Refresh reads the active composition. Sorting and filters affect this panel; content layers keep their native stacking order. Conditions combine with AND. Current scene uses the selected root group, or the playhead when no one scene is selected.

Select Results targets every filtered result, including other pages. Locked layers are reported and skipped. Use Group Results, Rename / Label, Lock, or Set Role on the same result set.

K = keyframes, E = expressions, Fx = effects, P = parent. Click a badge for its actual properties or relationships. Use the row menu to pin a layer/group, focus it, or select its complete parenting tree.

Timeline focus uses Shy. Preview isolation uses Solo and includes matte/camera/light support. Restore returns the original switches. Restore Focus before changing group membership or visibility.

Rename / Label requires Preview, then Apply Preview. Templates support {name}, {scene}, {type}, {role}, {n}; names must be unique. Label rules use type, name, assigned role or scene. First match wins.

Bookmarks store the comp, playhead and selected layers; Selection Sets store the comp and selection. Pins, roles, label rules and saved sets travel with the AEP. Missing/deleted layer references are reported. After importing a project, layer IDs can change; recreate affected saved selections.

Expression checks run at each composition’s playhead. Indirect references or errors at other frames may still require review. Native layer order and parenting are preserved. Requires After Effects 2022+.

Current Time matches layer intervals at the playhead; Work Area matches overlapping intervals. End points are exclusive. These filters can include disabled, transparent, offscreen or reference layers. Refresh after changing time or Work Area.

Scene Manager supports manual ranges or composition markers. A duration marker supplies its full range; a point marker extends to the next marker or comp end. Membership can use range intersections, explicit members or both. Explicit members can belong to several scenes. Click a scene to set Work Area and filter the panel. Missing or ambiguous marker links require relinking in Edit Scene.

Timing Tools always use Preview, then Apply. Move shifts whole layers and native keyframes; Trim cuts only a duration edge, leaving keyframe times fixed. Sequence follows panel result order, with frame gaps or overlaps. Shift Group retains member offsets; negative frames move earlier. Choose a group to include its nested members. Outside-comp results are marked in Preview and are not automatically cropped.

Notes attach to selected layers, a timeline group or a time, with To do, Needs revision or Complete status. Click a note to open its comp, go to its time and select surviving unlocked targets. Edit existing notes/scenes without replacing members, or enable the current-selection checkbox to replace their explicit members.

Audit reviews disabled layers, intervals outside the comp, exact duplicate names, expression errors at the current playhead and keyframes outside layer intervals. Click a finding to navigate. Rerun after edits. Findings are informational; reference layers and edge keyframes may be intentional.

Organization Presets capture labels/rules, naming fields, group hierarchy and filters. Match by exact name, role or type across projects. Save, Import/Export JSON, Preview, then Apply. Apply names now is optional. Existing memberships in other groups are retained, and matching nested groups are reused. Real Estate and Whiteboard templates use assigned roles such as Title, Price, Illustration, Audio, Voiceover and Controller. Label numbers are portable; their displayed colors follow AE’s label preferences.

Select layers in After Effects and choose Create Group. A guide Null heading appears above the first member. Members gather directly below their heading, with nested groups kept together. Timing and parenting are preserved.

Use the group eye here or the heading’s native eye switch: enabled expands, disabled collapses. Toggle Selected can toggle several groups together. Ctrl/Cmd-click group names to build a multiple-group selection. Keep Ultimate Tools open for native eye synchronization. The heading shows [+] or [-]; its native disclosure triangle still opens its own properties.

Use the folder-plus button beside a group to create an empty subgroup, and the pencil to rename it. The three-line menu can create a subgroup from selected layers, add / remove selected layers, move the whole group, label, lock, Solo, restore Solo, or ungroup while keeping content. Select a group name to select its unlocked layers and headings.

Use a layer’s three-line menu to move it to any group or subgroup, return it to the top level, or create a new group for it. Group destinations show their full paths. A group cannot be moved into itself or its descendants. Subgroups are saved with the After Effects project.

Each layer has its own row below its group. Click it to select the layer in After Effects; Ctrl/Cmd-click toggles it in the selection. Shift-click another layer selects the visible range between it and the first layer, excluding group headings and locked layers. Ctrl/Cmd + Shift adds the range to the current selection. Ungrouped layers appear below the groups. Search includes every layer, including collapsed groups. Selecting a search result expands its collapsed ancestors unless Organizer Focus is active.

Collapse hides rows with Shy. Expand All restores the previous Shy view. Group comments are saved in the AEP; user comments are retained. Keep Ultimate Tools available to manage the groups.

Headings change layer indexes. Index-dependent expressions are checked before creating, ungrouping or rearranging group members. Use name references for these expressions. Duplicate a composition to copy its groups; duplicating only a heading does not copy membership.

After deleting a heading directly, choose Repair. After moving layers or changing Shy switches manually, choose Sync View. Timeline Groups requires After Effects 2022 or newer.