Moving Effects Between Layouts
A layout is a rectangular area within the Mapping field where effects play: the Main layout occupies the entire field, while additional layouts mark out parts of it, so that different animations go to different fixtures. Each effect belongs to a single layout and is only visible on fixtures that fall within that area. That's why moving an effect to another layout is a normal operation: the effect is already configured, and it just needs to be shown on a different part of the project. It is moved in the Timeline window by dragging, along with all its parameters and keyframes.
What Is Kept and What Changes When Moving
| Kept | Changes |
|---|---|
| All effect parameters and keyframes | The fixtures the effect is visible on — now these are the fixtures of the new layout |
| Position on the timeline and duration | The area the effect is drawn in: it is rebuilt to fit the size and shape of the new layout |
| Blend mode, opacity, and the effect's name | Its place in the stacking order — the effect goes wherever you put it |
The effect always fills the entire area of its layout, so after moving to a layout of a different shape the picture may look different: stripes become narrower or wider, a large image shrinks, motion covers a different distance. This isn't an error, it's the effect being recalculated for the new proportions. The settings themselves aren't reset — if needed, just adjust them in the Properties window.
How to Move an Effect
- Open the composition by double-clicking it in the Compositions window. The Timeline window shows the tracks of all layouts in the project.
- Expand both layouts — the one the effect is currently in, and the one you want to move it to: click the triangle to the left of the layout's name. A collapsed layout shows neither its effects nor a place to drop a new one.
- In the left part of the Timeline, find the row with the effect's name.
- Press the left mouse button on that row and, without releasing it, drag the cursor to the target layout. The program shows where the effect will land: the layout's row is highlighted, and an insertion line appears between neighboring effects.
- Release the button. The effect moves to the new layout and immediately starts playing on its fixtures — the result is visible on the Mapping field and in the 3D View.
An unsuccessful move can be undone with Ctrl+Z and redone with Ctrl+Y.
The effect's bar in the right part of the Timeline controls not the layout, but the time: dragging it shifts the effect along the timeline, and with Shift held it snaps to the start and end points of neighboring effects and to the playback cursor. Between layouts, the effect is moved specifically by its name row.
Where Exactly to Place the Effect
Within a layout, effects stack: the one higher in the list is drawn on top of those below it, according to its own blend mode and opacity. That's why, when moving an effect, not only which layout it lands in matters, but also its position within that layout's list: higher — if it should cover the others, lower — if it should serve as their background. The position is set at the moment of dragging by the insertion line, and can be changed afterward the same way — by dragging within the layout.
Layouts themselves stack the same way: a layout positioned higher in the Timeline overlaps those below it wherever their areas intersect. The Main layout occupies the entire field, so an opaque effect in it will cover everything playing in the other layouts.
If the Effect Isn't Visible After Moving
Check, in order:
- whether the new layout is covered by another layout positioned higher in the Timeline (layouts are reordered by dragging; the Main layout can also be moved below the others);
- whether the effect itself is enabled — the checkbox next to its name — and whether its opacity is set to zero;
- whether the fixtures you need fall within the layout's boundaries: the boundaries are visible on the Mapping field, see Создание и изменение лейаутов;
- whether the playback cursor is within the effect's bar — moving the effect doesn't change its timing, so it may simply not have started yet or may have already ended.
How to Do Without Moving
A new effect from the Effects window is added to whichever layout is selected in the Timeline (the selected layout is filled with a lighter color); if no layout is selected, it goes to the Main layout. Select the layout you need in advance, and you won't have to move the effect. For details, see Добавление эффекта в композицию.
If you need an effect in two layouts at once, don't move it — make a copy: right-click the effect, choose Duplicate, and move the copy to the other layout. From then on these are two independent effects — edits to one don't affect the other.
Things to Keep in Mind
- Layouts are shared across the whole project, while effects belong to a specific composition. Moving happens within the open composition and doesn't affect other compositions: they have the same layouts but their own set of effects.
- It's more convenient to move several effects one at a time — that way you can see the order they'll end up in within the new layout.
- Not only library effects are moved this way, but also images, sequences, and video added to the timeline — they exist within layouts on the same terms.