Main controls
The full panel starts on Variants, with Fill active and 9:16 picked. If a custom preset list has no 9:16 entry, the first frame is picked instead. Hover an icon for its tooltip.
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| Variants | Opens the output frame picker. |
| Settings | Opens the batch composition form. This is separate from module settings. |
| Source name and dimensions | Shows the first source comp, a count for multiple comps, or Select a comp. |
| Swap width and height of the current comp | Swaps the current comp’s dimensions in place and centers movable content. |
| Frame tile | Picks or unpicks an output size. |
| Add a custom W×H frame | Opens the width and height popup. |
| Smart · Fill | Makes linked variants scaled to cover each frame. |
| Smart · Fit | Makes linked variants scaled to fit inside each frame. |
| Re-layout | Copies the comp tree and repositions outer layers by thirds. |
| Crop | Copies the outer comp and centers its content in the new size. |
| Safe zone guide: on/off | Toggles guide creation for new variants. |
| Make N variants | Makes one variant per source and picked frame. Shorter slots show Make N or just a count. |
The fitting guide explains the modes and their effects on linked sources, parents, position keys, and locked layers.
Frame selection and shortcuts
| Gesture | Result |
|---|---|
| Click a frame | Toggles it in the picked set. |
| Shift-click a frame | Adds it without unpicking it if already picked. |
| Cmd-click on Mac or Ctrl-click on Windows | Picks only that frame. |
| Alt-click a frame | Flips its Fill/Fit choice and picks it if needed. Only smart modes use this choice. |
| Right-click a frame | Opens the frame menu below. |
| Enter in the custom size popup | Adds or picks that size. |
| Escape or outside click | Closes the custom popup or compact panel. If both are open, Escape closes the custom popup first. |
Frame context menu
| Menu item | Result |
|---|---|
| Fill this frame | Sets a Fill override without changing the picked set. |
| Fit this frame | Sets a Fit override without changing the picked set. |
| Only this frame | Replaces the picked set with this frame. |
| Make a 9:16 variant now | Immediately makes the clicked frame for the current sources, using the current mode. The label matches that frame. |
| Remove this frame | Deletes the preset, without removing comps. Disabled for the last frame. |
Batch settings fields
Every field starts unchanged. Empty text, -, or – leaves the property alone. Numeric fields also accept a trailing fps, px, s, or °; this does not convert units.
| Field | Accepted input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 0.001 to 10800 seconds, or nonnegative timecode | Changes comp duration. |
| Frame rate | 1 to 999 | Sets frames per second. |
| Width | Whole pixels, 4 to 30000 | Changes comp width without moving layers. |
| Height | Whole pixels, 4 to 30000 | Changes comp height without moving layers. |
| Pixel aspect | 0.01 to 100 | Sets pixel aspect ratio; 1 means square pixels. |
| Start | Whole frame number from -1080000 to 1080000, or signed timecode | Sets display start frame or time. |
| Background | Three- or six-digit hex, with or without # | Sets comp background color, such as #123 or #112233. |
| Shutter angle | 0 to 720 degrees | Sets the comp’s motion blur shutter angle. |
| Shutter phase | -360 to 360 degrees | Sets the comp’s motion blur shutter phase. |
| Resolution | Click cycles –, Full, Half, Third, Quarter | Sets preview resolution. Right-click resets to unchanged. |
| Keep fps | Click cycles –, On, Off | Sets preserve frame rate when nested. Right-click resets to unchanged. |
Timecode is interpreted as described in Change settings across comps. After Effects must also accept the value. A timecode of zero duration makes no duration change.
| Other Settings-tab control | Default | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Nested | Off | Includes all levels of nested precomps. |
| Reset every field to – (unchanged) | Not applicable | Clears fields and turns Nested off. |
| Apply to N comps | Not applicable | Applies filled values. Shorter slots show Apply N or a count. |
| Comp list | Current settings | Shows before-and-after values once fields are entered, or Select comps to change when no comps are available. |
Slot sizes
A short wide slot puts tabs and Swap on the left, the working area in the middle, and actions on the right. The Settings form scrolls horizontally in this layout.
In a compact slot, clicking a frame immediately makes a smart variant. Alt-click uses the opposite Fill/Fit choice for that action.
The ellipsis opens all frames, modes, and batch settings. Only the leading presets fit into the smallest slots.
Compact quick buttons always make smart variants, even if Re-layout or Crop was last chosen in the expanded panel. The right-click Make a 9:16 variant now item uses the chosen mode instead. Tooltips may be hidden in the smallest slots; open the ellipsis panel for the full controls.
Processing limits
One action accepts up to 500 source comp IDs and the first 32 picked target frames in preset order. Keep larger batches within those limits. Nested traversal includes deeper precomps and processes each comp once.