AfterEffects

Work with composition thumbnail images

You can choose which frame of a composition to show as a thumbnail image in the Project panel. By default, a composition’s thumbnail image is the first frame of the composition, with transparent portions shown as black.

  • To set the thumbnail image for a composition, move the current-time indicator to the desired frame in the composition’s Timeline panel, and choose Composition > Set Poster Time.
  • To add a transparency grid to the thumbnail view, choose Thumbnail Transparency Grid from the Project panel menu.
  • To hide the thumbnail images in the Project panel, choose Edit > Preferences > Display (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > Display (Mac OS) and select Disable Thumbnails In Project Panel.