any solution to this yet?

Report · Dec 12, 2017

No... haven't responded to me in months.

Report · Nov 06, 2017

I'm not letting this go. I've submitted bug reports and even made a little video (without the help of timeline/preview window zooming) demonstrating exactly what the problem is and submitted it with my reports. No response on the video or the bug reports and I'm upset to say the least.

I can't communicate enough the value of this feature, and HOW EASY IT WOULD BE TO FIX! And yet there's been 3-4 updates since I submitted the first bug report and posted this question?

Report · Dec 12, 2017

You can't ignore us forever Adobe. It's been 10 months since the original post.

Report · Dec 12, 2017

THIS IS A TRAVESTY
How can we get some attention round here?

I want to know if this will ever get fixed so i can move on with my life

Report · Oct 12, 2018

It's been more than one and a half years waiting for Adobe to fix this problem. It's very annoying that the pinch to zoom works seamlessly in Premiere Pro's Timeline and doesn't work in AE's. I think we are not asking for something impossible here

Report · Oct 12, 2018

Don't pinch, Try this instead:

In the comp panel:

On the rs touchpad, place two fingers close together at the bottom and push straight up. Don't squeeze, just push both fingers straight up to push in, pull down to pull out. To center the viewer with a magnification ratio of 100% (200% on HR displays so you can see the actual pixels just press /. If you need to fit the frame in the comp panel, press Shift + /. To move the frame around in the comp panel hold down the Spacebar and drag with one finger on the trackpad.

If you want to not move from the center but move in and out based on the position of the selection tool hold down Alt/Option + Cmnd/Ctrl and the Magnification Ratio will change centered on the position of the pointer. Once you get in the habit of using two finger push and modifier keys navigating the Comp Panel is a piece of cake.

This is the second time I've posted this. Pinch zoom on the Trackpad changes the Magnification Ratio from the top left corner of the frame and that's not too useful, but two-finger drag up and down changes the view from the center of the Comp Panel.

Report · Oct 12, 2018

Sir, I think you were talking only about the gestures in the comp panel and forgot our MAJOR issue which is pinch zooming in the TIMELINE.

Report · Oct 12, 2018

The modifier keys and two finger drag work just fine in the timeline. I use them maybe hundreds of times a week. See my earlier post. Pinch is not a gesture that is supported but all of the functions you expect can be achieved using two-finger drag and modifier keys.

Report · Oct 13, 2018

Yes we know that but we've been asking Adobe to optimize the pinch gestures for comp panel to work like other programs (Illustrator and Photoshop) and for the timeline to work like Premiere Pro.

I might not be a good developer but I know a few things about programming, and I don't think that it's impossible to do this.

Thank you

Report · Nov 20, 2018

I can't believe nobody made it up to you since all this time !

I just updated AE and is in a struggle just like you are my friend (MacOS10.13) ...

what a pain to witness such nonsense.

Come on Adobe, even Final cut Pro X has that feature...!!

There's no reasonable explanation about this, it is a great time saver for MBP users to pinch in and out through the timeline and not giving any explanations about taking this feature away is not understandable... And pretty much scandalous, I agree.

I might downgrade my CC to an older version now...like a back to the past kinda move so I still can use that feature....Great.....

These are great times for autocracy.

GOod LucK dalid85760798

and don't give up the fight !

Report · Nov 20, 2018

Pinch zoom never behaved as you would expect.

Comp Panel:

To zoom into a specific area in a comp center the selection tool on the area you want to move in on, Alt/Option and the selection tool will change to double arrows, one black, one white, two-finger drag scales on the center of the double selection tool. Personally, I like I a lot more than a pinch zoom in other apps. It is a lot easier to be accurate.

Timeline:

Same behavior. Center the cursor on the time you want to take a closer look at and a two-finger move in or out on the timeline.

Straight two-finger drag moves the timeline.

The same trick works in the Premiere Pro timeline. Unfortunately, that is the only panel that the trick works.

Report · Nov 20, 2018

Yeah I figured that out after spending a few minutes on pressing any major Key to see if this was doing anything.

you got to get used to it though.

Wonder why they added that key to enable this option...anyway...

So that will do the trick I guess, at least I can access quickly on a particular key frame which is all we asked for after all.

Still, I think some dudes from Adobe could have answered the poor guy begging for a proper reply which he totally deserves...

the least thing they could do...

Thank you Rick.

Report · Nov 27, 2018

Finalllyyyyyy it works in After Effect CC2019 (16.0.0).

Thank you ADOBE

Report · Nov 23, 2023

It still doesn't work in the graph editor, though, so the issue is not completely fixed.

Report · Nov 28, 2018

So Adobe has finally addressed the issues stated in my OP! Pinch zoom in the comp panel AND the timeline now work almost as they used to. Comp panel pinch zoom is still zooming using AE's default zoom increments, which is only mildly annoying, but I still consider this a huge win!

Adobe: We're not sorry for the grilling we gave you about fixing this issue, but I think I can speak for the rest of us in saying thank you for finally turning your ear to us.

❤️ JG

Report · Nov 23, 2023

It doesn't work in the graph editor though.

Report · Nov 23, 2023

While Pinch to Zoom appears to function in the timeline panel, it still doesn't work in the graph editor. Please address this issue as well.

Mac Pinch Zoom in AfterEffects

1 Correct answer