The exact shortcut to open or reveal the Opacity property for a layer in After Effects is by pressing the T key.
Revealing Opacity with the 'T' Key
In Adobe After Effects, quick access to layer properties is essential for efficient animation and design. The Opacity property, which controls the transparency of a layer, has its own dedicated shortcut.
As stated in the reference:
- You can access the opacity by pressing T.
- By simply pressing T, you can access the Opacity property for one or many layers.
- This allows you to see all the opacity keyframes present on specific layers.
Using the T key is a fundamental shortcut that allows you to quickly reveal and manipulate the Opacity property without needing to twirl down the layer's transform properties.
Here's a summary of the benefits of using the T shortcut:
- Speed: Instantly reveals the Opacity property.
- Efficiency: Works on multiple selected layers simultaneously.
- Visibility: Allows you to see and edit existing Opacity keyframes.
Enhancing Workflow with Alt/Option + T
The provided reference also mentions a related command: "You can one-up this command by pressing Option + T."
While the term "one-up" isn't explicitly defined in the reference, in After Effects, pressing the Alt key (on Windows) or the Option key (on macOS) in conjunction with a transform property shortcut (T, P, S, R, A) typically performs two actions:
- Reveals the specific property (in this case, Opacity).
- Sets a keyframe for that property at the current time indicator's position if one doesn't already exist there, or modifies the existing keyframe value.
So, pressing Alt + T (Windows) or Option + T (macOS) is a powerful shortcut to both reveal the Opacity property and immediately add a keyframe, streamlining the animation process.
Here's a quick overview of the shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| T | Reveals the Opacity property | Works on single or layers |
| Alt + T (Win) | Reveals Opacity AND sets a keyframe | Useful for starting animation |
| Option + T (Mac) | Reveals Opacity AND sets a keyframe | Useful for starting animation |
Mastering these simple shortcuts can significantly speed up your workflow when working with transparency in After Effects.
