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AEAfter Effects

Control Groups

by Scott Black·Workflow

Images © Scott Black. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Stands out in the aescripts library because it treats grouping as its core purpose—fast layer recall and navigation—rather than a side feature, and pairs keyboard-first shortcuts with Stream Deck device profiles.

What is Control Groups?

Control Groups is an After Effects panel built around fast layer recall and navigation. It lets you group layers and save timeline bookmarks, then reach them through global keyboard controls, treating grouping as its core purpose rather than a side feature.

The panel provides ten Control Group buttons—each with a custom icon, colour stripe, and slot number—and ten Space switching buttons for organising work into named Spaces. Modifier keys handle group editing: Overwrite, Add, Subtract, and Exclusive Trim. Locations save points in time inside compositions for instant navigation, and undo/redo history persists across sessions and project files with a configurable cap. Every feature is also reachable with mouse-only controls through the context menu.

For hardware users, pre-configured Stream Deck profiles cover the Classic, Mini, XL, and Plus, with encoder support for Space navigation on the Plus. The panel resizes freely into flat or tall layouts, and a shortcut lock toggle switches the primary global shortcuts on and off.

Who is Control Groups best for?

Control Groups is best for after Effects artists who want fast, keyboard-driven layer recall and timeline navigation.

How much does Control Groups cost?

Control Groups is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Ten Control Group buttons, each showing a custom icon, colour stripe, and slot number, highlighting when selected or previewed
  • Ten Space switching buttons with custom Space names displayed and the active Space highlighted
  • Modifier keys for group editing: Overwrite (Cmd/Ctrl), Add (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift), Subtract (Option/Alt), and Exclusive Trim (Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt)
  • Undo/redo with per-type toggles and history that persists across sessions and project files, plus a configurable cap with automatic trimming
  • Locations: saved points in time within compositions for instant navigation
  • Pre-configured Stream Deck profiles for Classic, Mini, XL, and Plus, with encoder support for Space navigation on the Plus
  • Freely resizable panel usable in flat or tall configurations, with full mouse-only control through the context menu

Tags

#After Effects#layer management#keyboard shortcuts#timeline navigation#Stream Deck#layer grouping#workflow

Frequently asked questions

Does Control Groups work with After Effects 2026?

Control Groups lists tested support for After Effects across the 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 releases on Apple macOS, covering both Intel and Apple Silicon processors. On Microsoft Windows, support covers the 2024, 2025, and 2026 releases. If you run an older After Effects version than those listed for your platform, check the developer's page to confirm before installing, since the supported ranges differ between macOS and Windows.

What operating systems does Control Groups need?

Control Groups requires Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit or later, or Apple macOS 13 Ventura or later. On macOS it runs on both Intel and Apple Silicon processors. As of version 1.8, its shortcut-based commands no longer depend on macOS Accessibility permissions to run. For the exact supported After Effects releases on each platform, and any newer requirements, refer to the developer's page.

Does Control Groups work with a Stream Deck?

Control Groups includes pre-configured device profiles for the Stream Deck Classic, Mini, XL, and Plus, and the Plus profile adds encoder support for Space navigation. Beyond hardware, the panel itself offers ten Control Group buttons and ten Space switching buttons, and every feature can also be driven with mouse-only controls through the context menu. The bundled Stream Deck plugin loads alongside After Effects, so you can trigger groups and Spaces from the device.

How do you change what's in a Control Group?

Control Groups uses modifier keys held with a group's base key to edit its contents. Overwrite (Cmd/Ctrl) replaces a group's contents with your current selection, Add (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift) adds a selection, and Subtract (Option/Alt) removes one. Exclusive Trim (Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt) adds a selection while removing those items from any group they already belong to. Combine Selection merges a selection of layers, items, or Control Groups into the target group and its contents.

Is Control Groups free?

Control Groups is listed as free in this catalog. Since licensing terms can change, check the developer's page on aescripts for the current details before you download. The plugin's core is keyboard-driven grouping and timeline bookmarking for After Effects, with configurable shortcuts, per-type undo toggles, and undo history that persists across sessions and project files, so you can set it up to match how you work.

Alternatives to Control Groups

Also in Workflow for After Effects.

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