Advanced Layer Randomizer Rig for After Effects (v2.0) A Procedural Variation System for Motion Designers Motion design often benefits from controlled randomness. Slight variations in position, rotation, scale, and opacity can transform rigid layouts into organic, natural-looking animations. However, manually randomizing dozens or hundreds of layers inside Adobe After Effects is time-consuming and difficult to…

A Designer-Friendly Procedural Layout Tool for Motion Graphics Motion designers often spend a surprising amount of time arranging layers into circular patterns, arcs, radial layouts, or evenly spaced formations. Whether it’s creating logo reveals, infographic elements, rotating UI graphics, or kinetic typography, manually positioning layers quickly becomes tedious. The Advanced Circular Rig v4.4 script was…

Motion designers often face the challenge of rendering individual layers from a composition for client reviews, asset delivery, or pipeline integration. Manually duplicating comps, soloing layers, and setting render queue outputs can be tedious and error-prone. The script you’ve shared elegantly solves this problem by automating the entire process. Let’s break down how it works,…

Import your FBX, OBJ, USDZ, GLTF 3d model to Cinema 4DMaterials will be converted automatically to Redshift.Turn your objects (if there are multiple objects) into a single object by putting them under the Connect object. (Weld should be disabled)Click Redshift – Tools – Texture Baking – Create Bakeset from SelectionPut width and height values. (2048×2048)Make…

Mastering Text Animation in After Effects: Introducing SY_TextSplitter.jsx As motion designers, we constantly seek tools that streamline our workflow and unleash creative potential. One such gem is SY_TextSplitter.jsx, a powerful After Effects script developed by Zain Aldin (aka Sphiment) that transforms how we handle text animations. This script allows you to effortlessly split text layers…

Here is another useful After Effects script that adds a marker-style highlight to selected text. This script is an improved version of SY HIGHLIGHT and still under progress.

1. User Presets Folder (ffx files) After Effects looks in your user profile for presets: Windows path: Make sure that you select Explorer Folders from Effects&Presets panel. 2. Extensions (zxp files) 3. Scripts (JavaScript / JSX / JSXBIN) Example (Photoshop 2025): 4. ScriptUI Panels (JSX + .xml for UI) Example (Photoshop 2025):

If you’re a motion designer, you know the feeling. You’ve got a killer animation idea and the perfect track to go with it. You import the music into After Effects, start dropping keyframes on the beat, and then… you hit the wall. Your keyframes land on frame 12.5, 16.67, or some other sub-frame nightmare. Your once-perfect rhythm now feels sloppy, and your workflow grinds to a halt as you fight against the timeline. Syncing frame-based animation to time-based audio is one of the most common, yet frustrating, challenges in motion graphics. But what if you could eliminate the guesswork? What if you had a tool that did all the math for you, telling you exactly how to make your music and your animation dance together in perfect harmony?

Supercharge Your After Effects Workflow: The Ultimate Marker Script If you work in After Effects, you know that markers are your best friend. They are the unsung heroes of complex timelines, helping you sync animations to audio, note key moments, or simply keep your project organized. But let’s be honest: placing them manually, one by one, is tedious and time-consuming. What if you could add dozens of precisely-timed, color-coded markers to your composition or layers with just a few clicks?

Creating Realistic Water Fill Effects in After Effects with Expressions Introduction Creating realistic liquid animations can be challenging, especially when you need dynamic, adjustable water filling effects. While there are plugins available for this purpose, you can actually achieve a professional-looking water fill effect using expressions directly in After Effects. In this tutorial, I’ll share…

Creating Dynamic Auto-Resizing Text Boxes in After Effects The Problem: Static Text Boxes Are Limiting If you’ve worked with text in After Effects, you’ve likely encountered this common challenge: you create a beautiful text box with a background shape, but when you update the text content, your carefully positioned background shape no longer fits. This…

Mastering Anchor Points in After Effects with Expression Controls Adobe After Effects is a powerful tool for motion graphics and visual effects. One of its many strengths is the ability to control layer properties with expressions. In this post, we’ll explore an anchor point expression that leverages a Dropdown Menu Expression Control to dynamically set…

Setting multiple features: Here are some other settings: Here are the set of functions available for text styling in After Effects expressions (all used on the style object): Function Purpose setFont(fontName, [startIndex], [endIndex]) Set font by PostScript/system name setFontSize(size, [startIndex], [endIndex]) Set font size setFauxBold(boolean, [startIndex], [endIndex]) Enable/disable faux bold setFauxItalics(boolean, [startIndex], [endIndex]) Enable/disable faux italics…

Beyond Keyframes: Your Journey into After Effects Scripting (and Expressions!) Are you a motion designer looking to elevate your craft, automate tedious tasks, and create animations that seem magically complex? If so, diving into After Effects expressions and scripting is your next big leap. I know, the word “code” can be daunting, but think of…

Script Preset Manager for After Effects: The Ultimate Script & Extension Installer If you’ve ever managed multiple scripts, ScriptUI panels, and extensions for Adobe After Effects, you know the pain of navigating directories, copying files, and ensuring compatibility across different AE versions. The Script Preset Manager—an advanced After Effects script—solves all these headaches with an…

Script Launcher is a fully responsive and customizable ScriptUI panel for Adobe After Effects, designed to streamline your workflow by letting you launch your favorite scripts with a single click. Whether you’re a motion designer, VFX artist, or AE power user, this panel automatically detects .js, .jsx, and .jsxbin files in its dedicated Scripts folder…

This After Effects script thoroughly cleans your project by automatically removing all expressions from every layer and property within your compositions. It recursively scans through property groups, ensuring that even nested expressions are eliminated. With built-in error handling and detailed logging, the script not only reports the total number of expressions removed but also provides…

This script automates the process of creating multiple compositions in After Effects from a single template. Each line of text that you input will become its own composition. The script first validates that your project is open and then displays a user-friendly dialog for you to enter your text. It then searches your project for…

This script automates many of the repetitive tasks involved in creating transitions and setting up a composition, letting you focus on adjusting creative parameters as needed. Usage: To use the script, follow these steps:

When working with Adobe After Effects, you may need to identify property names for specific elements within a layer. This can be a crucial step in scripting and automation. The following script provides a way to recursively walk through the property chain of selected layer(s) and outputs the match names and display names directly to…

Understanding Shape Layer Match Names in Adobe After Effects Adobe After Effects uses “Match Names” as identifiers for various elements, making scripting and automation easier. Here’s a comprehensive look at the match names and their corresponding display names for different components of Shape Layers. 1. Layer The primary identifier for a Shape Layer in After…

Here is a function to convert any shape path into a bezier path. Make sure that you selected the sub path under contents. Manually Convert Parametric Shapes into a Bezier Path In this short guide, I’ll demonstrate how to effortlessly transform any Parametric Shape into a Bezier Path within Adobe After Effects. Step 1: Choose…

This script sorts all layers in a composition by their Z position, moving them into order based on their depth in 3D space. It does the following:

When working with Adobe After Effects, you may sometimes need to resize a composition to match the bounding box of selected layers and center them within the resized composition. Performing this manually can be time-consuming, especially in projects with multiple layers. This script automates the entire process, making your workflow much more efficient. Script Overview…

Tracking motion in Adobe After Effects is an essential skill for visual effects artists, compositors, and motion designers. While After Effects offers built-in tracking tools, they often struggle with complex shots or incomplete tracking data. This is where ReTrack 2 comes in—a powerful motion tracking and editing plugin designed to rebuild, refine, and enhance existing…

Place a shape or an image on your composition. Convert it into 3D Layer. Click T to open its opacity property. Alt-Click on Stop-Watch icon to enable expressions. Delete and paste the following expression in this field. Now add two Expression Controls: Both should be Slider Control. You can add Expression Controls from: Effect –…

Create a New Shape Layer Add a Path to the Shape Layer Add Expression Controls for Custom ParametersYou’ll need to create several controls to tweak the organic line’s behavior with noise. Change the “Length” to increase or decrease the overall size of your line.Modify “Points” to add more or fewer vertices, which will affect how…

Step 1: Create a New Shape Layer Open your After Effects composition.Create a new Shape Layer by navigating to:Layer > New > Shape Layer. Step 2: Add a Path to the Shape Layer With your Shape Layer selected, click the “Add” button (next to Contents in the Timeline) and choose “Path”.This adds a default path…

Step 1: Create a New Shape Layer In your After Effects composition, create a new shape layer (Layer > New > Shape Layer).In the shape layer, add a “Path” property (for example, by adding a “Shape” → “Path” under Contents). Step 2: Add Slider ControlsTo control the spiral, add the following slider effects to your…

Create a shape layer. Expand the contents under layer. Delete current shape (i.e.: Ellipse). Now create a path by clicking Right Arrow Icon (Next to Contents – Add) and add Path. Now expand path and alt-click stop watch icon to add an expression. Delete the current expression and copy-paste the following expression. Now we need…

Create any shape layer. Go to contents and expand. Delete the current shape (Ellipse and etc.) Click on the little right arrow icon next to Add. Click Path. Now expand path by clicking down arrow icon. Alt-Click on time-watch icon to create an expression. Copy and Paste the following code. Now we need to add…

Today we’re going to build an expression-driven arc stroke. Start with creating any kind of shape. For example ellipse. Now go to your shape layer and expand the contents. You can delete the Ellipse 1 path. Right next to Contents, you should see an Add option with a right arrow next to it. Now click…

Adobe After Effects Expression Controls Adobe After Effects is a powerful tool for creating motion graphics and visual effects. One of the advanced features of After Effects is the use of expressions, which allow you to create sophisticated animations and effects using code. Expression Controls are special effect controls that let you create custom user…

Optimizing Adobe After Effects for better performance can save time and improve your workflow. Here are some tips and techniques: Here’s an in-depth guide to boosting After Effects performance—ideal for motion designers looking to work faster, smoother, and more efficiently. 🚀 1. Upgrade Your Hardware Setup a) CPU & Multi‑Frame RenderingEnable “Multi‑Frame Rendering” (in Edit…

After Effects plugins and scripts can significantly enhance your workflow and creativity. Here are some resources and popular options: These tools can help you achieve stunning visual effects, streamline repetitive tasks, and unlock new creative possibilities. Let me know if you’d like recommendations for a specific type of plugin or script!

After Effects expressions are snippets of JavaScript code that allow you to create dynamic animations and automate tasks within Adobe After Effects. They can be applied to properties like position, scale, rotation, and more, enabling you to achieve effects that would otherwise require extensive keyframing. Here are some popular expressions:

Bring your motion graphics to life with dynamic text effects and presets in After Effects! This section dives into everything from eye-catching animations and kinetic typography to subtle text reveals and complex transformations. Learn how to customize built-in presets, create your own unique text animations, and efficiently apply these effects across your projects. Whether you’re…