Toggle Alpha, Toggle Alpha Overlay, and Toggle Alpha Boundary buttons missing from version 23.5.0

[sam344]

Trying to learn AE using Adobe's Classroom in a Book which is based on version 23.0.

Chapter 9 references Toggle Alpha, Toggle Alpha Overlay, and Toggle Alpha Boundary buttons which are supposed to be color-coded and located at the bottom of the Layer panel. They are missing from version 23.5.0. Adobe's online chat support referred me to this forum.

[Warren Heaton]

Could you be in the Footage panel instead of the Layer panel by accident?

[sam344]

The lower left panel is not named. It is showing the layers of a composition from the Project panel. The correct layer is selected.

[Warren Heaton · Accepted solution]

That lower left panel is probably the Timeline panel.

Double-click the Layer in the Timeline panel or the Composition panel.

If the source footage is a still image, an image sequence, a video clip, or an audio clip, it should open in the Layer panel where you'll see the Toggle Alpha, Toggle Alpha Overlay, and Toggle Alpha Boundary buttons.

If the Layer source is a nested Composition, that defaults to opening the corresponding Composition panel and Timeline panel.  Hold alt/option to open the Layer instead.

If the Layer source is Text Layer, double-clicking actively selects the text for editing.

[sam344 · Accepted solution]

I learned a lot from your response and the buttons are now visible. I really appreciate the time you took to explain this.