Adobe AFTER EFFECTS CS3 PROFESSIONAL User Manual page 157

• To see what footage item is the source for a layer, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the layer in the
Timeline panel and choose Reveal Layer Source In Project.
The source footage item is selected in the Project panel.
See also
"Select layers" on page 141
"Working with footage items" on page 67
"Timeline panel overview" on page 113
"Shortcuts for working with layers" on page 638
Layer switches and columns in the Timeline panel
Many of a layer's characteristics are determined by its layer switches, which are arranged in the Timeline panel in
columns. By default, the A/V Features column appears to the left of the layer name, and the Switches and Modes
(Transfer Controls) columns appear to the right, but you can arrange columns in a different order. (See "Work with
columns" on page 18.)
To show or hide columns in the Timeline panel, click the Layer Switches
In/Out/Duration/Stretch
Parent column. Press F4 to toggle the Switches and Modes columns.
The results of some layer switch settings depend on the settings of composition switches, which are in the upper right
of the layer outline in the Timeline panel.
Quickly change the state of a switch for multiple layers by clicking the switch for one layer and dragging up or down
that column for the adjacent layers.
Switches in the A/V Features column
Toggles layer visuals on or off. (See "Exclude a layer from previews and final output" on page 152.)
Video
Toggles layer sounds on or off.
Audio
Includes the current layer in previews and renders, ignoring layers without this switch set. (See "Solo a layer"
Solo
on page 152.)
Locks layer contents, preventing all changes. (See "Lock or unlock a layer" on page 152.)
Lock
Switches in the Switches column
Hides the current layer when the Hide Shy Layers composition switch
Shy
layers in the Timeline panel" on page 153.)
Collapse Transformations/Continuously Rasterize
continuously rasterizes if the layer is a shape layer, text layer, or layer with a vector graphics file (such as an Adobe
Illustrator file) as the source footage. Selecting this switch for a vector layer causes After Effects to rerasterize the
layer for each frame, which improves image quality, but also increases the time required for previewing and
rendering. (See "Render order and collapsing transformations" on page 119 and "Continuously rasterize a layer
containing vector graphics" on page 154.)
Toggles between Best and Draft options for layer quality for rendering, including rendering to the screen
Quality
for previews. (See "Layer image quality" on page 154.)
button in the bottom left of the Timeline panel. Press Shift+F4 to show or hide the
Collapses transformations if the layer is a precomposition;
, Transfer Controls , or
is selected. (See "Show and hide
AFTER EFFECTS CS3 151
User Guide