Adobe After Effects Cheat Sheet 2026
The 30 highest-yield Adobe After Effects facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.
- What does the 'Range Selector' in a Text Animator control? → Which characters the animator affects and the amount of influence over them
- What is the shortcut to jump the Current Time Indicator to the next keyframe on a selected layer? → K
- What does the 'Enable Per-character 3D' option on a text layer do? → Converts each character into an individual 3D layer that can be positioned in 3D space
- What does `thisComp.layer("Layer Name").transform.position` do in an After Effects expression? → Returns the current position value of a named layer in the same composition
- What property on footage would you allow to speed up one portion while slowing down another? → Time Remapping
- What does the 'Collapse Transformations' switch do for a pre-composed layer? → Passes the pre-comp's transformations and frame size through to the parent composition
- What is a 'Shape Layer' in After Effects primarily used for? → Creating resolution-independent vector graphics and motion graphics elements
- What does the 'Curves' effect in After Effects allow you to control? → The tonal response of individual color channels or the overall luminance of a layer
- What is the 'Threshold' effect used for in After Effects color work? → Converts an image to black and white based on a luminance threshold value
- Which After Effects renderer supports extruded 3D text and shape layers with real geometry? → Cinema 4D Renderer
- What does `Math.sin(time * frequency) * amplitude` create when applied to a Position expression? → A smooth sinusoidal oscillating motion at the given frequency and amplitude
- What is a track matte used for? → Using one layer's alpha or luminance to define another's transparency
- What does the Roto Brush tool help you accomplish? → Separate a foreground subject from its background
- Which After Effects feature allows you to apply an effect to all layers in a composition without pre-composing? → Adjustment Layer
- Which tool is used to draw a mask directly on a layer? → Pen tool
- Which effect in After Effects allows you to replace all pixels of one color with a new color while controlling edge tolerance? → Change Color
- What is 'Render Order' important for when applying multiple effects to a layer? → Effects are processed sequentially from top to bottom in the Effect Controls panel
- Which panel lets you adjust the velocity and easing of keyframes with curves? → Graph Editor
- What is the RAM preview shortcut key? → 0” on the number keypad
- In After Effects, which of the following is not a type of layer? → {HYPERLINK 'javascript:void(0);"}
- Which panel shows real-time pixel and color values under the cursor? → Info panel
- What does `linear(t, tMin, tMax, value1, value2)` do in After Effects? → Linearly interpolates between value1 and value2 as t moves from tMin to tMax
- Adobe Media Encoder (AME) is commonly used alongside After Effects primarily because it allows you to: → Render and encode in the background while After Effects remains usable
- What does the term 'parenting' mean in After Effects? → Linking one layer's transforms to follow another
- In the After Effects Output Module, what does selecting '16 bpc' (bits per channel) affect? → The color depth and precision of the output file
- Which After Effects effect provides a Lumetri-style color grading interface with scopes and creative looks? → Lumetri Color
- When rendering a composition with transparency for use over other footage, which format should be selected? → QuickTime with RGB+Alpha channel
- What is the function of the 'Anchor Point' property in After Effects animations? → It defines the pivot point around which a layer rotates and scales
- Which shortcut reveals all keyframed properties of a selected layer? → U
- Which After Effects effect is most commonly used to remove a green or blue screen background? → Keylight (1.2)
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