• Adobe After Effects Expressions

  Precompose – Leave all attributes?

  Posted by Bill Clotz on June 10, 2006 at 5:22 pm

  What is the purpose of the precompose option to leave all attributes in the current composition, as opposed to moving them into the new composition?

  I’ve been using After Effects for quite a while now, and I have never figured out the need for that first setting. I’m sure there must be some use for it, or otherwise it wouldn’t be an option, much less an option that tends to be selected by default much of the time.

  What can this setting be used for?

  Steve Roberts replied 20 years, 2 months ago 4 Members · 5 Replies
• 5 Replies

• 

  Mike Clasby

  June 10, 2006 at 5:50 pm

  Hmmm, good Q?

  But what if you want to group several layers together (even if for no other reason than to save space), or you want to apply an effect to all those layers (leave attributes) but not the layers you didn’t include in the precompose? Methinks that’s one, or two.

  There must be more, help.
• 

  Andrew Kramer

  June 10, 2006 at 10:24 pm

  I use it all the time.

  For example, say I have an image in the main timeline with some effects and tranformations and I need to extend the edges of the image I can precompose and leave attributes, then in the new comp make the composition larger. This helps for effects that get cut off by edges.

  Or if I have a single image layers that has some effects and transformations but I want to add a fog layer or something to the shot but don’t want to lose control of my keyframes and ainimation, you can precomp and leave attibutes then in the new comp add a bunch of layers.

  or instances where you may not have effects but that the layer is parented or linked by expressions to other layers in the currect comp, and standard precomposing may break the purposes of these connections.

  Anyways… I hope this gives some ideas

  Andrew
• 

  Steve Roberts

  June 10, 2006 at 10:45 pm

  [Andrew Kramer] “This helps for effects that get cut off by edges.”

  You wouldn’t use grow bounds?

  Good post, thanks.
• 

  Andrew Kramer

  June 10, 2006 at 10:58 pm

  That effect has always been a bit shifty. Seems to render slower than extending comps and doesn’t always work as expected in every situation.

  It’s one of those work-arounds that leads to more work-arounds…

  Andrew
• 

  Steve Roberts

  June 10, 2006 at 11:32 pm

  Ah, yes. I guess I haven’t pushed it to that point yet.

  Thanks,
  Steve

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