Align to center of another layer without moving that layer

[Tim Vaughan]

Providing you haven’t added any keyframes, you can use the pan behind tool (shortcut (y), I believe) to move the anchor point of the second layer to the first layers center.
Or, if keyframes have been used, you can create a null, place the null in the same position as the master layer, and parent the 2nd layer to it. From there, just use the null to animate the position, anchor and scale of the first layer.

Hope this helps

Tim
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[Walter Soyka]

If you hold Shift while parenting the second layer (the one you want to move) to the first layer (the one you want to stay still), the child will move to the location of the parent. You can then un-parent it and it will retain this position.

Walter Soyka
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[Roland R. kahlenberg]

If you have CS6/CC, you can SHIFT+Parent to move the second layer towards the center of the first layer. This assumes that the Anchor Point of the second layer is at its center.

Alternatively, you use Snap feature in CS6/CC to move the first layer to the second layer’s center.

HTH
RoRK

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[Mario Chocooj]

Very good and helpful response! Thank you Walter.