by Poly Artboard·Workflow
Images © Poly Artboard. Used for product review; image policy.
Faux Lock earns its place in the aescripts library for a focused fix: layers that stay click-through in the viewport yet fully editable in the Timeline, driven by a native real-time engine on macOS and Windows.
Faux Lock is a panel for After Effects, developed by Poly Artboard, that makes selected layers click-through in the Composition viewport. Those layers stay fully selectable and editable in the Timeline, so adjustment layers, guides, and mattes that keep swallowing your clicks can be locked where they get in the way while you keep editing them where you work.
Switching is automatic and click-driven: select a target in the Timeline to temporarily free it, then click back in the viewport to re-lock it. A multi-target panel lets you add, lock, hide, select, or remove many layers at once, and it runs on a native real-time engine with live cursor hit-testing for macOS universal and Windows.
Version 1.0.1 adds a quick on/off toggle in the main panel, with disabled rows dimmed so you can tell when Faux Lock is paused, plus a Timeline selection highlight that marks the matching row in the panel. Two options in Settings let you turn either feature off.
Faux Lock is best for after Effects artists who need adjustment layers, guides, or mattes to stop intercepting clicks in the Comp viewport while staying editable in the Timeline.
Faux Lock is completely free to download and use.
Faux Lock is compatible with After Effects 2026, 2025, and 2024, so the 2024 release is supported alongside the two newer versions. It runs as a panel you open from Window > Extensions > Faux Lock, powered by a native real-time engine with live cursor hit-testing that works on macOS universal and Windows. If you are on an After Effects release older than 2024, check the developer's page on aescripts for current compatibility details before installing.
Faux Lock installs through the aescripts + aeplugins manager app: open the manager, search for Faux Lock, and install it. After that, restart After Effects and open the panel from Window > Extensions > Faux Lock. To start using it, select one or more layers and click + Add to make them targets, then enable Faux Lock so those targets become click-through in the Comp viewport. For the latest install notes, the developer's page on aescripts is the place to check.
Faux Lock uses a native real-time engine with live cursor hit-testing that supports macOS universal and Windows, so it works across both platforms. On either system it makes target layers click-through in the Composition viewport while keeping them selectable and editable in the Timeline. Switching is click-driven: select a target in the Timeline to free it for editing, then click back in the viewport to re-lock it. For platform-specific details, check the developer's page on aescripts.
Faux Lock is listed as free here in our catalog. For the current licensing terms and any conditions, check the developer's page on aescripts, since licensing can change over time. The most recent update, version 1.0.1, also refreshed the aescripts licensing framework to the latest version. Once it is installed through the aescripts manager, you open the panel from Window > Extensions > Faux Lock and add layers as targets to begin using it.
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