After Effects allocates RAM to play video and audio in the Timeline, Layer, or Footage panel at real-time speed. The number of frames that can be stored for real-time playback depends on the amount of RAM available and the settings in the Preview panel.The default preview behavior is configured to produce a preview that represents a real-time playback. When you press spacebar (the default keyboard shortcut), After Effects starts a preview with audio, and caches frames until the available RAM is filled.
Include Video: When enabled, the preview plays video.Include Audio: When enabled, the preview plays audio.Include Overlays and Layer Controls: When enabled, the preview shows overlays (for example, grids and guides) and layer controls for selected layers as defined in the View View Options dialog box. This can be enabled regardless of whether Include Video is enabled.Viewer panel overlays include guide lines, safe margins, grids, and 3D reference axes. To choose which overlays to show for the current viewer, open the Choose Grid and Guide options menu at the bottom of the viewer panel.While a preview is playing back, you can dynamically show or hide layer controls using: Cmd + Shift + H (Mac OS) or Control + Shift + H (Windows).Loop: Specify if you want the Preview to play in a loop.Note: Showing or hiding layer controls during a preview does not affect the state of the Layer controls option in the Preview panel.Note: You cannot simultaneously disable all the three Include buttons. At least one button must remain enabled. When you disable the third button, one of the other buttons is enabled. Defines the range of frames that are previewed:.
Work Area: Only the frames within the work area. Work Area - Extended by Current Time: Work area is dynamically extended with reference to the position of the current-time indicator (CTI). If the CTI is placed before the work area, the length of the range is from the current time to the work area end point. If the CTI is placed after the work area, the length of the range is from the start point to the current time.
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Choose one or more of the following behaviors to occur when you stop a preview with the current shortcut or the Play button:. If caching, play cached frames: When this option is enabled and you use this shortcut to stop a preview before caching has completed, only caching is stopped. Playback of cached frames restarts from the beginning of the range.
When this option is disabled, stopping a preview with this shortcut stops both caching and playback. Move time to preview time: When this option is enabled and you use this shortcut to stop a preview, the Current Time moves to the position of the Preview Time. The following actions also cause After Effects to stop a preview:. Click into the previewing viewer panel.
Clicking on the tab of the viewer panel will not stop the preview. Adjust a property of time, such as the Work Area bar or Time Navigator bar. Drag the current-time indicator (CTI) or click in the time ruler, without the Option (Mac OS) or Alt (Windows) key held down.
This action also changes the current time. Change the composition settings of a previewing composition. Hide the previewing viewer panel behind another panel in the workspace. For example, click a different panel in the same group or open a new viewer panel in the same group. Start the render queue. The most basic way of previewing frames is to manually preview by moving or dragging the current-time indicator (CTI).The time ruler visually represents the time dimension of a composition, a layer, or a footage item. In a Layer or Footage panel, the time ruler appears near the bottom of the panel.
For a Composition panel, the time ruler appears in the corresponding Timeline panel. The time rulers in different panels represent different durations.