Expression Loader for After Effects

Overview

Expression Loader is an After Effects addon designed to simplify the application of expressions by creating a centralized library of reusable expressions. This tool enhances your workflow by allowing you to easily manage and apply expressions directly within After Effects.

Features

• Expression Library: Organize your expressions in a dedicated folder and access them easily from within After Effects.
• Customizable Variables: Automatically detects and allows customization of variables wrapped in {{variable}} within your expression files.
• Dockable Panel: Integrated directly into After Effects as a dockable panel for convenient access.
• Open Source: Free to use and open for contributions. Improve and extend the tool as needed!

Installation

1. Download: Clone or download the repository to your local machine.
2. Add to After Effects:
   • Move the ExpressionLoader.jsx file to your After Effects Scripts folder:
     • On Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects <version>\Support Files\Scripts\ScriptUI Panels
     • On macOS: /Applications/Adobe After Effects <version>/Scripts
   • Restart After Effects if it was running.

Usage

1. Setup Expression Files:

   • Create a folder to store your .txt expression files.
   • Write your expressions, and use the {{variable}} format for variables you wish to customize.

2. Open the Addon:

   • Go to Window > Expression Loader to open the panel.

3. Select the Folder:

   • Click the "Browse" button in the panel to choose the folder containing your expression files.
   • The panel will list all .txt files available in the selected folder.

4. Choose and Apply Expressions:

   • Select an expression file from the list.
   • The panel will display input fields for variables wrapped in {{variable}}. Customize these values as needed.
   • Click the "Apply Expression" button to apply the expression with the customized values to your selected properties in After Effects.

Example

Given an expression file wiggle.txt with the following content:

timeX = {{timeX}};
timeY = {{timeY}};

valueX = {{valueX}};
valueY = {{valueY}};

x = wiggle(timeX, valueX);
y = wiggle(timeY, valueY);
[x[0], y[1]]

When you select this file in the panel, you'll be prompted to enter values for timeX, timeY, valueX, and valueY. These values will then be applied to the expression.

Contributing

Expression Loader is an open-source project, and contributions are welcome! If you'd like to help improve the tool, please:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your changes.
3. Submit a pull request with a detailed description of your modifications.

Feel free to report issues or suggest features by opening an issue in the GitHub repository.

License

Expression Loader is licensed under the MIT License. Feel free to use, modify, and distribute it as per the terms of this license.

Contact

For any questions or support, please reach out via GitHub Issues.

Happy animating!