Creating layers by nesting compositions

When you add a composition to another composition, it creates a new layer in a process called nesting. The composition you add becomes a layer in the other (target) composition. Nested compositions can change composition structure, memory usage, and rendering order. (See Organizing a project using nesting.)

To create a layer from another composition:

1. Display the Composition window or Timeline window for the target composition.
2. Drag a composition from the Project window list to the target Composition window or Timeline window.

For nested compositions, if you change certain settings in the parent composition, these propagate through to the nested (child) compositions. These settings include the Quality options under Layer > Quality, several options under Layer > Switches, and three options on the Timeline window menu: Enable Motion Blur, Enable Frame Blending, and Draft 3D. The Resolution setting for the parent composition also applies to nested compositions.

If you do not want these switch settings for the parent compositions to apply to the individual nested compositions, you can change that at the preferences level.

To prevent switches from operating through nested compositions:

1. Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows), or After Effects > Preferences > General (Mac OS).
2. Deselect the Switches Affect Nested Comps option, and click OK.