Manipulating Layers in the Timeline in After Effects

 

Importing Video into the Project Panel in After Effects

There are two ways to import video into the Project Panel in After Effects:

1. Double-click in the Project Panel to load the video.
2. Drag the video from Windows Explorer or Mac Finder into the Project Panel.

Using these two methods, you can easily add videos to your project.

Editing Imported Video

You can drag the beginning of the imported video to trim it. Additionally, you can drag the body of the layer to move it to the desired position.

Timeline Panel in After Effects

The Timeline Panel in After Effects is a crucial tool for adjusting animations and layers in your project. The Time Ruler is located at the top of the Timeline Panel and represents the project’s time. You can set keyframes and effects based on the timeline.

 

You can drag the layer names to reorder them. Additionally, you can use shortcuts to adjust the layer order. The layer at the top is the uppermost layer and will appear on top.

Function	Windows Shortcut	Mac Shortcut
Move layer up one level	Ctrl + ]	Command + ]
Move layer down one level	Ctrl + [	Command + [
Move layer to the top	Ctrl + Shift + ]	Command + Shift + ]
Move layer to the bottom	Ctrl + Shift + [	Command + Shift + [

 

 

You can move the start point of a layer based on the timeline. Additionally, you can trim the beginning or the end of a layer based on the timeline.

Function	Windows Shortcut	Mac Shortcut
Move layer's start to current time	[ (Left Bracket)	[ (Left Bracket)
Move layer's end to current time	] (Right Bracket)	] (Right Bracket)
Trim layer's start to current time	Alt + [	Option + [
Trim layer's end to current time	Alt + ]	Option + ]

 

 

 

Here is how to adjust the speed of a video. You can control the video speed by activating the button at the bottom of the Timeline panel and adjusting the Stretch value. Alternatively, you can adjust the video speed by holding Alt (Option on Mac) and dragging the end of the video.

 

In the top Work Area, you can set the start and end points of the video by dragging the beginning and end points. When rendering the composition, only the set Work Area will be rendered. The shortcuts are summarized in the table below.

Function	Shortcut
Set Work Area Start Point	B
Set Work Area End Point	N
Trim to Work Area	Ctrl + Shift + X (Windows) / Command + Shift + X (Mac)

 

Creating a New Composition

▶︎  Here is the page where I summarized the steps for creating a new composition.

 

Creating a Layer in After Effects

▶︎  Here is the page where I summarized the steps for creating a new Solid layer, a new Text layer, and a new Shape layer.