Controls
Icon names below use their tooltip text.
| Control | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Target chip | Shows the number of selected layers or items. Click to switch when the other kind has a selection. | Layers when selected in the active comp; otherwise Project panel items. |
| Pattern field | Builds each new name from text and tokens. An empty pattern behaves as {name}. | {name} |
| Find and replace / Back to the pattern | Switches the visible fields. Edits in both views remain active. | Pattern view. |
| Find | Text or regex to replace in the original name. | Empty. |
| Replace | Replacement text. Empty removes the matches. | Empty. |
| Regex button | Switches from literal text to regex with replacement groups. | Off. |
| Case matching button | Toggles Ignore case and Match case for finding text. | Ignore case. |
| Case | Cycles Case, Title, lower, UPPER for text tokens. Compact labels are Aa, Ab, ab, AB. | Case, no conversion. |
| Token buttons | Insert a token at the caret or replace selected pattern text. Scroll the token row to reach more tokens. | Visible when space allows. |
| Tokens and numbering | Opens the token buttons when there is no room for their row. Available in pattern view. | Closed. |
Arrow beside {#} | Opens Numbering with Start, Step, and Pad. | Closed. |
| Recent patterns | Restores an applied recipe. | Empty. |
| Options | Opens Trim spaces and Also rename sources. | Closed. |
| Ellipsis button | Opens controls that do not fit in the slot. In a compact find view it also exposes Replace. | Shown as needed. |
| Apply | Reads the current selection again and applies the preview if it still matches. Its count includes targets with a name or source change. | No change with the default recipe. |
Apply is temporarily unavailable while a rename is running.
Preview marks and feedback
| Mark or message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Highlighted name text | The part of the proposed name that differs from the original. |
| Lock icon | Locked · skipped. The row stays unchanged. |
| src | Source renamed too. The source name differs from the proposed layer name and source renaming is enabled. See source behavior. |
| ! | Same name as another row. A proposed name matches another selected row. Duplicate names are allowed. |
| N will change | Targets with a name or source change. It is not the total number of source items renamed. |
| Nothing changes | No selected target has a name or source change in this preview. |
| N clash | Rows involved in duplicate-name warnings. Only names within this preview are compared. |
| N names changed | Completed layer/item and source rename counts added together. |
| N renamed | Brief button confirmation for layer or item renames. Very narrow buttons show just the number. A lock count shows skipped layers. |
The success toast reports Renamed N layers or Renamed N items, with N sources too and N locked skipped when relevant. A source-only change can show 0 renamed while the toast reports the source change.
Keyboard and modifiers
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Enter in the pattern, Find, or Replace field | Apply the preview. |
| Alt held | Preview numbering in selection order. Alt-click Apply to use that order. |
| Shift-click the case chip | Cycle case backward. |
| Escape | Close a popover. In a name field, also remove focus from the field. |
| Click outside a popover | Close it. |
Selection and refresh
Layer selection takes priority automatically, regardless of which After Effects panel has focus. The target chip switches only when the other kind has a selection. A click without an available alternative leaves the target unchanged.
Only selected layers in the active composition or selected Project panel items are read. Selecting a folder renames that folder, without selecting or renaming its contents. At most 2,000 targets are read in one batch.
Renamer refreshes when the pointer enters it, when its window regains focus, and before applying. Return the pointer to the tool after a selection change, manual rename, or undo. If the selection changes during Apply, Renamer asks you to review the refreshed preview and apply again.
After a successful application, the same recipe and targets are held as applied. A second Apply reports Already applied · edit the pattern to rename again. Edit the recipe or change the targets to start another rename.
Slot size
Renamer adds at half width and also supports full width. Narrow slots wrap the toolbar, shorten labels, and show proposed names without the old-name column.
In Edit layout, drag the slot's resize handle to give the preview more space.
Short slots remove the preview list, then move the toolbar into the ellipsis menu. The smallest row keeps the field and Apply side by side.
Open the ellipsis for target, case, tokens, recent recipes, and options. When there is no list, a count or the menu's status text summarizes changes. Enlarge the slot when you need to compare names.