Adobe After Effects - Manual (Page 157)

3D Layer
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Identifies the layer as a 3D layer. If the layer is a 3D layer with 3D sublayers—as is the case for a text layer with per-character 3D properties—the
switch uses this icon: . (See 3D layers overview and resources.)
Toggle visibility or influence of a layer or property group
The Video (eyeball) switch for a layer controls whether the visual information for a layer is rendered for previews or final output. If the layer is an
adjustment layer, the Video switch controls whether the effects on the layer are applied to the composite of the layers below it. If the layer is a
camera or light, the Video switch controls whether the layer is on or off.
Several components of layers—such as paint strokes, path operations in shape layers, and text animators in text layers—each have their own
Video switches. You can use the Video switch to toggle the visibility and influence of these items individually.
To turn off the visibility of a layer deselect the Video switch for the layer.
To select the Video switch for all layers, choose Layer > Switches > Show All Video.
To deselect the Video switch for all layers except the selected layers, choose Layer > Switches > Hide Other Video.
Solo a layer
You can isolate one or more layers for animating, previewing, or final output by soloing. Soloing excludes all other layers of the same type from
being rendered—both for previews in the Composition panel and for final output. For example, if you solo a video layer, any lights and audio layers
are unaffected, so they appear when you preview or render the composition. However, the other video layers do not appear.
To solo one or more layers, select the layers in the Timeline panel, and click the Solo icon to the left of the layer names.
To solo one layer and unsolo all other layers, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Solo icon to the left of the layer name.
The Video switch is dimmed for other layers when a layer is soloed, indicating that the other layers are not visible.
Lloyd Alvarez provides a script on his After Effects Scripts website with which you can tag layers and then select, shy, and solo layers according to
their tags. The tags are appended to comments in the Comments column in the Timeline panel.
Lock or unlock a layer
The Lock switch prevents layers from being edited accidentally. When a layer is locked, you cannot select it in either the Composition or Timeline
panels. If you try to select or modify a locked layer, the layer flashes in the Timeline panel.
When a layer is locked, the Lock icon appears in the A/V Features column, which appears by default to the left of the layer name in the
Timeline panel.
To lock or unlock a layer, click the Lock switch for the layer in the Timeline panel.
To unlock all layers in the active composition, choose Layer > Switches > Unlock All Layers.
Color labels for layers, compositions, and footage items
You can use labels (colored boxes in the Label column) in the Project panel and Timeline panel to organize and manage compositions, footage
items, and layers. By default, different label colors indicate different kinds of footage items, but you can assign label colors to indicate whatever
categories you choose.
Rename label groups to help you to organize and categorize layers and footage items. To see label names in the Label column, widen the
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