More about Precomp Limbs

Precomp limbs are covered from 3:05

Precomp limbs are simple to make and simple to Add Art to, but sooner or later you might want to go inside the precomp and change something by hand.

You can do whatever you like to artwork layers inside a Precomp limb - add more layers, apply effects or expressions to them, add their properties to Essential Graphics, precompose them… Anything After Effects can do, you can do. Just make sure that any artwork layers are parented to either the Upper Art Parent or Lower Art Parent.

Resetting Precomp Limb Pivot Points

Inside a precomp limb, the Upper Art Parent, Lower Art Parent and End layers are the limb's pivot points - where you placed your indicators when you made the limb. If you un-parent artwork from these layers, it won't move with the limb.

To adjust the pivot points, you can use After Effects' Anchor Point Tool to move the Anchor Points of the pivot layers, without moving the layers themselves. Then, you must click the Reset button, which tells Limber to reset everything based on the new pivots: you'll see the pivots re-center around the Anchor Points that you moved.

In the video below, when the limb is moved, the artwork sticks out awkwardly. Inside the limb layer precomp, I re-position the Lower Art Parent and End layer's Anchor Points. Then I click Reset, and back in the main comp, everything works better.

Use the Reset button if you change the pivots in a precomp limb.

Resetting Precomp Limb Durations

If a Precomp Limb ends up with a shorter duration than the comp it's in, you'll often want to extend it. Select one or more Precomp limb layers in the timeline, hold Option / Alt and click the Reset button. Limber will extend the duration of the limbs, and layers inside them, to match the duration of the longest comp in which they are used.

You can also select limb comps in the Limber Limbs folder in the Project Panel, and Option / Alt + Reset their durations from there.