Adobe AFTER EFFECTS CS3 PROFESSIONAL User Manual page 154

See also
"Layer switches and columns in the Timeline panel" on page 151
"Select layers" on page 141
"Shortcuts for working with layers" on page 638
"Trim, extend, or slip-edit a layer" on page 145
"Timeline panel overview" on page 113
Arrange layers in time sequentially
Use the Sequence Layers keyframe assistant to automatically arrange layers in a sequence. When you apply the
keyframe assistant, the first layer you select remains at its initial time, and the other selected layers move to new times
in the Timeline panel based on the order in which you selected them.
Layers selected in Timeline panel (top), and layers arranged in sequence by applying the Sequence Layers Keyframe Assistant (bottom)
Overlapping layers can have Opacity keyframes set automatically to create a cross-dissolve.
For a layer to be put into a sequence, its duration must be less than the length of the composition so that it leaves
time for other layers. (See "Trim, extend, or slip-edit a layer" on page 145.)
1 In the Timeline panel, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and select layers in sequential order,
beginning with the layer to appear first.
Choose Animation > Keyframe Assistant > Sequence Layers.
2
3 In the Sequence Layers dialog box, do one of the following:
• To arrange the layers end to end, leave the Overlap option unselected.
AFTER EFFECTS CS3 148
User Guide