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Activity Forums Adobe After Effects Adding NEW layer – making it the same size and position as previous layer…

  • Adding NEW layer – making it the same size and position as previous layer…

    Posted by Damon Hoydysh on July 12, 2006 at 5:46 pm

    Is there a way, when you add a new layer (camera, light, solid, text) – to make it the same length as a layer that is already selected?

    What I mean is that when I’m working with my timeline, and say I have 50 layers, and I’m on layer 32. I want to add an adjustment layer to layer 32, or a text layer on top of layer 32… When I create a new layer, its duration takes up the whole timeline and it adds to the very top of my layer order as layer number 1. Is there a way to add a layer to just above the layer you are currently working with and make it so it has the same duration?

    I’m finding that when I want to add a layer to another, I have to add it, trim it, and then move it down the timeline.

    Christine Gonsalves replied 8 years, 9 months ago 5 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • Rjf E:613

    July 12, 2006 at 7:49 pm

    If I were doing it, I’d try to DUPLICATE the layer you’d like to match, timewise. That is to say, select Layer 32 (in your example and hit ctrl+d on a PC or command+d on a Mac. Then if it’s a solid, you can change its color (Shift+ctrl+y), if it’s text you can highlight and retype, change to an adjustment layer, etc. Might not work in every situation (matching a solid layer with a text layer), but that’s the first thing that comes to mind.

    rjf

  • Damon Hoydysh

    July 12, 2006 at 8:00 pm

    I do do that, but it’s very limiting for the reasons you stated. Is there a way to insert the layer at the current point above or below a selected clip?

  • Bill Nahlik

    July 12, 2006 at 9:34 pm

    Duplicate the layer, select the duplicated layer in the timeline and the new layer in the project window. Alt-drag the new layer to the composition window. It will retain all of the parameters of the layer it is replacing, including time i.e. if the layer you replace starts at frame 100, the new layer will pick up at frame 100 also.

  • Rona Gales

    August 11, 2011 at 6:33 pm

    wrong place

  • Christine Gonsalves

    October 26, 2017 at 3:22 pm

    Did you ever figure out how to do this? Its driving me crazy.

    Thank you

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