What It Does
Deep Comp eliminates the need to jump between compositions by letting you navigate through nested precomp structures and unfold any precomp directly into your main timeline. You can edit unfolded layers with instant visual feedback, then fold them back when done. The plugin generates a precomp tree browser for your entire project and provides keyboard shortcuts for quickly soloing or disabling compositions and layers at any nesting level.
Key Features
Precomp tree navigation. Click refresh to view the complete hierarchy of nested compositions under your main comp. Enable “Open Comp Onclick” to jump directly to any sub-comp in the tree with a single click.
Unfold and fold. Select any precomp in the tree and unfold it. The plugin brings those layers into your main composition where you can edit them live, see immediate changes in context, then fold them back into the original precomp. Changes persist automatically.
Live editing with instant feedback. Add, remove, or modify layers, masks, and effects inside unfolded precomps. The main comp updates in real time. Click the Update button to synchronize non-expression-linkable elements like new layers or effects.
Solo and disable controls. Double-click a comp to solo it. Right-click to unsolo. Hold Alt (Option on Mac) and right-click to disable or enable comps. The same controls work for individual layers: Alt + left-click to enable/disable, standard click to solo/unsolo, right-click to enable and unsolo all.
Alpha channel checker. Generate temporary alpha checkerboard layers for any precomp in the tree to verify transparency.
Duplicate on unfold. Option to duplicate a precomp at the project level when unfolding, useful for experimenting without altering the original.
Who It’s For
Motion designers working with heavily nested compositions who need to see how changes in a buried precomp affect the final output without constantly navigating up and down the comp tree. Useful for color matching layers across nested structures, adjusting timing in context, or quickly testing layout changes.
Pricing
Deep Comp costs $49.99 for a single-user license. Floating server licenses are available. A free trial is offered. The plugin is developed by Marco Sanasi and works in After Effects CC 2014 through 2026.