Add Accordion to Motion Dock

  1. Click Edit layout in Motion Dock’s top bar.
  2. Click an empty area of the layout and choose Accordion from the module picker.
  3. Click Exit layout mode to use the tool.

If Accordion is already in this layout, use its existing slot.

Group two layers

  1. Open a practice composition with at least two unlocked layers.
  2. Select two adjacent layers in its timeline.
  3. Click Group in Accordion.

You should see a new selected null named ▾ Group immediately above those layers. Accordion shows a Group row with a count of 2. If that name is already taken, the new name gets a number.

Select layers to group means nothing was selected. Selected layers are locked means none of the selected layers could be grouped. Unlock the layers you want and try again.

Fold and reopen it

Click the group’s chevron in Accordion. The two member rows disappear from the timeline, leaving ▸ Group (2). The layers still appear in the composition viewer.

Click the chevron again. The timeline rows return unless they were already shy before you grouped them.

Double-click the name in Accordion, type a useful name, and press Enter. To reverse a grouping action, use Edit > Undo in After Effects. To keep the layers but remove the group, right-click its row and choose Ungroup.