After Effects Automation
Adobe® After Effects® is an extremely powerful tool used to create dynamic visual content for broadcast and the web. One of the strengths of Ae is that it has an extremely robust scripting capability. Add to that the endless creative possibilities that the 'expressions' programming language brings to the app, and Ae shows itself to be very capable when asked to do repetitive, partially automated, or fully automated renders of creative assets. It's fast, intuitive, robust and automatic. Check out this blog post for an overview of what's possible in AE automation.
I have been working with After Effects since 1995 and have an intimate familiarity with every aspect of the application when it comes to automation. Being aware of the capabilities of the app is only part of the challenge, though. Building or modifying an Ae project that satisfies the creative requirements and adheres to the strict technical requirements that scripting and expressions require calls for a very deep understanding of the application. There are plenty of little tricks that one can call upon that allows for a surprising extension of the capabilities that you think After Effects can achieve. Scripts can then be run manually on the desktop, or automatically via web content acquisition and control systems, with which I have had a great deal of experience.
Another important consideration is to ensure that a project is fully optimized for the fastest renders possible. If the project takes forever to render, then the entire process can get bogged down. My familiarity with the application, its technical limitations, and the rendering pipeline allows me to optimize projects so that they will render as quickly as possible.
Check out the video tutorial below for an overview of two different approaches to automating an After Effects project: 1) Using a custom user interface to facilitate simple project assembly, and 2) Using a spreadsheet to define project assets.
The video is best viewed full-screen, in HD.
I have been working with After Effects since 1995 and have an intimate familiarity with every aspect of the application when it comes to automation. Being aware of the capabilities of the app is only part of the challenge, though. Building or modifying an Ae project that satisfies the creative requirements and adheres to the strict technical requirements that scripting and expressions require calls for a very deep understanding of the application. There are plenty of little tricks that one can call upon that allows for a surprising extension of the capabilities that you think After Effects can achieve. Scripts can then be run manually on the desktop, or automatically via web content acquisition and control systems, with which I have had a great deal of experience.
Another important consideration is to ensure that a project is fully optimized for the fastest renders possible. If the project takes forever to render, then the entire process can get bogged down. My familiarity with the application, its technical limitations, and the rendering pipeline allows me to optimize projects so that they will render as quickly as possible.
Check out the video tutorial below for an overview of two different approaches to automating an After Effects project: 1) Using a custom user interface to facilitate simple project assembly, and 2) Using a spreadsheet to define project assets.
The video is best viewed full-screen, in HD.