by Aris Melachroinos·Workflow
Illustrative cover generated by AnyPlugins — no product screenshot available.
Parenter earns its place in the aescripts library for a focused job: moving grouped layers without touching their animation, then cleanly restoring the original parenting when you're done.
Parenter groups selected layers under a new null layer inside After Effects, letting you reposition them without affecting their existing animation. By default the null is created at the center of your selection. Move the Parenter null and every child layer moves with it.
The Toggle icon lets you move the Parenter without affecting the children, and clicking it again re-enables the connection. The Remove icon deletes the Parenter and restores the layers' original parents; Alt/Option-clicking it also restores the position, scale, and rotation the Parenter applied. Modifier keys change how the null is created: Ctrl/Cmd+Click places it at the last selected layer, Shift+Click at the center of the composition, Alt/Option+Click links the children's opacity to the Parenter, and Right Click creates a 3D Parenter null.
You can also add layers to an existing Parenter, copy and paste a parent to multiple layers, and clear parents from selected layers. Parenter works with After Effects 22.0 (October 2021) and newer.
Parenter is best for after Effects artists who need to reposition multiple layers together without disturbing their animation.
Parenter is completely free to download and use.
Parenter runs on After Effects 22.0 (October 2021) and newer, so recent versions are covered. However, the new parametric 3D shapes introduced in After Effects 2026 aren't supported. If your project relies on those parametric 3D shapes, keep that limitation in mind. For all other layer types across supported versions, Parenter groups your selection under a null, moves them together, and restores their original parents when you remove it.
Parenter includes a Toggle icon for exactly this. Select the Parenter null and click the Toggle icon to move it independently of its child layers, then click the icon again to re-enable the connection so the children follow once more. When you're finished, the Remove icon deletes the Parenter and restores the layers' original parents. Alt/Option-clicking the Remove button also restores the position, scale, and rotation the Parenter applied to the layers.
Parenter lets you add layers to a Parenter you've already created. Select the new layers you want to add, then last-select the existing Parenter layer and click the Create Parenter icon; a dialog appears to confirm the action. You can also unlink only selected layers from their Parenter by selecting those layers and clicking the Remove button, which gives you control over exactly which layers stay grouped together.
Parenter is listed as free here in our catalog. For current licensing terms and any updates to how it's distributed, check the developer's page on aescripts. The script covers a specific workflow: grouping selected layers under a null so you can reposition them without affecting their animation, adding layers to an existing Parenter, copying and pasting parents to multiple layers, and clearing parents from selected layers.
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