AE Scripts

On this page you will find a series of guides to create short animations combined into one. You will be adding Scrips into Adobe After Effects.
For this demo I chose the words 'Visual Coding' + square shape + the colours #260340 and #d3e52b on a 5:4 canvas ratio.

Guide: Text Reveal/ Countdown

This short assignment demonstrate how to create a generative text animation.

skills	wiggle expression
time to complete	10 minutes

step 1
write text on your background (or solid background layer for creating GIFs).
center your anchor point [ - command double-click on your anchor icon - ]

step 2
open your text layer > animate > character offset

step 3
Click Option (Alt on Windows) + Stopwatch >wiggle (4,40)

step 4
Set the Range Selector > offset to 0% in the beginning of the timeline, and to 100 % on another point in the timeline. This will create a new keyframe. Adjust this keyframe to you will: closer to the beginning for shorter countdown, further for longer countdown.

step 5
Advanced > Random order ON
Random seed: 6

=== TIP === You can use the 'wiggle' expression to create a random color text animation as well! follow >>this tutorial

Guide: Multiple Wiggles

This short assignment demonstrates how to adjust multiple layers at the same time.

skills	wiggle expression
	layer control expression
time to complete	17 minutes

step 1
create multiple shape layers on your background.

step 2
add a Null layer > rename it 'control'.

step 3
add Expressions Effect > Slider Control to your control layer.

step 4
add another slider with command D and name them: Time and Position.
add values to each slider. you can change and adjust these values later.
Lock the Effects panel to keep it visible.

step 5
Open the top shape layer's Position and Alt-click the Stopwatch.
Write wiggle and keep the brackets empty.

connect the values with the Time , Position sliders by using the PickWhip:
1. drag the PickWhip next to position first to the Time Slider
2. add coma ,
3. drag again the pickWhip next to position to the second slider

step 6
control-click (right-click) the Position stop watch > select 'Copy Expression Only'

step 7
select all there rest of the shape layers > paste.

step 8
You can now adjust the wiggle values of all the layers together.

Guide: Font Weight animation

This guide demonstrates how to animate text weight by using and editing a given code.
You can follow the original tutorial showing 3 ways to animate text weight >>here (expression Strats at 6:51)

skills	copy-paste-and-adjust code
	layer control expression
time to complete	21 minutes

step 1
Add a solid layer and add text layer. Choose a typeface with multiple weights.

step 2
add a Null object > rename it 'control'.

step 3
add a Slider Control effect to the Null layer > rename it 'font weight'.

step 4
click your text layer drop-down arrow > open the 'TEXT' drop down menu.

next to the Source stop watch alt(Option)-click > paste in the following code:

var array=[

"ChakraPetch-ExtraLight",

"ChakraPetch-Light",

"ChakraPetch-Regular",

"ChakraPetch-Medium",

"ChakraPetch-SemiBold",

"ChakraPetch-Bold"

]; r = Math.round(thisComp.layer("control").effect("font weight")("Slider")); style.setFont(array[r]);

step 5
adjust the code content - change the names of the fonts to your own selection.

step 6
mark inside the brackets of r=Math.round() from (thisComp to "slider")> connect the whip-pick next to the code with the font weight slider. your text and null layer should now be connected.

step 7
start animating: set the slider on 0 and the indicator in the beginning of the timeline. click the stop-watch next to the slider under the control layer.
your text and null layer should now be connected.

move forward in time and set the control slider on 5 (when using 6 fonts). go further in time and set it bak to 0.

Recommended Tutorials

You can watch our pre-tested video tutorials to create the above and more.
1. introduction to Expressions
2. Things Wiggle can do
3. Wiggle multiple objects
4. Wiggle text colors
5. Random color expressions
6. Flicker/ Glitch
7. Random letter reveal
8. Random options
9. Random XYZ Position
10. Five copy-paste Expressions
11. Adobe Expressions Examples