• Adobe After Effects

  sync issue w/ nested comp

  Posted by Mac Lanphere on May 28, 2012 at 11:22 pm

  hi all!

  I have a question about syncing and nested comps that have been split. Not sure if this is how AE works or if it’s a glitch:

  I’ve got a nested comp in my main timeline, and I’ve split that comp several times to splice in some other footage, effectively lengthening the nested comp a bit.

  Problem is, when I go to open another viewer for “edit this look at that” side by side editing, the main comp and nested comp are no longer in sync.

  diagram:
  https://www.use.com/showorig.pl?set=ea3a2106b0c29d2e47f2&p=1

  Is this just how it is? no bueno? or, is there a glitch, and I need to pound my machine like the Fonz? thanks! LML

  Dan Fredley replied 13 years, 11 months ago 2 Members · 3 Replies
• 3 Replies

• 

  Dan Fredley

  May 29, 2012 at 8:46 pm

  There are two scenarios.

  To work inside the precomp timeline:
  If you are wanting to sync up while working in the precomp timeline then double click the precomp that you want the main comp to be in sync with–everything should be synced up the way you’d expect. Sometimes it only syncs with the bottom precomp in the main comp–in that case:

  • duplicate the precomp that you would like it to sync up with
  • put it at the bottom
  • and turn the visibility off

  To work inside the main comp timeline:
  If you are working in the main comp timeline then it will sync with the topmost precomp by default.

  The workaround:

  • duplicate the precomp that you would like it to sync up with
  • put it at the top
  • and turn the visibility off

  Dan Fredley
• 

  Mac Lanphere

  May 29, 2012 at 9:34 pm

  many thanks for the reply Dan,

  but I’ve tried your re-ordering tactic with no luck; I’ve gotten some advice on another forum stating that it just won’t ever sync the way I have it set up, since I sliced up and offset my subcomp temporally.
  Do you think that’s accurate?

  cheers

  LML
• 

  Dan Fredley

  May 29, 2012 at 10:54 pm

  I just tested it out, and you need a couple of extra steps in there:

  • Create the side by side comp viewer
  • Create a side by side timeline window
  • Duplicate the layer you want to sync to, drag it to the top and turn the visibility off
  • Use the main comp timeline window to scrub and preview
  • Use the precomp timeline window to make adjustments on a single frame

  Dragging the layer to the top of the main comp ensures that the precomp timeline will sync up as you scrub through in the main comp. Don’t scrub in the precomp timeline window or it will sync up with the precomp that has the earliest in point in the main comp.

  Also, it wouldn’t hurt to make a feature request to choose which precomp layer you would like to sync to. Go to Help>Send Feedback

  Dan Fredley

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