Precompositions

Precompositions (precomps) are self-contained nested scenes that help you organize complex animations, create reusable components, and build hierarchical projects.

What are precompositions?

A precomposition is a composition nested within another composition.

Precomp fundamentals:

• •Precomposition Asset — the actual nested scene (lives in assets)
• •Precomposition Layer — reference to the asset (lives in timeline)
• •One asset can be used by multiple layers (instances)

Why use precompositions:

• •Organization: Break complex scenes into manageable pieces
• •Reusability: Create once, use multiple times
• •Isolation: Animation independent from parent
• •Performance: Organize logically for easier editing

Creating precompositions

1. Select layers in timeline/outliner

2. Right-click → Create Scene (or shift + cmd/ctrl + c)

3. The selected layers are moved into a new precomp

4. A precomposition layer is created at their position

Precomp properties

Standard properties:

• •Transform (position, rotation, scale, opacity)
• •Blend mode
• •Visibility and lock state
• •Parent (can be parented to other layers)

Precomp-specific:

• •Precomp Size — width and height of nested scene
• •Bounds Mode — Scene bounds vs fit to content
• •Referenced Asset — which precomp asset it uses

Bounds modes

Scene Bounds (Default):

• •Bounding box matches full scene size
• •Consistent dimensions regardless of content
• •Transform handles at scene edges

Fit to Content:

• •Bounding box wraps visible content tightly
• •Bounds adjust if content changes
• •More efficient for small content in large scene

Working with multiple precomps

Reusing precomps:

1. Create a Precomposition Asset once

2. Add multiple Precomposition Layers referencing it

3. Each instance shares the same content

4. Edit asset updates all instances

Breaking precompositions:

1. Select Precomposition Layer

2. Right-click → Break Scene (or shift + cmd/ctrl + b)

3. Precomp layers move to parent scene

4. Precomposition Layer is removed

Precomp timeline

Independent timeline:

• •Each precomp has own timeline duration
• •Own frame rate (typically matches main scene)
• •Independent keyframes and animations
• •Separate work area

Duration management:

• •Define when creating precomp
• •Matches main scene by default
• •Can extend or shorten as needed by dragging from its left or right edges
• •Dark green area shows clipped portion. Light green shows visible duration.