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How to use parenting to link layers together in After Effects

Parenting links one layer’s movement to another — when the parent moves, the child follows automatically without needing separate keyframes.

Steps to use parenting to link layers together

Select the child layer (the one that should follow). Look at the timeline and find the Parent column. Click the dropdown next to the child layer and choose which layer should be the parent.

Timeline panel with Parent column highlighted, dropdown menu open showing available parent layer options

Now when you move, rotate, or scale the parent layer, the child layer moves with it automatically. It’s like attaching a rope between two layers — they move as one unit.

Two layers in comp (parent and child) with the child layer visibly following/attached to parent layer position, showing movement connection

You can parent multiple children to the same parent. This is perfect for creating group animations where several elements need to move together — like all the pieces of a logo moving as one.

Timeline with multiple child layers all parented to the same parent layer, or a null object with multiple layers parented to it

One more thing

If parenting looks weird or inverted, you can adjust the child’s position manually or use the null object trick — create a null object, parent everything to it, then animate just the null instead.

Related how-tos

How to use guides and grids in After Effects
How to add keyframes in After Effects
How to use easing for smooth animation in After Effects

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