ParentToLast 👨‍👧

A tiny After Effects script that parents every selected layer to the last layer you select.

What it does

Select any number of layers, run the script, and:

1. The last layer you select becomes the parent.
2. Every other selected layer becomes its child.
3. It all happens inside a single undo step.

No dialogs, no fuss — just instant parenting. Great as a hotkey for rigging, nulls, and quick scene setup.

Installation

As a Regular Script

• Place ParentToLast.jsx in your Scripts folder and run via File → Scripts → ParentToLast.jsx:

  Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects [version]\Support Files\Scripts\
  macOS:   /Applications/Adobe After Effects [version]/Scripts/
  

As a Hotkey (recommended)

• Keep the .jsx anywhere and trigger it from your hotkey tool of choice, e.g. AutoHotkey:

  run, "<path-to-AfterFX.exe>" -r "C:\path\to\ParentToLast.jsx"

Usage

1. Open a composition.
2. Select 2 or more layers — the last layer you select is the parent.
3. Run the script.
4. Done! Every other selected layer is now parented to that last layer.

Example

✅ Select Layer A (becomes child)
✅ Select Layer B (becomes child)
✅ Select Layer C (last selected) ← becomes the PARENT
🔘 Run ParentToLast

Result: Layers A and B are now parented to Layer C.

Requirements

• Adobe After Effects (any version with scripting support)
• At least 2 selected layers in an active composition

Notes

• Order matters — the last layer you select is always the parent.
• Relies on After Effects returning selectedLayers in selection order. If your AE build returns a different order and the wrong layer ends up as parent, swap the parent to sel[0] and loop from index 1.

License

MIT