Adding footage items to a composition

Items added to a composition begin at the time indicated on the current-time indicator in the Timeline window. For example, if the current time box displays 0:00:04:00 (4 seconds), when you place the item in the Composition window, the item begins its first frame at 4 seconds. By changing the location of the current-time indicator (Timeline window) or the time displayed in the Current Time button (Composition window), you can add a layer at any point in the composition.

In the Composition window, layers are visible only if they are active at the time currently displayed. For example, if you have three layers in a composition, with two of the layers starting at the beginning of the composition and one layer starting at 6 seconds, only two of the layers appear in the Composition window when the current-time indicator is set to the beginning of the composition.

For more information on adjusting the duration or speed of a layer, see Understanding trimming and Time-stretching a layer. For more information on setting and adjusting the current time, see Viewing and setting the current time.

To add a footage item to a composition:

1. Activate the Timeline window for the composition to which you want to add an item.
2. To set the current-time indicator, do one of the following:
• Click the current-time display, specify a new time, and then click OK.
• Drag the current-time indicator to the desired time.
3. Drag the name of the footage item, the footage-item thumbnail, or a folder from the Project window to one of three places:
• The Composition window.
• The Timeline window. When you drag the item into the Timeline window, a highlight bar indicates where the layer will appear when you release the mouse button. If you drag the item over the time graphic area, a time marker indicates where the layer's In point will be when you release the mouse button.

Note: When you click on a footage item in the Timeline window, the Info palette displays the item's name, duration, and In and Out points.


While dragging an item into the Timeline window, you can specify the layer order and In point.
• The composition name or icon in the Project window.

You can also add a footage item to a composition by selecting the name of the footage item in the Project window and pressing Ctrl+/ (Windows) or Command+/ (Mac OS).

To add several footage items to a composition at the same time:

1. Do any of the following:
• Select multiple footage items. To select a contiguous range of items, press Shift as you click the footage items in the Project window. To select a discontiguous set of items, press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you select the footage item names.
• Move multiple footage items into a folder in the Project window.
2. Drag the names of the footage items or the folder from the Project window onto a composition name in the Project window, into the Composition window, or into the Timeline window. The items appear in the order in which they were selected in the Project window.

For more information, see Working with the Project window.