Transforms, anchors & parenting
The transform properties
| Property | Notes |
|---|---|
| Position | X and Y are independent tracks, so they can be keyframed and eased separately without separating dimensions first. Z appears when the layer is 3D |
| Scale | Percentage, X and Y |
| Rotation | Degrees, around the anchor point. X and Y rotation appear when the layer is 3D |
| Opacity | 0–100 |
| Anchor Point | The origin that rotation and scale pivot around |
| Size | Width and height, where the layer type has them |
Every row has a stopwatch to arm keyframing and a scrubbable value field — drag on the number rather than clicking into it.
The scene graph is the single source of truth: a layer’s transform lives in its own transform component and nothing else holds a copy. If a value looks wrong somewhere, the transform is right and the other reader is stale.
The anchor point
Almost every “why is it rotating around the wrong place” question is an anchor point question. Two ways to fix it:
- The Pan Behind tool (Y) moves the anchor without moving the layer on screen.
- The Anchor Point row in Transform takes exact values, and its field is scrubbable.
Parenting
Set a parent from Transform → Parent & Link. The child inherits the parent’s transform; its own transform then applies on top.
Two guarantees:
- Reparenting does not move the layer on screen. The transform is compensated so the visual result is unchanged at the moment you reparent.
- Cycles are not expressible. The parent picker excludes the layer itself and all of its descendants, so you cannot build a loop.
The classic use is a null: parent a group of layers to a null, then animate the null to move them together while each keeps its own animation.
Align & distribute
In the Transform tab:
- Align left / centre / right horizontally.
- Align top / middle / bottom vertically.
- Distribute evenly — needs three or more layers to mean anything.
Auto-orient
In the Settings inspector tab, under motion-path options. When a layer has an animated position path, auto-orient rotates it to face its direction of travel. Useful for anything that should look like it is flying rather than sliding.
Multi-select
Select several layers and the canvas draws a group gizmo: combined bounds with corner scale handles. Moving, scaling and the align/distribute actions all operate on the group.
Motion paths
Toggle motion-path display from the viewport header. The path is drawn on the canvas with its keyframes as points; drag them to reshape the trajectory directly.
Ctrl/⌘ + Alt + S smooths the motion path of the selected layers.