Transforming
The transform box
Section titled “The transform box”The selection wears a transform box:
- Drag inside to move. Shift keeps the move on one axis.
- Drag a handle to scale. Shift on a corner keeps proportions; Ctrl scales from the pivot.
- Drag just outside a corner to rotate. Shift snaps to 15° steps.
Ctrl+Shift+B, or the toolbar’s transform box button, shows or hides the box. The choice is remembered separately for the Selection tool, the Magic Wand, and the other tools.
Scaling with the box follows the Scale strokes and Scale corners switches.
Transform modes
Section titled “Transform modes”The toolbar’s Transform Mode sets how a multi-selection transforms:
| Mode | Box |
|---|---|
| Combined | One box around everything, square to the comp |
| Individual: Comp | One box per object, square to the comp |
| Individual: Object | One box per object, turned with that object’s own rotation |
The pivot
Section titled “The pivot”Transforms turn about the pivot: the point chosen in the toolbar’s Transform anchor grid (center by default), or a point you click with the Rotate or Scale tool. It is separate from a layer’s or group’s After Effects Anchor Point, which transforms never move.
Transform tools
Section titled “Transform tools”| Tool | Key | Click | Drag |
|---|---|---|---|
 Rotate | R | Sets the pivot | Rotates. Shift snaps to 15° |
 Reflect | O | Sets the mirror line | Sets the line’s angle. Shift snaps |
 Scale | S | Sets the pivot | Scales. Shift keeps proportions |
 Shear | Shift+S | Sets the pivot | Shears. Shift snaps the axis to 45° |
Alt-click with Reflect to type an angle, and choose whether to make a copy.
Shearing a rectangle, ellipse or star converts it to a path.
Flip horizontal and Flip vertical in the right-click menu mirror the selection across its own center, with the Reflect card.
Scale tool options
Section titled “Scale tool options”With the Scale tool active, Properties shows a Scale section:
- Scale strokes: stroke widths scale with the artwork. Off, strokes keep their weight.
- Scale corners: corner roundness scales with the artwork. Off, corners keep their roundness.
Both are off by default and are also in Preferences. They apply to the Scale tool, keyboard scaling and the transform box.
Anchor tool
Section titled “Anchor tool”The Anchor Tool moves a layer’s or group’s After Effects Anchor Point without moving the artwork, as the Pan Behind tool does in After Effects. It shows the anchor of the selected layer or group; drag it to move it. It snaps, including to the object’s own center. Away from the anchor, the tool works like Selection.
Ctrl+Alt+Home, or double-clicking the tool’s button, centers the anchor in the artwork.
The Anchor Tool has no key by default. The After Effects shortcut preset gives it Y.
Keyboard transforms
Section titled “Keyboard transforms”Press the key of the active Selection (V), Direct Selection (A), Scale (S) or Rotate (R) tool a second time to transform from the keyboard:
- Move the mouse to preview.
- Press X or Y to lock an axis (Move and Scale), or middle-click to lock the axis you are moving along.
- Type a number for an exact amount. A move needs an axis first.
- Enter or a click applies it; Escape cancels. Choosing another tool also applies it.
For Selection and Direct Selection the second press starts a move.
Nudging
Section titled “Nudging”The arrow keys move the selection by the Keyboard increment in Preferences, 1 px by default. Shift+arrow moves it ten times as far.
Snapping
Section titled “Snapping”With the toolbar’s magnet on, drags snap to points, the edges and centers of other shapes, the comp’s edges and center, and guides, with smart guides naming what they caught. Hold Ctrl during a drag to flip snapping for that drag, except on a scale handle, where Ctrl scales from the pivot. Snap distance in Preferences sets how close the pointer must come.
Align and distribute
Section titled “Align and distribute”Align in Properties lines up the selection:
- Align left, horizontal centers, right, top, vertical centers, bottom, or center both ways.
- Distribute edges or centers, or set an exact gap between objects in pixels.
- Align to the selection, a key object, or the composition. With one object selected, it aligns to the comp.
- Aligning several objects to the composition, Each aligns every object to it, and Together moves the selection as one.
With points selected, Align moves the points.
Duplicate, copy and paste
Section titled “Duplicate, copy and paste”| Command | Key | Places the copy |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate | Ctrl+D | Directly above the original |
| Alt-drag | Where you drop it. See Repeat | |
| Paste | Ctrl+V | In the center of the view |
| Paste in front | Ctrl+F | In place, above the selection |
| Paste in back | Ctrl+B | In place, below the selection |
| Paste in place | Ctrl+Shift+V | In place, at the top of the stack |
Copies get the next number in their name (“Logo” becomes “Logo 1”). Copy and paste work within Design Mode only, not with other apps. A duplicated layer is created by Push as new.