Align Tools in After Effects help us quickly align layers inside of the After Effects composition. In this post, I will go through and show you all the options that are currently available inside of the Align panel in After Effects. Let’s dive in!
So here we are in Adobe After Effects. The Align panel is on the right side of your screen.
If you do not see it, just go to Window and make sure the Align option is checked.
Now let me show you how awesome the Align Tool truly is.
Right now, the Align Tool is currently disabled. We know that because all the options are dimmed since we do not have anything selected in our timeline.
As soon as I select something from the timeline like the UKRAMEDIA.COM text layer, the Align Tools panel will be enabled.
Align Tools Options
Let’s go over the Align Tools Options. I have basic options in the Align Tools panel. I have the horizontal left alignment, horizontal right alignment, horizontal center alignment, vertical center alignment, vertical top alignment, vertical bottom alignment, and so on. You get the idea.
Let me show you other cool stuff.
Align Layers to Composition and Selection
Select both the UKRAMEDIA.COM and UM Logo 2017.ai layers. If you notice, right now, it says Align Layers to Composition in the align panel.
However, I can do some cool stuff if I switch to Selection.
For example, if I choose align to the bottom of the selection, my layers will automatically be aligned to the bottom of my selection inside of the After Effects composition.
I can also choose to align my layers to the bottom of the composition or the screen.
I can also align my selected layer to the top of the composition. So you get the idea of what this feature does here.
Align Tool in Action
By the way, I used the Align Tool when I created animations for arenas and stadiums. This Align tool came in handy because I had to do a lot of repetitive work. The Alignment Tool was a lifesaver! Let me show you what I mean.
I am going to select and duplicated the UKRAMEDIA.COM and the UM Logo 2017. ai layers with the keyboard shortcut CTRL+D on a PC or CMD+D on a Mac.
Then spread the logos out throughout the strip.
Select the last Ukramedia logo, duplicate it by pressing CTRL+D on a PC or CMD+D on a Mac, and place it at the very end. We want to start with the Ukramedia logo and end it with the Ukramedia logo. Just to keep things consistent.
Now, I can do some cool things if I select all of my layers.
Now we have Distribute Layers options available inside of our Align panel.
So first, I am going to center everything on the Y-axis by clicking on the Center Vertical Alignment button.
Next, I can select the first logo icon on the left and snap it to the left of our composition by clicking on the vertical left alignment button.
We can also do the exact same thing to the very last logo icon on the right side of the screen. Select the last logo icon on the right and click on the Vertical Right Alignment button in our align panel.
Next, let’s shift both the first and the last logo icons inside of our composition.
I want all of my text and logos to have an equal amount of gaps between them. That is when the Align Tool panel comes in handy!
Select all of the layers, go to the Distribute Layers settings inside of the Align panel, and click on the Horizontal Center Distribution button.
As you can see, it does MAGIC! I hope you can see how useful the Align Tools truly are.
I hope you enjoyed this Align Tools Tip. I have a lot more Tips available on our website. Also, make sure to subscribe to our email list!
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