To Prevent Switches From Operating Through Nested Compositions; Using The Collapse Transformations/Continuously Rasterize Switch; To Change The Layer Image Quality - Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 7.0 Manual

To prevent switches from operating through nested compositions

When you set the layer quality, enable motion blur, or enable frame blending switches in a composition with other
compositions nested within it, After Effects also sets these switches in the subordinate compositions. (The per-layer
motion blur and per-layer frame blending switches are not affected in subordinate compositions.)
If you do not want the switch settings you add to parent compositions to apply to the compositions nested within
them, deselect the preference:
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows), or After Effects > Preferences > General (Mac OS).
Deselect the Switches Affect Nested Comps option, and click OK.
2
See also
"Organizing a project using nesting" on page 60

Using the Collapse Transformations/Continuously Rasterize switch

The Collapse Transformations/Continuously Rasterize layer switch
sitions and Adobe Illustrator files. However, it affects these layers differently.
When the layer source is a composition, this switch acts as the Collapse Transformations switch. Selecting it may
improve image quality and decrease viewing and rendering time.
When the layer source is an Adobe Illustrator file, this switch acts as the Continuously Rasterize switch. Selecting
this switch causes After Effects to rerasterize the Adobe Illustrator file for each frame, which improves image quality,
but also increases the time required for previewing and rendering.
The Continuously Rasterize switch is also useful when applying a mask to a solid. When masks or effects are applied
to a nested composition that has this switch set, the layers in that nested composition are first rendered on their own,
then masks and effects are applied, and then the result is composited into the main composition. This rendering
order means that the blending modes of the nested layers are not applied to any underlying layers in the main compo-
sition, and that 3D layers above and below the collapsed layer cannot intersect or cast shadows on one another.
To toggle this switch, do one of the following:
•
In the Timeline panel, click the Collapse Transformations/Continuously Rasterize switch.
•
Select a layer, choose Layer > Switches, and make sure that the Collapse command is selected (to turn it on), or
deselected (to turn it off).
See also
"About 3D layers" on page 173
"About nesting" on page 130
"Frame blending" on page 238

To change the layer image quality

❖
Select the layer in the Timeline panel, and then do one of the following:
•
Click the Layer Quality switch.
in the Timeline panel affects nested compo-
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