Put a selection in order
Select at least two unlocked layers, then click the sort that matches your task. Results run from the top of the selected stack positions downward. The controls reference lists each rule and its default direction.
For numbered names, use Name. A selection containing Layer 10, Layer 2, and Layer 1 becomes Layer 1, Layer 2, Layer 10 from top to bottom.
For layers that enter at different times, use Time. Layers with in-points at 2, 0, and 1 seconds become 0, 1, 2 in the stack. Their in-points stay at those times. Lineup does not sequence layers or change their duration.
For a stack that follows the composition’s layout, use X or Y. These sort by a point on each layer, rather than its visible left or top edge. See the position rules for parented layers and the fallback when comp-space conversion is unavailable.
Flip the direction
Ascending is the default. Hold Shift while hovering over a sort to preview descending, then Shift-click to apply it once.
For repeated descending sorts, click the direction icon in the preview footer. In a compact grid, it is its own tile, labeled Asc or Desc when space allows. It changes the saved Descending setting. Shift-click then uses ascending for one action. Reverse and Shuffle ignore direction.
Sort by distance from a reference
Distance normally puts the nearest layer first, measured from First selected layer. This means the first layer supplied by After Effects’ selected-layer list, not a separate reference you choose inside Lineup. That reference can be locked even though it will not move.
Hold Alt on Windows or Option on macOS to preview the other origin. With the default setting, Alt-click Distance measures from the comp center once.
To use the center every time, set Distance From to Comp center in Lineup's settings. Alt-click then uses the first selected layer once.
Combine Shift with Alt/Option to reverse the direction and switch the origin in the same click. Distance uses X and Y only, so depth does not affect the result.
Read an unchanged result
Already in that order means the chosen rule matches the current stack. It also appears when you reuse a shuffle that already matches. To understand tied values or an unexpected position result, check the sort rules.