Reverse the playback direction of a layer – Adobe After Effects User Manual
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Current Frame
Layer Out-point
Note:
Holds the layer at the position of the current-time indicator (also the frame displayed in the Composition panel), and time-
stretches the layer by moving the In and Out points.
Holds the ending time of the layer at its current value and time-stretches the layer by moving its In point.
Time-stretch a layer to a specific time
1. In the Timeline panel, move the current-time indicator to the frame where you want the layer to begin or end.
2. Display the In and Out columns by choosing Columns > In and Columns > Out from the Timeline panel menu.
3. Do one of the following:
To stretch the In point to the current time, press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you click the In time for the layer in the In
column.
To stretch the Out point to the current time, press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you click the Out time for the layer in the
Out column.
Time-stretch a layer but not its keyframes
When you time-stretch a layer, the positions of its keyframes stretch with it by default. You can circumvent this behavior by cutting and pasting
keyframes.
1. Make a note of the time at which the first keyframe appears. (Placing a composition marker is a good way to mark the time.)
2. In the Timeline panel, click the name of one or more layer properties containing the keyframes you want to keep at the same times.
3. Choose Edit > Cut.
4. Move or stretch the layer to its new In and Out points.
5. Move the current-time indicator to the time at which the first keyframe appeared before you cut the keyframes.
6. Choose Edit > Paste.
Reverse the playback direction of a layer
When you reverse the direction at which a layer plays back, all keyframes for all properties on the selected layer also reverse order. The layer
itself maintains its original In and Out points relative to the composition.
For best results, precompose the layer and then reverse the layer inside the precomposition. For more information on this process, see
About precomposing and nesting.
1. In a Timeline panel, select the layer you want to reverse.
2. Choose Layer > Time > Time-Reverse Layer, or press Ctrl+Alt+R (Windows) or Command+Option+R (Mac OS).
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