Use Copy in place when a precomp layer is already positioned and animated, and you want it to use an independent source.
- Select the precomp layer in the active composition. Unlock it if needed.
- Choose the depth you want. Use All for a complete comp tree or Pick for selected nested comps.
- Hold Alt, or Option on macOS. The tile label changes to Copy in place when there is room to show it.
- Click the tile while holding the key.
Copycat creates new comp sources and replaces the selected layer’s source with the copied top comp. The layer count stays the same. Its transforms, timing, effects, and animation remain on that existing layer. Other layers using the original comp keep their original source.
The copied comps use the same names and destination settings as an ordinary copy. One After Effects undo step restores the original source and removes what Copycat created.
Work with several layers
You can select several precomp layers. Each unlocked precomp layer gets its own copied tree, even when two layers originally used the same source comp. Non-precomp layers are ignored. Locked precomp layers are skipped when the selection also contains usable unlocked precomp layers.
If every selected precomp layer is locked, the action stops with Selected precomp layers are locked. Unlock the layers and retry.
Alt has no in-place effect when Copycat is copying Project panel comps. Those copies are always new project items. For that workflow, clear the Timeline’s precomp selection first and follow the Project panel procedure.