Applying and controlling effects

You can apply or remove an effect at any time. Once you've applied effects to a layer, you can temporarily turn off one or all the effects in the layer to concentrate on another aspect of your composition. Effects that are turned off do not appear in the Composition window and typically are not included when the layer is previewed or rendered. (However, in the Render Queue window, you can specify that the composition is rendered with all effects on, regardless of which effects you are displaying in the Composition window.) Turning off an effect does not delete the keyframes created for any of the effect properties; all keyframes remain until the effect is deleted from the layer.

By default, when you apply an effect to a layer, the effect is active for the duration of the layer. However, you can make an effect start and stop at specific times or make the effect more or less intense over time by using keyframes.

You apply and edit effects to an adjustment layer just as you do to any other layer. However, when you apply an effect to an adjustment layer, the effect is applied to all layers below it in the Timeline window. (See Creating an adjustment layer.)

To apply an effect to a layer from the Effect menu:

1. In the Timeline or Composition window, select a layer.
2. Choose a category from the Effect menu, and then choose an effect from the submenu.

Using this procedure, you can apply multiple instances of a single effect to a layer.

To apply an effect to a layer from the Effects palette:

1. Locate and select the effect or effects you want to apply.
2. Do one of the following:
• Double-click the selected effect or effects.
• Drag the effect to the target layer on the Timeline window, either to the layer name, Effect list heading, or to any spot in the existing list of effects.
• Drag the effect to the Composition window. The Info palette displays the name of the targeted layer as you drag over it.
• Drag the effect to the Effect Controls window.

Note: Applying an effect to a layer makes it the active layer.

To open the Effect Controls window:

In the Timeline window, double-click an effect name, or choose Effect > Effect Controls.

To change the color of hot text in the Effect Controls window (or any window):

1. Choose Edit > Preferences > Display (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > Display (Mac OS).
2. Click the Hot Text Color color swatch to select a color, or click the eyedropper to sample a color from anywhere on the screen. Then click OK.

To select a layer in the Effect Controls window:

Click the tab below the Effect Controls title bar for the layer you want to select.

To open the Options dialog box for an effect:

In the Effect Controls window, click Options to the right of the effect name.

Note: Not all effects include an Options dialog box.

To copy effects in a layer and paste them into other layers:

1. In the Effect Controls window, select one or more effects, and then choose Edit > Copy.
2. In the Timeline window, select one or more layers, and then choose Edit > Paste.

To temporarily turn off an effect:

In the Effect Controls or Timeline window, select the layer, and then click the Effect option to the left of the effect name.


Effect option in the Effect Controls window and Effect switch in the Timeline window A. The Effect option in the Effect Controls window turns a specific effect on or off. B. The Effect option in the Timeline window also turns a specific effect on or off. C. The Effect switch in the Switches column of the Timeline window turns all effects in a layer on or off.

To temporarily turn off all effects in a layer:

In the Timeline window, click the Effect switch in the Switches column for the desired layer.

To remove an effect:

In the Effect Controls window, select an effect name and press Delete.

To apply multiple effects to one or more layers:

1. In the Timeline window, select a layer or group of layers.
2. Choose a category from the Effect menu, and then choose an effect from the submenu.
3. Repeat step 2.

To remove all effects applied to a layer:

1. In the Timeline or Composition window, select the layer or layers from which you want to remove all effects.
2. Choose Effect > Remove All.

Note: This command eliminates all keyframes for the deleted effects. If you choose Remove All accidentally, immediately choose Edit > Undo Delete Effect to restore the effects and keyframes.