After Effects allows you to add assets and animations in layers. It also goes a step further by enabling real-time transformations as the video plays.
Understanding how to move an anchor point in After Effects is vital to fine-tune any transformation, making your project truly stand out. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to complete the process.
What Is an Anchor Point?
An anchor point is a pivotal point around which your transformations revolve. As animations are a type of transformation, it’s essential to set an anchor point as a “center of gravity” before initiating an animation effect. Without it, there’s no central reference point for the animation, making it impossible for the program to apply the animation consistently and with the intended motion. Since you need to place the anchor point before setting up your animation, it’s common to move it as you fine-tune the final visual that will appear in your video.
How to Move the Anchor Point
If you try to move the anchor point in the transform menu, you’ll typically end up moving the entire layer, which is not usually desirable when adjusting the anchor. Instead, you want the layer to remain stationary, with the moved anchor altering the behavior of your effect. To do this:
Activate the Pan-Behind tool, which allows you to move the anchor point without moving the layer. The keyboard shortcut for this is Y. Then, drag and reposition the anchor point to your desired location. As long as the Pan-Behind tool is active, it won’t move the layer with it.
Deselect the Pan-Behind Tool
That’s all there is to setting the anchor point in a new location without moving the layer. Remember, in most instances, your anchor point should be roughly at the center of the layer it’s operating on.
Cover image via Lina Chekhovich
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