Composition
Intro
The stage to compose Layers on.
Either clicking the Open button or Option/Alt + Cmd/Ctrl + double clicking a Composition Layer's row in the Scene Window will open that Composition (making it the active Composition).
UI
Position - Set the Composition's position. 0,0 is in the centre of the Composition.
Rotation - Set the Composition's rotation. (in degrees).
Scale - Set the Composition's scale.
Pivot - Define the pivot point for the Composition. This is useful when animating rotation and scale.
Opacity - Set the Composition's opacity.
Blend Mode - Set the Blend mode.
Deformers - A list of connected Deformers.
Filters - A list of connected Filters.
Motion Blur - Enable Motion Blur.
Use these attributes to animate the Composition or affect its appearance. To adjust settings like Resolution or Frame Rate see Composition Settings.
Pre-Comp
A Composition used as a Layer within another Composition is also known as a Pre-Comp. Several Pre-Comps can be added to another Composition as a way to create copies with a single 'source of truth' – any changes made to the original Composition will propagate through to all its Pre-Comps.
See Pre-Comp Overrides for a method to use Compositions as a way to create editable 'templates'.
Where Pre-Comps already exist in a Composition, it's possible to swap its reference to a different Composition in the Assets Window. To do this either:
- Holding Option/Alt, drag a Composition from the Assets Window and drop it onto a Pre-Comp's row in the Scene Window or;
- Select several Pre-Comps in the Scene Window and then, holding Option/Alt, drag a Composition from the Assets Window and drop it into the Scene Window.
The only way to create a Composition is via the Assets Window or the menus. It cannot be created via the Add Layers Window.