AE: export selected Composition

Once in a while, we need to copy a single Composition from one Project to another.
The way to do this:
1-Save the Project under a new name
2-Select the Composition you want to copy
3-Choose File/Dependencies/Reduce Project
4-Save
5-Open the destination Project
6-Import the Saved Project (#step 4)

Wouldn't it be great if steps 1-4 could be replaced by a new function called:
Export Selected Composition

Thanks!

Cinema 4d: Fit to Image / keeping the aspect ratio of a texture

Today I learned about Fit to Image. Never was aware of its purpose. Wouldn't it be more clear to add a function called 'Original Aspect Ratio', or 'Constrain Aspect Ratio', to keep an image undistorted?

After Effects: copy color

Wouldn't it be great when with a right click on any color patch in any effect/text/solid/etc. dialog, the color could be copied to the clipboard and pasted elsewhere!

Think it's a great addition and a real time saver.

InDesign unlogical stroke alignment

Strokes are still a pain in InDesign.
It just does not work as expected. In Adobe Illustrator and After Effects strokes work like they should.

Example 1 of 2:

When we choose for center aligned stroke (see Stroke panel Align Stroke),
the handles of the Object are still on the outside! That is not what the icon promised, and it is not what we need.

Example 2 of 2:

InDesign changes the size of objects when stroke alignment is changed! That's not what we want! The stroke width should not influence the size of an object. None of the other Adobe Apps shows that behaviour, since it is not logical.

Better use for the project filter/search

In AE, I think the filter/search in the Project panel can be improved in this way:

When selecting an item while a filter is active, it would be helpfull when this is kept selected when the filter is cleared.

This is especially needed, when the found item is deep in the hierarchy. Clearing the filter wil hide it again.

I think the hieararchy should be unfold to show the found item.

After Effects: paste Layer above active Layer

One of my workflows uses selecting, trimming and coloring footage in Premiere, and then paste the clips in After Effect.

But the clips are always pasted on top of the AE Composition.

I would like to have more control:

For instance select an AE layer, and let the pasted layer appear right above the selected one.

After Effects: Interpretation Rules

In After Effects, setting the default interpretation for your footage, is a rather archaic process. You have to edit a textfile to do this.
I think it's better and modern to have a 'Learn' button in the footage interpretation dialog:
Set the right interpretation for an item, hit the Learn button and AE adds the new rule automagically to the interpretation rules for the user. All subsequent footage item of the same nature will be interpreted in the way you learned AE.

After Effects ui: Layer Styles and Compositing Options in Effect Controls panel

I think it would be convenient when Compositing Options (and Layer Styles) are accessible from Effect Controls.

Since Effect Controls is vertical oriented, and the Time Line horizontal, I like Effect Control more to edit such parameters.

AE Slip Edit without moving keyframes

Most of the time I use the Slip Edit tool, I want the keyframes to keep their place in time. AE has no fast solution for this. There is a workaround, but I think AE needs a more comfortable way to do this. Just by ALT-dragging for instance: drag the Slip tool to take the keyframes along, ALT-drag to only move the footage time, not the keyframes' time.

AE negative colors

Today, I was able to enter negative color values in After Effects.
I checken with Adobe, but this was not on purpose. Aglitch or bug.

But it made me thinking of a feature that allows negative colors: per channel subtracting color from underlying layers. I think that would open a range of possibilities for keying, color correction ans masking!

After Effects Folders in the Timeline

Wouldn't it be great when Compositions with massive numbers of Layers could be organised in Layer Folders (a bit like Photoshop can do).

These Folders are different from PreComps:
1-the folders are foldable/unfoldable to give access at any moment, without leaving the Composition
2-the Layers withing the Folders act like normal Layers, and can have different compositing modes to influence all Layers underneath.
3-Layers inside and outside the Folder can refer to eachother (Set Matte, Parenting, Expressions, ...)

After Effects lock project items

Would be nice:

Abilitiy to lock (and hide!) project items.