Where is the pick whip in After Effects?

It is the spiral icon in the Parent & Link column of the Timeline. If the column is hidden, right-click a column header and turn on Parent & Link.

What is the difference between parenting and an expression pick whip?

Parenting makes a layer inherit another layer's whole transform. The expression pick whip links one property to another, such as rotation to a slider, and leaves everything else alone.

Why does my layer jump when I parent it?

Parenting normally keeps the layer where it is on screen. In Premation it jumps only if you hold Alt (keep the child's values) or Shift (snap onto the parent) while dropping.

Glossary

Pick-whip

Name: Premation
Author: Premation

A drag gesture that links one thing to another: a layer to a parent, or a property to an expression that reads another property.

Also called Pickwhip, Pick-whip, Parent pick whip, Expression pick whip.

In After Effects

In After Effects the pick whip is the spiral icon in the Timeline's Parent & Link column, and beside a property once an expression is enabled on it. Drag it onto a layer to parent, or onto another property to write an expression that references it.

In Premation

The spiral icon beside a layer name or property. Drop it on a layer to parent, on a property to write the expression for you.

Step by step

To parent, drag the spiral from a layer's row in the Layers panel or the timeline, or from the Parent row in Properties ▸ Blending and switches.
Drop it on the parent layer in the Layers panel or the timeline. The line turns solid over a layer that can accept the link and stays dashed over one that cannot.
Hold Alt while dropping to keep the child's own values (the layer jumps), or Shift to snap the child onto the parent.
To link a property, open the expression editor in the Graph panel (Window ▸ Panels ▸ Graph Panel), pick the property, then drag from the expression's header onto another property row to insert a reference at the caret.

Tips

Parent a set of layers to a null and animate the null to move them together while each keeps its own animation.
A plain pick-whip parent does not move the child on screen; its transform is compensated at the moment you link it.
A layer cannot be parented to itself or to one of its own children, which is why the line stays dashed over those rows.
Dropping an expression whip on a layer instead of a property references the same property on that layer, which is a quick way to say 'follow that layer'.

Read the docs: Transforms and parenting

Questions

Where is the pick whip in After Effects?: It is the spiral icon in the Parent & Link column of the Timeline. If the column is hidden, right-click a column header and turn on Parent & Link.
What is the difference between parenting and an expression pick whip?: Parenting makes a layer inherit another layer's whole transform. The expression pick whip links one property to another, such as rotation to a slider, and leaves everything else alone.
Why does my layer jump when I parent it?: Parenting normally keeps the layer where it is on screen. In Premation it jumps only if you hold Alt (keep the child's values) or Shift (snap onto the parent) while dropping.

Related terms

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