Select several layers at once and the inspector becomes a group editor: shared panels that write to every selected layer, staggered keyframe values, and Distributor presets that lay the group out in time and space with one click.
Group editing
Multi-select text, shape or media layers (marquee on the timeline, or Shift-click) and the shared editor opens: Keyframes, Transform, Border and Shadows apply to every selected layer at once; shape groups also share the Background panel. A green line above Group as sequence reminds you that changes apply to all.
- The group Keyframes panel has the same playhead, click-a-key-to-seek and time mapping as single-layer editing.
- Opening a layer’s keyframes selects the key nearest the playhead, so parking on a key and switching layers shows that key’s values immediately.
Stagger
In group editing, the key editor’s property label carries a Stagger badge (a layers icon; the amount shows when active). Click it to set an amount and a Forward / Backward direction: the first layer keeps the value you type, the second gets +10, the third +20, and so on — changing the amount re-fans the layers instantly from the same base. Structural edits (moving, adding, deleting keys, easing changes) sync to all layers without touching their values.
Distributors
With a group selected, the panel grows an Edit | Distributor tab strip. The Distributor unlocks when the selection has one layer per channel and the channels are unsnapped (a notice explains what to change otherwise). Every preset applies instantly as one undo step, and changing an option re-applies it live.
Timeline Distributor
Re-times the selected clips with motion-design presets: Stagger (fixed step), Sequence (end-to-start + gap), Overlap (% of the previous clip), Decelerate / Accelerate ramps, Center out, Edges in, Fit range, Random (click again to re-roll), Align start / end — with Order (top→bottom, bottom→top, by canvas X/Y, random) and Anchor (playhead or first clip). Steps can be negative to run a stagger backwards.
Position Distributor
Lays the layers out on the canvas: Grid (auto or fixed columns), Row, Column, edge lines, Diagonal, Circle, Arc, Cascade, Stack, Wave and Scatter. The stopwatch in its header switches between writing the layer transforms and writing Position keyframes at the playhead — so a layout can be animated from or to.
Keyframe Distributor
Re-times one chosen key of one keyframed property across every selected layer. Pick the property and the key (First, Second, … Last), then apply one of nine rhythm presets — Align, Stagger, Decelerate, Accelerate, Center out, Edges in, Fit range, Random, Wave — with Position/Step/Spread/Curve options. The section shows live key lanes (one row per layer, the targeted key lit) so the effect is visible before you commit. A key never crosses its neighbours, values and easings stay untouched, and each apply is one undo step.
Where to go next
- Keyframe Builder
- Graph Editor and Custom Easing
- Grid Builder — a live, always-editable arrangement instead of a one-shot layout
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