Functionality
Defaults
Sets what the panel starts with each time you open it:- Align to: the default Align to target.
- Modifiers: which modifiers start active.
- Spacing Amount: the default value in the distribute spacing field, in pixels.
Settings
Toggles that change how Align Pro calculates a layer’s bounds:| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Detect Paragraph Text | Measures paragraph (box) text layers by their text box, rather than the edges of the visible text. |
| Use Average as Center Point | When aligning to the center of your selection, uses the average of each layer’s own center instead of the center of the selection’s combined bounding box. |
| Use Entire Mask | When Align to Masks is on, uses the mask’s full shape instead of clipping it to the layer’s own visible bounds. |
| Ignore Masks on Shape Layers | When Align to Masks is on, skips mask bounds specifically for shape layers, using the shape’s own geometry instead. |
| Use Shape Extents | Includes stroke width and other rendering extents when measuring a layer’s bounds. |
| Ignore Layers Parents | Temporarily detaches each selected layer from its parent before aligning, then reattaches it, so a parent’s transform doesn’t skew the result. We recommend this is turned on. |
| Use Selection Order | When distributing, breaks ties between layers at the exact same position using the order you selected them, rather than their layer stacking order. |
Use Shape Extents is experimental, so expect occasional weirdness.
Appearance
Theme
System, Darkest, Dark, or Light. Darkest works on any After Effects version; the others require After Effects 25 or later and are unavailable below it.UI Layout
- Orientation: Default, Vertical, or Horizontal, to match how you’ve docked the panel. Choosing Vertical or Horizontal automatically turns off Labels and Show Menu, since there isn’t room for them.
- Elements: choose what appears in the panel:
- Labels: the text headings above each section (Align Layers, Distribute Layers, and so on).
- Show Menu: displays the Align to control as a dropdown menu instead of a row of icon buttons.
- Align, Distribute, Spacing, Modifiers: show or hide each control section independently, so the panel only contains what you use.