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About After Effects Audio/Video switches

    The Timeline window contains the Audio/Video Features and the Switches columns. By default, these columns appear to the left (A/V Features) and right (Switches) sides of each layer name, but you can hide a column or arrange columns in a different order. (See "Default controls and columns in the Timeline window" on page 105 and "Optional columns" on page 107.)

    Use the switches to adjust the balance between display performance and display quality during your work session, clicking switch icons for individual layers to turn them off or on. You can also control them for selected layers by choosing Layer > Switches > command. Check marks next to commands indicate that those switches are currently turned on.

    The A/V Features column includes the Video Video switch , Audio Audio button , Solo Solo icon , and Lock Lock icon switches. The Switches column contains the Shy Switches column indicates whether a layer is shy or not shy. , Collapse Transformations Collapse Transformations/Continuously Rasterize switch, Quality Quality switch, Effects effect switch , Frame Blending Frame Blending switch, Motion Blur Motion Blur switch, Adjustment Layer Adjustment Layer switch, and 3D Layer  3D Layer switch switches.

    Tip iconQuickly change switches for multiple layers by clicking the switch for one layer and dragging up or down that column for the adjacent layers.

    By default, the layers' Switches column shares space in the Timeline window with the Modes column, so one or the other is visible--but not both. You can toggle between the two columns or show both columns simultaneously.

To toggle between the layers' Switches column and the Modes column:

    Click Switches/Modes at the bottom of the Timeline window.

    Note: The Expand or Collapse button Expand/Collapse icon at the bottom of the Layer Names column hides and reshows the Switches column. If you do not see Switches, click the Expand or Collapse button.

To display both the Switches and Modes columns:

  1. Click the right arrow above the Timeline window vertical scroll bar to open the Timeline window options menu.
  2. Choose Columns > Modes (if Modes is not checked) or Columns > Switches (if Switches is not checked).

    3. When you set the layer quality, enable motion blur or enable frame blending switches in a composition with other compositions nested within it, After Effects also sets these switches in the subordinate compositions. (The per-layer motion blur and per-layer frame blending switches are not affected in subordinate compositions.)

    If you do not want the switch settings you add to parent compositions to apply to the compositions nested within them, change that at the Preferences level.

To prevent switches from operating through nested compositions:

  1. Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows), or After Effects > Preferences > General (Mac OS).
  2. Deselect the Switches Affect Nested Comps option, and click OK.
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