The Project panel holds every item in your project: imported footage, stills, audio, compositions, folders and layer assets. It is the After Effects Project panel.
Layout
- Project tabs across the top, one per open project. Click a tab to switch, × to close that project, + to start a new project. A dot after the name means unsaved changes.
- Preview of the selected item: thumbnail, details, and how many times it is used. Click Used N times ▾ to pick a use; Brio opens that comp and selects the layer. Unused items say Not used; a file that isn't where the project expects shows Missing. Image sequences show Plays at, the frame rate the sequence plays at (Interpret Footage). Changing it stretches layers that show the whole sequence to the new length.
- Item list with columns Name, Res (resolution), Dur (duration) and FPS. Click a column title to sort by it. Drag a column divider to resize it; double-click to reset.
Header bar buttons
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| New folder | Make a folder. |
| New composition | Make a new comp. Drop a file, clip, still or comp on this button to build a comp that matches it. |
| Import footage | Open the import dialog. |
Using the panel
- Import: click the import button, use File ▸ Import (⌘I / Ctrl+I), double-click empty space in the list, or drop files onto the panel.
- Organise: drag items onto folders. Folders nest.
- Use: drag an item into the Viewer or Timeline to add it as a layer. Double-click a comp to open it. Double-click a layer asset to place it.
- Rename: double-click an item's name.
Drag across empty space to marquee-select several items. Dragging a selected item carries the whole selection.
Right-click menu
| Item | Shown for | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| New Comp from Selection | Footage with a frame size | Build a comp that matches the item. |
| Add to Comp | Layer assets | Place the asset in the active comp. |
| Update Asset from Selection | Layer assets, with layers selected | Replace the asset's contents with the selected layers. |
| Set Poster Time | The active comp | Use the current frame as the comp's thumbnail. |
| Reset Poster Time | Comps | Go back to the default thumbnail. |
| Rename | All | Rename the item. |
| Cut / Copy / Paste | Items (folders: Paste only) | Clipboard operations. |
| Duplicate | All | Duplicate the item. |
| Reveal in Timeline and Layers | Items in use | Select the layers that use it. |
| Move to Root | Items inside a folder | Move out of all folders. |
| Delete | All | Remove the item. |
| Import as Layers… | SVG, EPS and PS files | Import the file as separate layers. |
| Reload Footage | Files | Reread the file from disk. |
| Replace Footage… | Files | Point the item at a different file. |
| Reveal in Finder (File Explorer on Windows) | Files | Show the file on disk. |
Shortcuts
These work when the Project panel has focus.
| Action | Mac | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Copy items | ⌘C | Ctrl+C |
| Cut items | ⌘X | Ctrl+X |
| Paste items | ⌘V | Ctrl+V |
| Duplicate items | ⌘D | Ctrl+D |
| New folder from the selected files | ⌘G | Ctrl+G |
| Select all | ⌘A | Ctrl+A |
| New project | ⌘N | Ctrl+N |
| Switch to project 1–9 | ⌘1–⌘9 | Ctrl+1–Ctrl+9 |
| Next project | ⌘` | Ctrl+` |
Tips
- Copy and paste works between project tabs.
- Column widths are remembered between sessions.