17 Hidden Features In After Effects You Need to Know

After Effects is a software that is very popular among graphic designers and animators. Even though many users are skilled at using it, there are still many hidden features and tricks that many people may not know about. By knowing the hidden features or tools and cool tricks in After Effects, you can increase your productivity and the quality of your design or animation.

In this article, we will discuss some hidden features and tricks in After Effects that you should know about. Let’s dive into 17 of these hidden gems!

1. Constrain Proportions

One tip that will save you time editing is to scale the animation to the same width, height, and depth. To scale a layer proportionally, select the layer and press S to display the Scale property. Then, click the Constrain Proportions icon to the left of the Scale values and enter a new value for the x, y, or z scale. By default, they are linked together. You can unlink by clicking this icon.

2. Make Symmetrical Shapes

If you want to make a symmetrical circle or square, there are only two easy steps you can take. You just need to hold down Shift and press the shape tool (Q). Then, you change the size of the shape while maintaining symmetry.

3. Curved Mask Shapes

If you want to create a mask with a complex curve shape, you can use the Curved Mask Shapes feature in After Effects. Select Mask Path, then right-click and select Convert to Bezier Path.

4. Scrub Colours

You can change the hue of the image easily by using Colour in the Timeline panel and scrolling right or left. Moreover, you can also change the saturation of your image by scrolling up or down. If you want to slow down the colour scrub, you can press Cmd on Mac or Ctrl on Windows while scrolling. Unfortunately, this tip can only be done on the Timeline panel.

5. Apply Effects with the Same Value

You can create a keyframe with the same value in the Effect Control panel by moving to the desired time, pressing Cmd on Mac and Ctrl on Windows, then clicking the desired effect. The effect will be automatically created with the same value. With this trick, you do not need to input manually. What a time saver!

6. Remove All Effects

Did you know you can remove all existing effects in seconds? You can do this by simply selecting the layers you want to remove the effects from, going to the Effects panel > Remove All, or using the shortcut Cmd + Opt + E on Mac or Ctrl + Shift + E on Windows. Easy as that!

7. Content-Aware Fill

One very useful hack in After Effects is Content-Aware Fill. This feature allows users to easily remove unwanted objects from within the video. Select the unwanted area and navigate to Edit > Content-Aware Fill. After Effects intelligently analyses the surroundings and fills the gaps realistically and with a natural-looking reveal.

8. Textured Animation

To create more interesting and dynamic animations, you can use tricks to create texture animations in After Effects. For example, try to use the “Roughen Edges” effect. With this effect, you can create rough lines on objects or text so it looks more textured and organic. You can also adjust parameters such as Size, Detail, and Scale to get results according to your wishes.

9. Puppet Tool

Another hidden feature that you should know about in After Effects is the Puppet Tool. This feature allows users to create character animations that look more fluid, natural, and realistic. Add anchor points to specific parts of your character by using the Add Fixed Point option. If you want to animate text, convert your text layer to a shape layer, then use Puppet Warp to manipulate individual points and create dynamic text animations.

10. Motion Sketch

Another hidden feature that you should know about in After Effects is Motion Sketch. This feature allows users to create animations more interactively and intuitively. Enable the Motion Sketch option, then click and hold on the composition to record your mouse movements. With Motion Sketch, you can draw animation paths directly using the mouse or stylus, thus creating more organic, dynamic, and creative animations.

11. Tricks for Creating a Cinemagraph Effect

A cinemagraph is a type of image that moves in small portions, thus creating a very interesting and unique visual effect. To create a cinemagraph effect in After Effects, you can use several tricks, such as the “Time-Remapping” or “LoopOut” effect. With this trick, you can make certain parts of the video move repeatedly, creating a stunning cinemagraph effect.

12. Expression Shortcuts

Expressions shortcuts are a very useful way to create complex and dynamic animations in After Effects. Use keyboard shortcuts such as Alt-click on Windows and Option-click on Mac on the stopwatch icon of one property, then drag it to another property. This creates a direct link, ensuring their values stay in sync.

13. Auto-Keyframe

If you have a keyframe property that you want to animate every time you change its value, you can enable the Auto-Keyframe option in After Effects. This way, every time you change a property value, After Effects will automatically add a keyframe at the selected point. You no longer need to manually create keyframes every time you make changes, thus making the animation process faster and more efficient.

14. Null Objects

Null objects are empty objects that can be used to control several layers at once. By creating a null object and associating layers with it, you can easily control and manage multiple layers at once.

15. Pre-compose

Working with complex processes can slow things down. Pre-compose frequently used elements like animations or effects stacks. This creates a lighter, “nested” composition that renders faster. Select the layers you want to compress and choose Layer > Pre-compose. This helps with organisation and performance.

16. Matte Set

If you want to use a specific layer as a mask for other layers, you can use the Set Matte effect in After Effects. Add the Set Matte effect to the layer you want to mask, then select the layer mask you want to use.

17. Drag Render to Project

Sometimes, after exporting, we forget where we saved the file that we have rendered. We can track where by clicking the arrow in the Output Module in the Render Queue panel. Alternatively, click and drag the Output Module text to the Project panel. The exported file will appear in the Project panel.

Conclusion

After Effects is a robust tool with countless features, many of which remain undiscovered by even experienced users. By applying these hidden tricks and features, you can enhance your workflow, boost your creativity, and produce more professional-looking animations and visual effects.