Using multiple views

You can create multiple composition view windows for 3D and 2D layers. You can add views to any composition or use a built-in multiple-view workspace. Opening multiple views helps you to monitor how a change appears in other views (especially in 3D), more accurately place images, and more comprehensively visualize how your images animate.

You can open as many views of your composition as you want, and each view can have a different region of interest and a different magnification. You can also make the current multiple view conform to a saved workspace or save your views as a custom workspace. When you use 3D layers, each view is labeled according to the composition name and the 3D view chosen in the 3D View menu.

To set initial multiple views for current and future compositions:

Do one of the following:

• Choose Window > Workspace > Two Comp Views or Four Comp Views.
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the Composition window, and choose Apply Workspace > Two Comp Views or Four Comp Views.

Note: You can change any view to Two Comp Views or Four Comp Views at any time.

To add a new view to a multiple-view layout:

1. Click a Composition window, and choose View > New View.
2. Do one of the following:
• If you are working in 3D, choose a new 3D view from the 3D View pop-up menu at the bottom of the Composition window.
• If you are working in 2D or 3D, choose a new magnification view or define a region of interest for the new view. (SeeChanging the region of interest.)
3. Position the windows as desired by moving them around the desktop or dragging the tabs to one central Composition window and nesting them.

Note: Before After Effects creates new views, it opens closed views that were part of a saved workspace.

To return to a single composition view:

Choose Window > Workspace > One Comp View.

To change view properties for all open views:

1. Click a Composition window.
2. Do one of the following:
• To display the magnification level, RGBA channels, safe zones, transparency grid, or Layer Wireframe mode in all open views, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the corresponding button or menu in the Composition window.
• To display the grids, Shift+Ctrl-click (Windows) or Shift+Command-click (Mac OS) the Title-Action Safe button .
• To switch all views to Transparency Grid, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the View Transparency Grid button  at the bottom of the Composition window.

To set view preferences so all views close at once:

1. Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > General (Mac OS).
2. Select Close Multiple Views Simultaneously, and click OK.

Note: To override this preference, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you close a composition.