(@pecourtejoie.bsky.social)

Using Rulers in Adobe After Effects Rulers are the quiet precision tool in After Effects—perfect for checking alignment, building clean layouts, and keeping motion paths honest. Bring them on with View > Show Rulers or Cmd+R (Mac) / Ctrl+R (Win), and you unlock a handful of small features that pay big dividends. What you can do fast * Reset the origin: In the Comp panel’s upper-left corner, click and drag the tiny crosshair to reposition the ruler zero point—great for centering a design or measuring from a logo edge. * Pull guides: Click-drag from the top or left ruler into the frame to create horizontal or vertical guides. * Snap with intent: Toggle snapping for guides with Cmd+Shift+; (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+; (Win). * Hide/Show guides: Cmd+; (Mac) / Ctrl+; (Win). * Lock guides: Cmd+Option+Shift+; (Mac) / Ctrl+Alt+Shift+; (Win) to keep them from drifting. A 60-second alignment pass I use * Show Rulers (Cmd/Ctrl+R). * Set the origin by dragging the corner crosshair to the comp center or a key edge. * Pull two guides for margins; pull a third to anchor a headline or lower-third baseline. * Enable guide snapping (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+;) and nudge layers into place. * Lock guides (Cmd/Ctrl+Option/Alt+Shift+;) and hide them (Cmd/Ctrl+;) to review the clean frame. Pro tips & pitfalls * Save reusable layouts: Build a “Guide Template” comp with your standard margins; duplicate it for new spots and titles. * Check type on a baseline: Use a horizontal guide for consistent text alignment across scenes. * Customize the look: In Preferences > Grids & Guides, adjust guide color/visibility so they’re readable on your footage. * Clear clutter: When you’re done, choose View > Clear Guides to reset. Make rulers and guides part of your setup ritual. One minute of alignment up front keeps your comps looking polished—and your revisions list blissfully short. http://dlvr.it/TP09hJ