Grab a region
- Open the comp and select the layers that should define the crop.
- For PNG, move the playhead to the frame you want. For GIF or MP4, set the work area.
- Choose the format in Yoink.
- Hold Alt, or Option on Mac, and click Yoink. Crop corners appear over the button while the modifier is held.
Yoink finds a rectangle around the selected layers and adds Region padding, 10 pixels by default, on each side. A 200 × 200 layer with room around it gives a 220 × 220 PNG at the default padding.
The crop stays inside the composition’s edges. It uses the selected layers to measure the rectangle, then renders all visible comp content inside it. Hide unwanted layers in After Effects before grabbing if you want them excluded.
Leave room for movement and effects
For GIF and MP4, Yoink measures selected-layer bounds across the work area, sampling up to 120 times, and uses one fixed crop for the whole animation. Very fast movement between samples can extend beyond that crop.
The bounds come from the layers’ source rectangles and transforms. Glows, shadows or other effects can extend beyond them. Increase Region padding in the options, or use a full-comp grab if the crop cuts off the result.
Padding is measured before GIF scaling. At 50%, 10 pixels of padding becomes about 5 pixels in the output. Max width calculates scale from the full composition width, so a cropped GIF can be narrower than the entered maximum.
If the crop cannot be measured
Select layers with Select layers to crop to means no usable layers were selected. Cameras and lights do not define a crop. Select a visible image, text, shape or other drawable layer.
Off screen means the selected layers have no usable bounds at that time or within the work area, or their crop falls outside the comp. Move the playhead, adjust the work area, or select layers visible inside the frame.
Couldn’t measure the selected layers means After Effects could not evaluate the bounds. Try a simpler selection, or click Yoink without Alt to grab the whole composition.