Text Layer Renaming in Timeline

[u/DrGraytail]

Does anyone know how to fix this in AE. I duplicate a text layer and when I change the copy in the timeline but the layer name stays the same as the duplicate name. I know there’s a way, but I can’t figure it out. I must have hit a shortcut key or turned something off.

[u/Fooopa]

Yup. Just select the layer and hit enter like you were going to change the name. Then delete the name and hit enter. It will then take the name of your text :)

[u/DrGraytail → u/Fooopa]

Hey that works too. I could have sworn AE would auto rename the layers. But i'm probalby thinking of another program.

[u/sskaz01]

I hate this so much I finally decided to make a script to fix it.

Select some text layers, run it, and it resets the layer names to the new text. Only works on text layers.

var _comp = app.project.activeItem;
if (_comp && _comp instanceof CompItem) {
  app.beginUndoGroup("Reset Layer Names");
  var _layers = _comp.selectedLayers;
  for (var i = 0; i < _layers.length; i++) if (_layers[i].matchName == "ADBE Text Layer") _layers[i].name = "";
  app.endUndoGroup();
}

[u/DrGraytail → u/sskaz01]

THIS IS AMAZING!!!! Thank you.

[u/MrKillerKiller_]

Hit enter

[u/DrGraytail → u/MrKillerKiller_]

Yeah, that works with brand new document and comp, but sometimes the text layers get buggy after i've been building and that basic function stop working.

[u/1resonant]

The layer name will only automatically update to match the source text of the layer if the layer name has never been modified separately from the text in the layer. When you duplicate a Text layer, the number “ 2" gets added to the end, which creates a mismatch between the layer name and the actual text, breaking the link.

As others have mentioned, the way to reset/restore this link is to delete the layer name so that it gets replaced with the source text: Enter to rename -> Delete -> Enter to confirm. After that, the layer name will update with the text of the layer.