Move Nested Comp Attributes in After Effects

When working in Adobe After Effects, nesting layers into a new composition—known as pre-composing—is an essential technique for organizing complex projects and applying universal effects. This guide explains how to transfer attributes such as effects, masks, keyframes, and transform properties from an existing layer into a new nested composition, as well as how to move attributes into a pre-existing nested composition after it has already been created.

Moving Attributes When Creating a Pre-Comp

The standard method for moving attributes into a new nested composition occurs during the pre-composition process.

  1. Select the layer containing the attributes you want to move in your timeline.
  2. Go to the top menu and select Layer > Pre-compose, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + C (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + C (macOS).
  3. In the Pre-compose dialog box, choose the second option: Move all attributes into the new composition.
  4. Check the box for Open in new composition if you want to immediately edit the contents of the newly nested pre-comp.
  5. Click OK.

Selecting "Move all attributes into the new composition" packages the layer's source along with all of its applied effects, keyframes, masks, time remapping, and transform data inside the new nested timeline. The outer layer in your main composition becomes a clean pre-comp container with default transform values and no active effects.

Note: If you select multiple layers, After Effects automatically moves all attributes into the new composition by default, as leaving attributes is only supported for single-layer selections.

Moving Attributes Into an Existing Nested Composition

If you have already pre-composed a layer and left the attributes on the outer pre-comp, you can manually move those attributes inside at any time.

Step 1: Copy the Outer Attributes

  1. Select the pre-comp layer in the main timeline.
  2. In the Effect Controls panel, select all the effects you want to transfer, then press Ctrl + C (Windows) or Cmd + C (macOS) to copy them.
  3. If you also need to transfer transform keyframes, press U to reveal them on the timeline, select the keyframes, and copy them.

Step 2: Paste Attributes Inside the Pre-Comp

  1. Double-click the pre-comp layer to open its timeline.
  2. To apply the attributes directly to the source footage, select the interior layer and press Ctrl + V (Windows) or Cmd + V (macOS).
  3. Alternatively, create an Adjustment Layer (Layer > New > Adjustment Layer) at the top of the nested timeline and paste the effects onto it to affect all elements within the nested composition.

Step 3: Remove Attributes from the Outer Layer

  1. Return to the main composition timeline.
  2. Select the outer pre-comp layer and delete the copied effects from the Effect Controls panel to prevent duplicate processing.
  3. Reset any transformed properties back to their default values if they are now being handled inside the nested composition.