When you press Ctrl+D (or Cmd+D ) to duplicate a pre-comp in After Effects, the duplicate is not truly independent. It still references the original footage, original nested comps, and original expressions. Change one, and the other changes too.
Ensure that Update Expressions is checked so that any internal coding doesn't break.
Go to the official Aescripts website: aescripts.com/true-comp-duplicator True Comp Duplicator Script Free Download
Once checkout is complete, download the .jsxbin or .jsx script file directly from your user dashboard.
Detail how to use the instead of duplicating comps When you press Ctrl+D (or Cmd+D ) to
: Creates completely unique copies of nested pre-comps.
The official, updated version of True Comp Duplicator is hosted on aescripts.com. It operates on a "Name Your Own Price" model. You can legally enter $0 as the price to download it for free. If you use it in a professional environment, contributing a few dollars supports the developers who maintain it for modern After Effects versions. Ensure that Update Expressions is checked so that
[Original Comp] ---> Contains [Nested Pre-Comp A] | v (Standard Duplicate) [New Comp Copy] ---> Still Points to [Nested Pre-Comp A] (Changes affect both!) v (True Comp Duplicator) [New Comp Copy] ---> Automatically Creates and Points to [Nested Pre-Comp A Copy 2] Key Features
True Comp Duplicator solves this by creating new, unique instances of every nested layer. Use Case Scenario: Modular Template Design
It saves hours of manual relinking and prevents disastrous file corruption. The original script costs around $50 USD from Aescripts.