How to Cycle Label Colors in After Effects

Organizing complex timelines in Adobe After Effects often relies on assigning distinct label colors to layers. While After Effects does not feature a single, built-in factory shortcut that automatically cycles through every label color in sequence, you can quickly assign colors manually, map custom keyboard shortcuts to specific labels, or use lightweight scripts to achieve a true one-key color cycling workflow.

The Default Label Workflow

By default, the standard method for changing a layer's color is through the Timeline panel. Click the small colored square next to the layer number or layer name, then choose any of the 16 preset label colors from the drop-down menu. Clicking this swatch also gives you the option to choose "Select Label Group," which instantly selects all timeline layers sharing that identical color.

Setting Up Keyboard Shortcuts for Labels

To bypass the mouse and assign colors rapidly via your keyboard, you can map shortcuts to individual label presets:

  1. Open the Keyboard Shortcuts editor by navigating to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows) or After Effects > Keyboard Shortcuts (macOS).
  2. In the search bar on the right side of the panel, type Label.
  3. Under the application commands list, you will see entries for each label slot (such as Label 1, Label 2, through Label 16).
  4. Click next to the desired label name and press the key combination you wish to assign (for example, using the number pad or combinations like Ctrl + Alt + 1 through 9).
  5. Click OK to save the changes.

Once assigned, selecting any layer and pressing your shortcut will immediately apply that specific label color.

Creating a True One-Key Cycle Using Scripts

If you require a single key that continuously cycles through colors one after another, you must use a short ExtendScript.

By writing a brief script that checks the current label index of the selected layer (integers 1 through 16) and increments it by one upon each press, you can cycle through your entire palette. This script can be saved to your Scripts folder and assigned a direct keyboard shortcut using workflow extensions like KBar or native script launching tools.

Customizing Label Color Palettes

You can modify the colors and names of your label slots by navigating to Preferences > Labels. Here, you can adjust the RGB values of each preset swatch and rename them to match your project pipeline, ensuring that whatever shortcuts or cycling methods you deploy conform to your preferred visual structure.