Duplicating a Comp and Altering It

[VladThePainter]

Have a comp scene.  Need to use that same comp scene in several moments throughout my animation.  But I want to adjust elements within, such as skies, landscapes in a reveal, but keeping most of the main elements within.  Though its easy enough to duplicate, but the one main comp remains, and if I alter that, it changes them all.  How can I do this without changing, altering the original comp?  Copy and past each element (65 or more) into a brand new comp seems the only logical route if possible - and alter from there?

[Dave_LaRonde · Accepted solution]

You can duplicate the nested comp in question in the project window -- not in the main comp.  Then you have identical and independent comps which you can modify.  It's wise to give these duplicates logical & easily-identifiable names.

Then you can duplicate the original nested comp in the main comp, and use the replace footage command to put in the modified comps.

[Mike_Abbott]

As Dave says.

If you need to do this frequently and often have a complex hierarchy -  pre-comps within pre-comps... you might also want to check out:

True Comp Duplicator - aescripts + aeplugins - aescripts.com

[VladThePainter]

Dave or Mike - could either of you link me to a decent nesting comp tut?  Sorry to ask - and I've been away for some time... and as I am getting back to this portion, the tut vids I watch confuse me.  I am using only the project window but my work still changes in original. i used to know how to do this... I'm slipping deep into forgetfulness!