# grouping layers with pre-compose Your Timeline can easily get uncomfortable with all the Layers and Keyframes cluttering up the view. Sorting through all of that visual information can get overwhelming very quickly. Fortunately, there is an easy way to take control of the chaos: **Pre-Compose**. Think of your main Comp as a big folder of all the layers/objects in your animation. Pre-Compose is like taking some of those layers and putting them into their own folder. You can see the folder in your layer list. You can open that folder up and see only the layers in that folder. Pretty cool, huh? ![[precomp.svg]] Since your Pre-Compose comes on its own layer, it too can be animated on its own. Just add keyframes and move the group as needed. This is good for creating complex sub-animations that will appear on the main Comp Timeline. For example, Pre-Compose an animation of a bird flapping its wings. Then animate that single Pre-Compose layer moving across the screen. The final effect will be a flapping bird flying across the screen. ## how to pre-compose The process is quite simple. Shift-Pick the Layers you want to combine together in your Timeline. ![[Pasted image 20221103171732.png]] Either **Right-Click > Pre-Compose…** or use the pulldown menus for **Layer > Pre-Compose…** to get a new dialog box. Enter a relevant name and OK. Notice that the layers have disappeared and have been replaced by the new Pre-Comp. ![[Pasted image 20221103172409.png]] Also notice the new Pre-Comp in your Project Bin. ![[Pasted image 20221103172501.png]] You can Double-Click the Pre-Comp and it will open up as a new tab on the Timeline. There are your Layers. You can still edit them as needed. ![[Pasted image 20221103172621.png]] --- Learn more… - <https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/precomposing-in-after-effects> - [After Effects Precompose YouTube video from andrew pach](https://youtu.be/xLcSAfNAAzw) - <https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/precomposing-nesting-pre-rendering.html> --- tags: #aftereffects #animation #resources home: [[! after effects]]