Create a composition

You can change a composition’s settings at any time. However, it’s best to specify settings such as frame aspect ratio and frame size when you create the composition, with your final output in mind. Because After Effects bases certain calculations on these composition settings, changing them late in your workflow can affect your final output.

Note: You can override some composition settings when rendering to final output. For example, you can use different frame sizes for the same movie. For more information see Work with render settings and Work with output module settings.

When you create a composition without changing settings in the Composition Settings dialog box, the new composition uses the settings from the previous time that composition settings were set.

Note: The previous Preserve Frame Rate When Nested Or In Render Queue and Preserve Resolution When Nested settings are not inherited by new compositions.

Create a composition and manually set composition settings

Choose Composition > New Composition, or press Ctrl+N (Windows) or Command+N (Mac OS).

Create a composition from a single footage item

Drag the footage item to the Create A New Composition button

at the bottom of the Project panel or choose File > New Comp From Selection.

Composition settings, including frame size (width and height) and pixel aspect ratio, are automatically set to match the characteristics of the footage item.

Create a single composition from multiple footage items

Select footage items in the Project panel.
Drag the selected footage items to the Create A New Composition button at the bottom of the Project panel, or choose File > New Comp From Selection.
Select Single Composition and other settings in the New Composition From Selection dialog box:
Use Dimensions From

Choose the footage item from which the new composition gets composition settings, including frame size (width and height) and pixel aspect ratio.
Still Duration

The duration for the still images being added.
Add To Render Queue

Add the new composition to the render queue.
Sequence Layers, Overlap, Duration, and Transition

Arrange the layers in a sequence, optionally overlap them in time, set the duration of the transitions, and choose a transition type.

Create multiple composition from multiple footage items

Select footage items in the Project panel.
Drag the selected footage items to the Create A New Composition button at the bottom of the Project panel, or choose File > New Comp From Selection.
Select Multiple Compositions and other settings in the New Composition From Selection dialog box:
Still Duration

The duration of the compositions created from still images.
Add To Render Queue

Add the new compositions to the render queue.

Duplicate a composition

Select the composition in the Project panel.
Choose Edit > Duplicate or press Control+D (Windows) or Command+D (Mac OS).

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