Copy a frame to the clipboard

Last updated on Apr 28, 2026

Learn how to copy the currently rendered frame in After Effects directly to your clipboard to paste into other apps.

Copy Frame to Clipboard lets you capture the currently rendered frame from the Composition panel as a still image. You can perform this from the Composition, Footage, or Layer panel and copy the frame to the system clipboard in one step, ready to paste into chat, email, or any other app.

The Composition, Layer, and Footage panels are highlighted, and the Copy Frame to Clipboard option is highlighted. — You can find the Copy Frame to Clipboard option in the Composition, Layer, and Footage panels.

Before you begin:

For best results, wait until the frame has fully rendered at the Current Time Indicator to ensure the copied image accurately reflects what you see in the Composition panel.

Copy a frame

Move the Current Time Indicator to the frame you want to copy and allow it to finish rendering.
Make the Composition, Footage, or Layer panel active by selecting it.
Do one of the following:
- Select the Copy Frame to Clipboard button in the panel toolbar.
- Use Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F5 (Windows) or Cmd+Option+Shift+F5 (macOS).
Position the Current Time Indicator on the frame and select Copy Frame to Clipboard to capture that exact frame.
Paste the frame into your destination app using Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (macOS).

You can now paste directly into Explorer, Finder, or any location that supports PNG files. The file will be named using the composition name followed by the frame number (i.e., the same default naming used when exporting a file sequence).

Supported formats and renderers

After Effects copies the frame as a PNG to the clipboard on both macOS and Windows, with support for up to 16‑bit color. On Windows, it also copies a bitmap version for compatibility with apps that don’t support PNG.

Copy Frame to Clipboard works with the following renderers:

Classic 3D
Advanced 3D
Cinema 4D
Draft 3D

Color and transparency behavior

What is visible in the viewer is exactly what will be copied. When a project's working color space is enabled, and Display Color Management is active, or when an OCIO display transform is applied, the pixel values copied are not preserved in their original form. Instead, they are converted to match the appearance shown to the viewer, ensuring the copied result matches the displayed output.

When Toggle Transparency Grid is enabled, transparent areas are preserved in the copied image, allowing them to remain transparent when pasted into supported destinations.

Toggle Transparency Grid enabled while copying a frame to the clipboard.

Copied image remains transparent when pasted into supported destinations, such as Adobe Illustrator.

With Toggle Transparency Grid turned off, After Effects composites the copied image over the composition background color so the result matches the solid‑background view shown in the Composition panel.