


For this reason, I will write about some easy, useful expressions I use all the time. Unfortunately, they tend to get complicated and hard to understand if you don’t have a good understanding of how After Effects works. There are a lot of expressions we can talk about. Here you will type or paste the expressions. In the timeline under the layer, a text box will appear and the numeric parameters will turn red. Open the layer properties, hold “ Alt”(PC) or “ Option” (Mac), and click on the stopwatch of the property you want to apply the expression to. To use expressions, you have to write/copy and paste them inside the dedicated space. Even if they might seem complicated, pasting them inside their dedicated space should do the trick. Some expressions are short and easy to use and understand, while other expressions are long and complicated.

Don’t get discouraged - the beauty of expressions is that you don’t need to be a master at coding or programming to start using them. You can add expressions to any type of layer and to any type of layer property inside AE. The more you know, the faster you will become when working with After Effects. It is easy to start using expressions - each expression you will learn will become a time-saving and work-simplifying tool. There are many types of expressions that can help you achieve creative and complex animations. In order to extend your capabilities far past what is possible with keyframes alone, speed up your workflow, automate repetitive tasks, build flexible rigs, and create some specific type of animation, you must make use of expressions in After Effects. Expression Controllers found in the Effects & Presets window can help you better control the expressions, by linking them to the numeric parameters. When you write an expression on a property, you can start creating relationships between that property and other layers. They can automate repetitive tasks and build flexible rigs. What are After Effects Expressions?Įxpressions are chunks of code written in the Extendscript or Javascript language with the sole purpose of altering the After Effects layer properties. Many video editors and motion graphics artists make use of AE’s tools and expressions, to create beautiful works of art, animated videos, video ads, special video effects, and many more useful things. Adding expressions in After Effects is one of the things that help speed up the workflow and also helps video editors and motion graphics artists create good-looking animations with no effort.Īfter Effects is one of the leading software in the filmmaking post-production industry.

To achieve this, the software developers from Adobe made After Effects capable of helping us achieve this. In the filmmaking industry, high-quality work and speed are of the essence.
