How to Create a New Composition in After Effects

Creating a composition is the essential first step for any project in Adobe After Effects, serving as the container where all your video layers, animations, and audio reside. This guide explains how to quickly create a new composition from scratch using menu commands and keyboard shortcuts, how to automatically build one from existing footage, and how to configure key settings like resolution, frame rate, and duration.

Method 1: Create a Composition from Scratch

Building a blank composition allows you to customize your project dimensions, frame rate, and duration before adding any assets.

  1. Open the Composition Window:
    • Go to the top menu bar and select Composition > New Composition.
    • Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + N (Windows) or Cmd + N (macOS).
    • If your project is completely empty, you can also click the New Composition button located in the center of the Composition panel or at the bottom of the Project panel.
  2. Configure Your Settings:
    • Composition Name: Enter a descriptive name for your composition.
    • Preset: Choose an industry-standard preset (such as Social Media Portrait HD or HDTV 1080 29.97) to automatically populate resolution and frame rates.
    • Width and Height: Manually enter pixel dimensions if you are not using a preset. Uncheck Lock Aspect Ratio if you need custom proportions.
    • Frame Rate: Set the frames per second (fps), typically 24 fps for cinematic work, or 30/60 fps for web and broadcast video.
    • Duration: Set the total length of your composition using the timecode format (Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames).
    • Background Color: Choose a placeholder background color (this serves as a canvas guide and remains transparent upon final export unless rendered with a background layer).
  3. Save the Composition:
    • Click OK to generate your new composition in both the Project panel and the Timeline.

Method 2: Create a Composition from Footage

If you want your composition to match the exact resolution, aspect ratio, and frame rate of a specific video clip or image, create it directly from your source media.

  1. Import your media by dragging files into the Project panel or pressing Ctrl + I (Windows) / Cmd + I (macOS).
  2. Select the imported clip in the Project panel.
  3. Perform one of the following actions:
    • Drag and drop the asset onto the Create a new Composition icon (a small filmstrip icon at the bottom of the Project panel).
    • Right-click the asset and select New Comp from Selection.
    • Drag the asset directly into the empty Timeline panel.

After Effects will instantly generate a new composition with the same name, dimensions, frame rate, and duration as your source file.