<p>You can replace a comp in the timeline with a comp from your project tab:</p>
<ol>
<li>Select a comp in the project tab</li>
<li>Select the layer in your timeline that you want to replace</li>
<li>Hold down <kbd>alt</kbd></li>
<li>Drag and drop the new comp from the project window</li>
</ol>
<p>It will replace the layer in the timeline, maintaining all the settings on that layer.</p>
<p>You can show or hide a layer using the Opacity control on each layer. Select the layer and press <kbd>T</kbd> to reveal them (remember it as &quot;opaci-T&quot;).</p>
<p>Then you can make a keyframe on that layer to animate it on or off (hold keyframes are useful for this).</p>
<p>You could also pre-comp all your layers onto a single layer, then use Time remap to select which frames appear when (and use <a href="https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/loop-expression-after-effects" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the Loop expression</a> on the time remapping to loop sections if necessary).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-05T12:08:50.583Z
but i want to still keep the old one, I want to switch them out at a certain point in time
stackers
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-05T12:10:39.807Z
Duplicate the original layer, then do a split / duplicate at the point where you want to make a new one  using CMD + SHIFT + D ?
tomh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-05T12:18:47.330Z
added to the answer about using opacity to show or hide layers
tomh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-05T08:18:32.243Z
2021-05-05T12:27:16.313Z
2021-05-05T12:27:16.313Z
tomh
<p>Is there anyway to swap a composition with another via the timeline, so the new one still has all the same properties as the old one? (rather than just putting them on separate layers and ending one and starting a new one).</p>
<p>Or maybe hide/show the layers within the comp via the timeline? (trying to animate a character with a few preset animations)</p>
<p>Right now I have the animations on separate layers, but it's annoying to keep adding a layer every time i want to swap the animation, because it makes lots of layers, and i have to manually line them up every single time.</p>
<p>This is what I currently have, but I'd like it to all be on a single layer:
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/RAFri.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/RAFri.png" alt="https://i.imgur.com/XfLGkf5.png" /></a></p>

<after-effects>
Can I swap out compositions, or control a composition's layer visibility via the timeline?
stackers
# Can I swap out compositions, or control a composition's layer visibility via the timeline?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-05-04)

Is there anyway to swap a composition with another via the timeline, so the new one still has all the same properties as the old one? (rather than just putting them on separate layers and ending one and starting a new one).

Or maybe hide/show the layers within the comp via the timeline? (trying to animate a character with a few preset animations)

Right now I have the animations on separate layers, but it's annoying to keep adding a layer every time i want to swap the animation, because it makes lots of layers, and i have to manually line them up every single time.

This is what I currently have, but I'd like it to all be on a single layer:
[![https://i.imgur.com/XfLGkf5.png](https://i.sstatic.net/RAFri.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/RAFri.png)

**Tags:** after-effects


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-05-05. Score: 1

You can replace a comp in the timeline with a comp from your project tab:

1. Select a comp in the project tab
2. Select the layer in your timeline that you want to replace
3. Hold down `alt`
4. Drag and drop the new comp from the project window

It will replace the layer in the timeline, maintaining all the settings on that layer.

You can show or hide a layer using the Opacity control on each layer. Select the layer and press `T` to reveal them (remember it as "opaci-T").

Then you can make a keyframe on that layer to animate it on or off (hold keyframes are useful for this).

You could also pre-comp all your layers onto a single layer, then use Time remap to select which frames appear when (and use [the Loop expression](https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/loop-expression-after-effects) on the time remapping to loop sections if necessary).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: but i want to still keep the old one, I want to switch them out at a certain point in time  
> **username_1**: Duplicate the original layer, then do a split / duplicate at the point where you want to make a new one  using CMD + SHIFT + D ?  
> **username_1**: added to the answer about using opacity to show or hide layers  

---

