Choose how content fits

Choose the source and frames

Open Variants. With one comp, Fits uses the active comp. To work on several, select two or more comps in After Effects’ Project panel. That multiple selection takes priority over the active comp. A single selected comp is used when there is no active comp.

Click frames to pick them. The Make button counts one variant for every source and picked frame. Two sources and three picked frames make six variants. Check the source name or count before clicking it.

Keep the original linked with Fill or Fit

Both smart modes create a new comp containing the original as a single precomp layer. They center and uniformly scale that layer. They carry over the source’s pixel aspect, duration, and frame rate, along with its background, work area, and supported motion and preview settings.

The preview uses the first source comp’s current frame when a snapshot is available. The capture above shows Fits’ placeholder artwork. It illustrates framing, not a rendered comp result.

For a mixed set, choose the main mode, then Alt-click a frame to switch only that frame between Fill and Fit. A small corner icon marks an override. Selecting Fill or Fit again resets all frame overrides. The full modifier table covers selection shortcuts.

Edits to the original appear in these linked variants. Changes you make to the variant’s precomp layer, such as its position or scale, stay local to that variant.

Make an independent layout with Re-layout

Choose the third mode icon, Re-layout, then make the variants. Fits duplicates the source comp and its nested comp tree for each target. Copied layers point to the copied precomps. Footage and solid sources remain shared.

Fits divides the old frame into thirds on each axis. A layer in the left or top third keeps its position from that edge. A layer in the right or bottom third moves by the full change in width or height. A layer in the middle third moves by half that change. Layers exactly on a third boundary use the middle rule.

For example, when 1920×1080 becomes 1080×1080, a logo centered at [1700, 150] moves to [860, 150]. A title at [960, 540] moves to [540, 540].

Layer scale and text box sizes stay as they are. Fits chooses the third from each layer’s estimated visible center at the current comp time, then offsets its position values and all position keys. Parented layers follow their parent rather than receiving another offset. Cameras and lights receive the centered offset instead of a third-based one.

Only the outer comp gets the target dimensions. Copied nested comps keep their original sizes. Review rotations, 3D scenes, expression-driven positions, and animated layouts after making the copy. The frame thumbnails show centered source framing, not a simulation of individual layer moves.

Locked layers stay in place by default, and the success message reports any skipped. Unlock them first or enable Move Locked Layers in module settings. Fits restores their locks after moving them.

Center a copy with Crop

Choose the fourth mode icon, Crop. Fits duplicates the outer comp, changes its dimensions, and shifts unparented content by half the size difference. It does not scale the layers. Content outside the new bounds is hidden by the frame.

Nested precomps remain shared with the original. The same parent and locked-layer rules described above apply. Use Re-layout when nested comps also need independent copies.

Find the new comps

By default, new comps go into a folder named <source comp> variants beside the source. Fits reuses that folder on later runs. Re-layout puts its nested copies there too.

Names combine the source name and frame label, such as Launch 9x16. A colon, multiplication sign, or asterisk in the label becomes x. If a name is already taken in the project, Fits adds 2, then 3, and so on. Making the same variant again creates another comp.

Change Variants Go To in module settings to place copies directly beside the original instead.

Swap the current comp's dimensions

Use the top-right Swap width and height of the current comp button to turn 1920×1080 into 1080×1920 in place. It centers unparented content with the same movement rules as Crop. It does not make a copy, rename the comp, or add a safe-zone guide.

Swap uses the active comp, even with multiple Project panel comps selected. With no active comp it uses the first selected comp. Check the active viewer before clicking. Use Edit > Undo to restore the previous size and positions.