AfterEffects

Move the current-time indicator

The most basic way of previewing frames is to manually preview by moving or dragging the current-time indicator.

The time ruler visually represents the time dimension of a composition, a layer, or a footage item. In a Layer or Footage panel, the time ruler appears near the bottom of the panel. For a Composition panel, the time ruler appears in the corresponding Timeline panel. The time rulers in different panels represent different durations. The time ruler in a Layer or Footage panel represents the duration of the contents of that panel; the time ruler in the Timeline panel represents the duration of the entire composition.

On a time ruler, the current-time indicator indicates the frame you are viewing or editing.

Current-time indicator in the time ruler in the Timeline panel (left) and in the Layer panel (right)

  • To go forward or backward one frame, click the Next Frame   or Previous Frame  button in the Time Controls panel, or press Page Down or Page Up.
  • To go forward or backward ten frames, Shift-click the Next Frame or Previous Frame button, or press Shift+Page Down or Shift+Page Up.
  • To go forward a specific period of time or number of frames, click the current-time display, and then enter the plus sign (+) followed by the timecode or number of frames to advance. For example, enter +20 to go forward 20 frames or 1:00 to go forward one second. Precede the value by the minus sign (-) to go backward. For example, enter +-20 to go backward 20 frames or +-1:00 to go backward one second.
  • To go to the first or last frame, click the First Frame  or Last Frame  button in the Time Controls panel, or press Home or End.
  • To go to the first or last frame of the work area, press Shift+Home or Shift+End.
  • To go to a specific frame, click in the time ruler or click the current-time display in the Footage, Layer, Composition, or Timeline panel.
  • To manually preview (scrub) video in the Timeline panel or go to a specific frame, drag the current-time indicator.
    Note: Shift-drag the current-time indicator to snap to keyframes, markers, In and Out points, the beginning or end of the composition, or the beginning or end of the work area.
  • To scrub audio in the Timeline panel, Ctrl+Alt-drag (Windows) or Command+Option-drag (Mac OS) the current-time indicator.
  • To scrub audio and video in the Timeline panel, Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) the current-time indicator.

    If you stop moving the current-time indicator while keeping the mouse button depressed, a short section of audio loops.