What It Does
Parenter solves a common After Effects headache: moving layers that already have position keyframes. Instead of manually offsetting every keyframe or breaking your animation, Parenter groups selected layers under a null object. Move the null, and all child layers follow while their keyframes remain intact.
Key Features
Create Parenter. Select the layers you want to reposition, click the button, and Parenter generates a null at the center of your selection. All selected layers become children of this null. Move the null to reposition everything together.
Add to existing Parenter. The 1.70 update lets you add more layers to an existing Parenter null. Select the new layers, then the Parenter layer last, and click to confirm. Useful for building grouped animations incrementally.
Shortcuts and modifiers. Hold Ctrl/Cmd while clicking to create the Parenter at the last selected layer’s position instead of the selection center. Shift + Click creates it at the comp center. Alt/Option + Click links child opacity to the Parenter, so fading the null fades all children. Right-click creates a 3D Parenter null, combinable with other shortcuts.
Remove and restore. Click the Remove button to delete the Parenter null and restore original parent relationships. Alt/Option + Click the Remove button also undoes any transformations (position, scale, rotation) applied via the Parenter, reverting layers to their pre-Parenter state.
Toggle on and off. The Toggle button temporarily disconnects children from the Parenter, letting you reposition the null without moving the layers. Click again to reconnect. Helpful when fine-tuning Parenter position without affecting the animation.
Copy, paste, and clear parents. Batch parent operations work across multiple layers. Copy a parent from one layer and paste it to several others at once. Clear parents from selected layers with a single click.
KBar support. All functions can be added to KBar as buttons. Arguments include Create, CreateLast, CreateComp (and 3D versions), Remove, RemoveAndUndo, Copy, Paste, Clear, and Launch.
Who It’s For
Motion designers working with complex keyframed animations where layers need repositioning mid-project. Animators who parent layers frequently and want faster workflows. Anyone tired of selecting the parent dropdown or dragging the pick whip.
Compatible with After Effects 2022 and newer. Doesn’t support the parametric 3D shapes introduced in After Effects 2026.
Pricing
Parenter uses a pay-what-you-want model. The suggested price is $7.99 for a single-user license. You choose what to pay, making it accessible regardless of budget. Floating server licenses available for multi-seat studios. One-time purchase, no subscription.
