Nest.

Keep images, videos, links and notes together in a creative workspace inside After Effects. Organize your references, plan your projects and keep everything close to the work.

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  • After Effects

Documentation

Getting Started

Overview

Nest is a reference board inside After Effects. Collect images, videos, links, notes, timers, effect presets and compositions next to your project. Arrange them on boards and bring them into your comp when you need them.

  • Nest saves everything automatically. There is no Save button.
  • Hover over a button for a tooltip. Tooltips can be disabled in Settings.
  • Status messages at the bottom explain what happened or what is missing.
  • Ctrl/Cmd + Z undoes the last change on the board.

Boards

Managing Boards

The strip under the title holds your boards. A new installation starts with the Welcome to Nest! board, a short tour of the different nodes.

  • Click + on the left to create a board.
  • Click a board to open it; drag it to change its order.
  • Right-click for Rename, Export board, Export HTML or Delete.
  • Empty boards are deleted immediately. Boards containing nodes ask for confirmation.
  • Drag a board onto another board's canvas to create a link. Click that link to jump between boards.

Export and Share

Board JSON

Export board saves a .board.json file. Drop it onto the top of Nest to import the board on this or another computer.

HTML Export

Export HTML saves the board as a web page you can send to someone who does not have Nest.

Adding Nodes

Files, Paste and Search

  • Drop files from your computer: images, videos, audio, PDFs and other documents.
  • Paste an image, link or text with Ctrl/Cmd + V. Links become link nodes; text becomes a text node.
  • Drag compositions from the AE Project panel onto the board. Click the node later to open the composition.

Search Titles

Type in the search field to find a node by its title.

Capture and Import

AE Screenshot captures the current frame of the active composition. Local File opens a file picker.

Text Node

Use Text Node in the toolbar for ideas, tasks, feedback or project notes. Click the node to open its editor and rename it in the title field.

The example shows a note from the starter board alongside its open editor. Notes also support checklists, quotes, formatting, translations and composition links.

Table and Kanban

Table

Create a small tracker for shots, tasks, references, approvals or client feedback.

Kanban

Organize cards into columns to track work from initial ideas through completion. Choose Table / Kanban in the toolbar.

Effects Preset

Select a layer, or specific effects on that layer, in After Effects and click Effects Preset. Nest saves the effects as a node.

In its preview, Apply adds the saved effects to selected layers. You can also apply a single effect from the list.

Working on the Board

Move and Arrange

  • Mouse wheel: zoom. The percentage appears in the corner.
  • Middle mouse button: drag to pan.
  • F button: fit all nodes into view.
  • Drag a node to move it, or click it to open its preview.
  • Right-click for Rename, Open preview and a color label.
  • The close button deletes a node. Click Undo immediately afterward or use Ctrl/Cmd + Z.

Selection, Groups and Matrix Mode

Several Nodes

Drag on empty canvas to select multiple nodes. Ctrl/Cmd or Shift + click adds or removes a node from the selection.

Group places selected nodes inside a named frame. Moving the group moves everything inside. Use Ctrl/Cmd + C and Ctrl/Cmd + V to copy nodes, including between boards.

Matrix Mode

The grid button next to search lines nodes up in a grid. Drag a node to change its order. Click the grid button again to return to free arrangement.

Node Preview

Media and Files

Click a node to open its preview. Rename it using the title field at the top; the close button closes the preview.

Available Actions

  • Import: bring the file into the Project panel.
  • Add to Comp: import it and add it to the active composition.
  • Download: save an online image or video into the project folder and turn the node into a local file.
  • Open: open the link or file outside After Effects.
  • Apply: apply an Effects Preset to selected layers.

A missing badge means the file has been moved or deleted on disk.

YouTube

YouTube links play directly in the preview.

To download video or audio into your project, first click Install in Settings > YouTube Download. This is a one-time helper installation of about 90 MB.

The Download button then offers quality options: Video in one column and Audio in the other.

Time Node

Stopwatch

Counts up. Use Lap to record times and add laps to notes.

Timer

Counts down from the duration you set.

Pomodoro

Alternates between work and break cycles. When a timer or phase ends, Nest plays a short sound and shows a notice. Timers continue running while you work on other boards.

Notes and Formatting

Every node can have notes. The Notes checkbox shows or hides them, and Nest remembers that choice for each node.

Formatting Tools

  • Checklist: turn a line into a to-do item.
  • Quote: create a quote block.
  • Bold, Cursive, Marker: apply text styles.
  • Translate: translate notes or selected text into English, Russian, Spanish, German, French or Portuguese.
  • Pick color: sample an image or video. Click the resulting hex value to copy it.
  • Reset: remove formatting from selected text, or the whole note if nothing is selected. Line breaks remain.

Timestamps and Composition Links

  • Times such as 0:12 or 1:05:30 become clickable and jump the video or composition to that moment.
  • Drag a composition from the Project panel into notes to create a comp chip. Click it to open the composition.
  • Select text and click Add to comp to create a text layer in the active composition.

Settings

Interface

Open Settings using the gear in the top bar.

  • Size (- / +): scale the entire panel.
  • Color Style: W? Style, Blue, Mint, Amber, Rose, Violet, Black & White or Custom Color. Choose a color or enter a hex value.
  • Show ToolTips: enable or disable hover hints.

Downloads and Local Data

YouTube Download

Install helper tools needed only for downloading from YouTube. The status indicates whether they are installed.

Remove Downloads

Deletes files downloaded by Nest and their nodes. Boards and settings remain.

Reset Settings

Restores interface settings and presets to defaults. Boards remain.

Clear Cache & Reset

Deletes all Nest data: boards, settings, presets and downloads. Restores the starter board.

About and Studio Links

About Nest contains the version, More about Nest, Leave a feedback and Join Discord. Connect W What? Studio includes the website, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Tips

Troubleshooting

Nothing Happened After a Click

Check the status message at the bottom. Most tools that communicate with After Effects need an open project, an active composition or a selected layer.

Accidentally Deleted a Node

Click Undo immediately or press Ctrl/Cmd + Z.

A File Is Missing

The file was moved or renamed. Drop it onto the board again.

Moving or Sharing a Board

Use Export board for a .board.json file to import into Nest on another computer. Use Export HTML to share with someone without Nest.

Starting Over

Use Settings > Clear Cache & Reset. This removes all Nest data.

Need Help?

Use Leave a feedback or Join Discord in Settings.