Compositions
Create, nest, and switch After Effects compositions with Prism — set dimensions, fps, and duration in plain language, then scaffold whole scene structures with AI.
A composition is the canvas every other capability builds on. With Prism you describe the comp you want — size, frame rate, duration — and the AI creates it as a real After Effects composition, identical to one you would set up by hand. From there it can nest comps, switch which one is active, and scaffold an entire scene hierarchy before you place a single layer.
The active comp is the context
Prism reads and writes against whatever composition is active in After Effects. Open the comp you want to work on, then ask. When the AI reads your project it sees the true state of that comp — its layers, properties, keyframes, and markers — not a description you typed.
Whatever comp is open and active is the comp Prism acts on. To work somewhere else, ask the AI to set the active comp first.
You can switch context by name ("make the intro comp active") and the AI will select it before continuing. This keeps multi-comp projects unambiguous: there is always one clear target.
If no composition is open, the AI has nothing to read or write to, and it will say so instead of guessing. Open or create a comp — "create a 1920×1080 comp at 30 fps" — and ask again.
Creating a composition
Describe the comp in plain language. You can be exact about the settings or leave them to the AI.
The settings map directly onto After Effects:
| Setting | What it controls | Example phrasing |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Width × height in pixels | "1080×1920 vertical" |
| Frame rate | Frames per second | "at 24 fps" |
| Duration | Total length of the timeline | "8 seconds long" |
| Name | How it appears in the project panel | "call it Lower-Third" |
If you omit a value, the AI fills in a reasonable default for the format you describe rather than guessing wildly.
Nesting comps and scaffolding scenes
Real projects are rarely one flat comp. Prism can nest compositions — placing one comp inside another as a precomp — so you build structure the way a motion designer does: a master comp that holds scene comps, each scene holding its own layers.
Because the AI can create multiple comps in sequence, you can scaffold an entire scene tree from a single brief. Ask for "a 15-second master comp with three scene precomps" and Prism creates the master, the children, and nests them in order. You then fill each scene with layers, animation, and effects using the rest of Prism's capabilities.
This is where the composition tools meet the broader system: structure first, then content. The same read-then-write loop that builds a single comp scaffolds a whole sequence — see how Prism works.
A worked example
| You say | Prism does |
|---|---|
| "Build a 15-second 1920×1080 master comp at 30 fps called Promo, with three 5-second scene precomps nested inside it" | Creates the three scene comps, creates the master comp, and nests each scene into the master in order |
What you get back: a native master composition with three precomps already nested and named, ready for you to set one active and start adding layers.
If nothing is open and you ask for layers: Prism has no active comp to read or write to, so it says so rather than guessing — create or open a comp first, then ask again.
Notes and limits
- Comp creation, nesting, and active-comp switching are all reversible — see how Prism works.
- After creating comps, set the right one active before asking for layers or animation, so edits land where you expect.
- If a comp lands somewhere you didn't expect, or an edit looks off, see troubleshooting.
- For deeper structure work, comps pair naturally with the JSON pipeline, which can serialize and rebuild whole comp hierarchies at once.
Related
- How Prism works — the read-reason-write loop and reversibility behind every comp edit.
- Expressions — drive comp content procedurally once the structure is in place.
- The JSON pipeline — restructure a whole comp hierarchy at once.
- Troubleshooting — when a comp or edit lands somewhere unexpected.
Layers
Create, rename, order, parent, and style text, shape, solid, and null layers in After Effects with Prism — the AI reads your live layer set first, then writes native objects.
Effects
Apply and configure After Effects effects and presets in plain language with Prism — native, editable controls, undoable in one step, with honest re-run handling.