How to make pre-comps independent in Adobe After Effects

Pre-compositions are a consolidation of the layers you've been working with in After Effects! If you duplicate a pre-comp in the Composition (or timeline) panel, it will be tied to the original pre-comp. When you make a change in one, it will affect the other. To make a pre-comp independent, duplicate it in the Project panel instead!

0:00 Find your pre-comp in the project panel
0:15 Duplicate the pre-comp
0:22 Explanation

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[clubbinmag]

I’ve been looking for this for days!!!! Called Adobe customer service several times for help on this, and they couldn’t help me at all!!! Most of them know absolutely nothing (nothing they can’t read in the help manual)

THANKSGIVING TO YOU!

[mep-tvkidsmusic]

This should be an automatic function, not something you must search for on the internet. It's totally counterproductive if you don't know this: make multiple copies expecting them to be individually editable only to find out that you lost all the work you just spent several hours on. Thanks for the info. But Really? Adobe?

[Unknwn_Legend]

Man i struggled for 39 hours, still could not find the solution. and your 39 Seconds saved my project, and made it look so easier. God bless you.

[SANJEEVKUMARGUPTA]

39 secs are life saver . This is amazing. Subsd

[josiahtaundidesigns]

Thank goodness. You saved my life forever. Was tired of copying and pasting layers then precompose rename gain and again

[allie]

thank you so much i have always wondered how to do this!!! you have saved me so much time i love you

[mattesowah]

I don't know you but I love you. so much. you saved me so much time :)

[Zakvfxx]

so useful ! thanks adobe inc for your help

[aditiainc]

THANKS A LOT!!! GOD BLESS YOU & UR FAMILY

[Monique-vlbw]

I've gotten all the way to the last step.. how do I make the pre-comp independent? The problem I'm facing is that although I've duplicated the pre-comp, the actual file inside of it is still linking to the original so it's making changes to both of them instead of just one

[bladesofdestiny]

you just saved me HOURS of pain! this video needs more views. you.are.awesome!

[ntandomadela]

An pop up comes up and I can' read the rest

[reaper]

thank you so much i was confused why changing one precomp changed the other one

[antarch]

thank you so much, you are a life saver

[iamWhiteCat]

i new in adfter effects and i spend 30 min or more for undesrtand that. Thank you

[mongolen_klaus]

omg, sometimes I think that Adobe intentionally makes life difficult. How can you make something so simple so complicated? It's 2024 and it's still complicated, thank you Adobe

[arsyed]

i make compostion but my dublicate comp same if i cange the one comp then it's changed both comp

[zohaibjamal]

This is a strange way of doing work but it works . There should be an easy method or option in the composition panel.

[juzs]

Didn't work. When you duplicate in Project Panel, do you drag it into the composition panel? or how do you work on it?