Adobe After Effects CS3 - Manual (Page 146)

AFTER EFFECTS CS3
User Guide
141
• When you distribute layers of different sizes, the spaces between layers may not be uniform. For example, distrib-
uting layers by their centers creates equal space between the centers—but different-sized layers extend by different
amounts into the space between layers.
• Alignment or distribution options cannot move locked layers.
• The Align panel does not affect text alignment.
See also
“Select layers” on page 137
“Work with safe zones, grids, guides, and rulers” on page 130
“Align and justify text” on page 283
Trim, extend, or slip-edit a layer
The beginning of a layer’s duration is its In point, and the end is its Out point. The duration is the span between the
In point and the Out point, and the bar that extends from the In point to the Out point is the layer duration bar.
To trim a layer is to modify its In or Out point so that the layer has a different duration. When you trim a layer that
is based on moving source footage, you affect which frames of the source footage item are shown in the layer; the
first frame to appear is at the In point, and the last frame to appear is at the Out point.
Trimming a layer in the Timeline panel
A. Original In point B. Negative layer time indicator for still image layer C. Original In point D. Slip-edit bar, representing excluded frames
for motion footage layer
E. New In points
When you use a footage item as a source for different layers, you can trim each layer differently to show different
portions of the source. Trimming a layer does not alter the footage item or the original source file.
You can trim a layer by changing the In and Out points in the Layer panel or the Timeline panel. (You can also trim
a footage item before using it to create a layer. See “Create layers from footage items” on page 135.)
The In point , Out point , and duration values for a layer are shown at the bottom of the Layer panel. To show
this information for all layers in the Timeline panel, click the In/Out/Duration/Stretch button in the lower-left
corner of the Timeline panel. The duration, In point, and Out point for the selected layer are also shown in the Info
panel.
In the Layer panel, In and Out points are expressed in layer time. In the Timeline panel, In and Out points are
expressed in composition time. The duration is the same in both cases (unless time-remapping or time-stretching is
enabled for the layer).
A B C D
E