Adobe AFTER EFFECTS CS3 PROFESSIONAL User Manual page 155

• To overlap layers, select Overlap, enter a Duration value for the duration of the overlap, and select a transition.
Select Cross Dissolve Front And Back Layers to use the transparency of the selected layers; otherwise, choose
Dissolve Front Layer.
• To leave gaps between the layers, select Overlap and enter a negative Duration value.
See also
"Select layers" on page 141
Copy or duplicate a layer
When you copy a layer, you copy all of its properties, including effects, keyframes, expressions, and masks.
Duplicating a layer is a shortcut with which you copy and paste the layer with one command. Duplicating a layer
with a track matte preserves the relative ordering of the layer and its track matte.
If you have a component of a layer—such as a mask or keyframe—selected when you copy, you copy only that
component. Before copying, press Shift+F2 to deselect all of a layer's components and leave the layer selected.
• To copy selected layers and place the In points of the copies at the current time, choose Edit > Copy, and then press
Ctrl+Alt+V (Windows) or Command+Option+V (Mac OS).
• To copy selected layers and place the copies at the same times as the originals, choose Edit > Copy, and then choose
Edit > Paste.
To place copies at the top of the layer stack in the Timeline panel instead of immediately above the originals, press F2
to deselect the originals before you paste.
• To duplicate selected layers, choose Edit > Duplicate or press Ctrl+D (Windows) or Command+D (Mac OS).
See also
"Copy and paste keyframes" on page 193
"Work with layer properties in the Timeline panel" on page 155
"Shortcuts for working with layers" on page 638
Split a layer
In the Timeline panel, you can split a layer at any time, creating two independent layers. This is a time-saving alter-
native to duplicating and trimming the layer—something you might do when you want to change the stacking-order
position of the layer in the middle of the composition.
Note: To make new split layers appear above the original layer in the Timeline panel, select Create Split Layers Above
Original Layer (Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > General (Mac OS)). Deselect
this option to make the layers appear below the original layer.
Select one or more layers.
1
Move the current-time indicator to the time at which to split the layers.
2
Choose Edit > Split Layer.
3
When you split a layer, both resulting layers contain all of the keyframes that were in the original layer in their
original positions. Any applied track mattes retain their order, on top of the layer.
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User Guide