Animating Layers; To Scale A Layer; To Flip A Layer - Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 7.0 Manual

Animating layers

To scale a layer

By default, a layer appears at 100% of its original size in the Layer panel. Change the scale of a layer over time by
dragging the layer's handles in the Composition panel or by changing the x, y, and z components of the Scale property
in the Timeline panel.
You can scale the layer partially or completely outside the frame. When you scale, the layer is scaled around its anchor
point.
•
To scale a layer proportionally in the Composition panel, Shift-drag any layer handle.
•
To scale a layer freely in the Composition panel, drag a corner layer handle.
•
To scale one dimension only in the Composition panel, drag a side layer handle.
•
To scale a layer by nudging it 1%, select a layer and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you
press + or – on the numeric keypad.
•
To scale a layer by nudging it 10%, select a layer and then hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac
OS) as you press + or – on the numeric keypad.
•
To scale a layer proportionally in the Timeline panel, select the layer, press S to display the Scale property, click the
Constrain Proportions icon
Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Constrain Proportions icon to activate it and match the height to
the width.

To flip a layer

A layer flips around its anchor point, so if you move the anchor point away from the center of the layer, it may move
when you flip it.
1 In the Timeline panel, select the layer you want to modify.
Expand the layer outline to display the Scale property (under Transform), or press S.
2
Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the underlined Scale value and choose Edit Value from the pop-
3
up menu that appears.
In the Scale dialog box, choose None from the Preserve pop-up menu.
4
Do one of the following and then click OK:
5
•
To flip horizontally, type a negative Width value.
•
To flip vertically, type a negative Height value.
A
Layer flipped with varying height and width values
A. Width 100, Height 100 B. Width -100, Height 100 C. Width 100, Height -100 D. Width -100, Height -100
To flip a layer, drag a layer handle over and past the layer's anchor point.
to the left of the Scale values, and enter a new value for the x, y, or z scale.
B C D
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User Guide