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About After Effects Audio/Video switches


    The Timeline window contains the Audio/Video Features and the Switches panels. By default, these panels appear to the left (A/V Features) and right (Switches) sides of each layer name, but you can hide a panel or arrange panels in a different order. For general information about using panels, see Default controls and panels and Optional panels.

    Use the switches to adjust the balance between display performance and display quality during your work session, clicking switch icons for individual layers to turn them off or on. You can also control them for selected layers by choosing Layer > Switches > command. Check marks next to commands indicate that those switches are currently turned on.

    The A/V Features panel includes the Video ( the Video icon), Audio (the Audio button), Solo (the Solo Icon), and Lock (the Lock icon) switches. The Switches panel contains the Shy (the Timeline Switches panel indicates whether a layer is shy or not shy), Collapse Transformations ( the ), Quality (the Layer draft icon), Effects (the Effects icon), Frame Blending (the Frame Blending icon), Motion Blur (the Motion Blur icon), Adjustment Layer (the Adjustment Layer icon), and 3D Layer (the 3D Layer icon) switches.

    Tip iconQuickly change switches for multiple layers by clicking the switch for one layer and dragging up or down that column for the adjacent layers.

    By default, the layer Switches panel shares space in the Timeline window with the Transfer Modes panel (see Using layer modes), so one or the other is visible--but not both. You can toggle between the two panels or show both panels simultaneously.

To toggle between the layer Switches panel and the transfer Modes panel:

    Click Switches/Modes at the bottom of the panel in the Timeline window.

    Note: The Expand or Collapse button ( the Optional panel button) at the bottom of the layer names panel hides and reshows the Switches/Modes panel. If you do not see the Switches/Modes button, click the Expand or Collapse button.

To display both the Switches and Transfer Modes panels:

  1. Click the right arrow above the Timeline window vertical scroll bar to open the Timeline window menu.
  2. Choose Panels > Modes (if Modes is not checked) or Panels > Switches (if Switches is not checked).
  3. When you set switches in a composition with other compositions nested within it, After Effects also applies those switches to the subordinate compositions. These settings include the Quality, Collapse Transformations, Motion Blur, and Frame Blending switches.

    If you do not want the switch settings you add to parent compositions to apply to the compositions nested within them, change that at the Preferences level.

To prevent switches from operating through nested compositions:

  1. Choose Edit > Preferences > General.
  2. Deselect the Switches Affect Nested Comps option, and click OK.