Each object has its own special attributes, and every object in an After Effects project has its own identity (although not all are accessible to scripting). The After Effects object model is composed of a project, items, compositions, layers, and render queue items. This guide describes the ExtendScript objects that have been defined for After Effects projects. Each of these items, in scripting terms, is an object. When you use Adobe After Effects, you create projects, compositions, and render queue items along with all of the elements that they contain: footage, images, solids, layers, masks, effects, and properties. The heart of a scriptable application is the object model. However, because the After Effects expression language and ExtendScript are both based on JavaScript, familiarity with either one is very helpful in understanding the other. Whereas a script tells an application to do something, an expression says that a property is something. Expressions cannot access information from scripts (such as variables and functions). For example, you can direct After Effects to reorder the layers in a composition, find and replace source text in text layers, or send an e-mail message when rendering is complete.Īlthough both the After Effects expressions language and the After Effects ExtendScript scripting language is based on JavaScript, the expressions features and scripting features of After Effects are separate and distinct. You can use scripts in most Adobe applications to automate repetitive tasks, perform complex calculations, and even use some functionality not directly exposed through the graphical user interface.
Introduction to scripting in After Effects ¶Ī script is a series of commands that tells an application to perform a series of operations. Elements of basic JavaScript relevant to After Effects scripting.Running scripts automatically during application startup or shutdown.
How to include After Effects scripting in an AppleScript (Mac OS).Running scripts from the command line, a batch file, or an AppleScript script.Running scripts using File > Scripts > Run Script File.Running scripts directly from the File > Scripts menu.Introduction to scripting in After Effects.