The script has 2 operating modes:

1. An old school method which opens each project, checks all the footage items paths then replaces the path to the new path, imports the footage item from the new location and saves out a new project. This method works with CS3 & CS4.
2. A CS4 only mode that takes advantage of the new XML file format introduced in CS4. It opens each project, saves it out as an XML project (if original project is already in .aepx format then this step is skipped) and then does a search and replace on the XML file. This process is much faster since it doesn’t have to import all the footage items.

USAGE:

• It is recommended that you run the script in test mode first to see how After Effects sees the footage paths. Once you have that info you can accurately enter the search and replace strings. Note that on Mac XML projects path are separated by a colon : )
• Recurse subfolders will process and subfolders.
• Use Regex will cause the script to use Regular Expressions syntax in the search string. If you don’t know what Regular Expressions are then it’s probably best that you don’t use this option.
• Generate log will create a text file with all the results and errors encountered by the script.
• If you are running in test mode you will be able to preview the search and replace results before actually doing it. The script will save a text file with the results of the search and replace operation.

Save As Tab Delimited File

The compsFromSpreadsheet script allows you to make multiple versions of your compositions using data from a spreadsheet or database. The script goes through your spreadsheet line by line, making a new version of your comp with text layers in the composition receiving text from the spreadsheet automatically.

Before After Effects can read your spreadsheet, it needs to be saved as a tab-delimited text file (most spreadsheet and database programs do this easily). This is a universal text format that will allow After Effects to read in your data and organize it by rows and columns.

The first line of your file needs to be the heading names for each column, this will allow you to sync up columns in your spreadsheet with text layers in you composition.

Spreadsheet Heading

It is very easy to set up your compositions to be used by the script. To enable a text layer to be targeted by the script, you need to change the text so that it begins with a caret: ^ (shift 6). For instance, you may have a text layer that you want to receive phone numbers from the spreadsheet. In the spreadsheet the phone numbers have a heading named phone. So you would change name of the layer to ^phone.

Use a ^ on layers to be used

When the script runs, it will ask which compositions in your project are going to be used as templates by the script. If you are using more than one comp you need to have a column in your spreadsheet that lists the name of the composition to be used.

Create a column for Comp to be used as template

See the sample spreadsheet for an example of how to do this (they are under the Core Spot heading).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The script will then ask you to locate the tab-delimited text file you created from your spreadsheet.

Choose tab delimited file

When the script reads the first line (the heading line) it will pop up a window which will allow you to assign columns in your spreadsheet with text layers in your compositions, you do this by clicking on the dropdown box underneath the column name. The dropdown will contain the names of the text layers you created with the ^ but you wont see the ^, for example, the ^phone text layer we created will appear as phone in the dropdown box.

Assign column headings to layers

(If you have a really long label, only the first 15 characters of the label will show up in the dropdown)

If you choose to use more than one comp you will have to assign one of your colums in the spreadsheet to give the script comp names. This appears at the very top of the dropdown box as COMP. If you only have 1 comp you are using for the script, COMP will not be in the dropdown, and the script will duplicate that comp for every line in the spreadsheet.

When you click ok the script will begin the grunt work. It will go through each remaining line in your file. For each line it will make a duplicate of the composition referenced by the COMP column of that line, and any text layer in the comp that has been synced to a column in your file, will have the text updated with the text from that line of the spreadsheet. The script will rename the composition to the line number of the file, so the first comp will be named 2 (because line 1 is your headings).

Comps created by script

If there are any typos in the spreadsheet the script will allow you to correct it during execution.

Typo in spreadsheet

The comp is put in the render queue with default settings and output module, the location of the render is a folder named renders in the same directory as your current project (it’ll create it if not there) so save your project file on the drive you’d like your renders to be.
 
 
 
 

Version History

• v1.1
  1. Added the ability to choose the naming convention of new comps. Previously the comp was always named the line number of the database, now you can choose if you want line number, original comp name (with an incrementing number), or sync it up with a column in your spreadsheet.
  2. Fixed a bug in the new version check.The function is only supposed to run once every 10 days, but the function checked every time the script was run. This has been corrected.
• v1.0 Initial Release

Usage Instructions:

1. Select the audio layer and run the Keyframe Assistant “Convert Audio to Keyframes”.
2. Run the script and choose which layer you wish to mark or split. If the layer you want does not show up, select the comp and press the Refresh button.
3. Set the audio level at which the markers should be place. The script uses the “Both Channels” value from the Audio Amplitude layer which is created after running “Convert Audio to Keyframes”. A marker will place placed when the audio crosses that value and another marker won’t be placed until the audio drops below and above again.
4. Choose one of the 3 output options:
   • Place markers on a layer
   • Split the layer
   • Create a new text layer with incrementing numbers

The layer will then be marked or split at the threshold points. If you choose to create a new text layer then the newly created text layer will have keyframes with incrementing numerical values which can be used to trigger expressions.

(To install you just put the file in the After Effects Script folder and make sure you enable Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network in AE Preferences > General)

I finally decided to take matters into my own hands. I used the scripting functionality in After Effects to build my own spellchecker. The script goes through the currently selected composition, and any precomp contained within and checks every text layer for proper spelling.

If a word is misspelled, the script will give you the opportunity to enter in the propper spelling or get a suggestion. The spell suggestion comes from my website. I originally had the script come up with suggestions but it was taking nearly 15 seconds per word, so I created a script on my website using perl (which gets the suggestion very quickly). When you click on the suggest button, your computer connects to my website and gives it the misspelled word. The script on my website then gives the spell check script a list of suggestions.

Please note that even though this script has a UI, it is installed in the Scripts folder not in the ScriptUI Panels folder.

Creating a Tracked Head Wound Tutorial from Aetuts+

I have created a new After Effects script called MochaImport. As you might guess, it simplifies the work with Mocha for After Effects. More precisely, it helps you to apply the Mocha tracking data in After Effects in whatever way you want.

With the script the following tasks can be done as one click operations:
• create corner pin
• create CC power pin
• create Red Giant Warp corner pin (Red Giant Warp plugin required)
• create AE trackpoints from Mocha track
• stabilize footage
• move layers according to track
• create a precomp in which the footage is stabilized while maintaining the movement in the original composition
• create a precomp in which the footage is stabilized and undistorted while maintaining the movement and distortion in the original composition (Red Giant Warp plugin required)

Tutorial:

New features in MochaImport 2.0:

MochaImport works with Mocha for After Effects versions 1 and 2.

if you have problems
If you have problems, make sure you have installed the newest version of the script (currently version 2.02).

There where several problems to paste the tracking data into the textbox. Since this is a bug in After Effects and not in my script, I unfortunately cannot fix it. Therefore I deactivated the cut and paste now. You have to load the data from a text file now instead of pasting it from the clipboard.

report a bug

if you encounter any problems, best send me a mail to mmohlREMOVE_THIS_TO_AVOID_SPAM@gmx.de containing the following information
• a short description of what does not work
• the Mocha data you used (e.g. attached as text file; check whether there are differences in the text file you save in mocha and what finally ends up in the textbox of the script)
• the script version you used
• the operating System you use (Mac/Win)
• the AE version you use (CS3/CS4)
• a screen-shot of the AE window while the error occurs (this is not absolutely necessary, but in the bug reports I obtained so far, it helped to find the problem much faster)

Reporting bugs does NOT mean you should feel obliged to donate. By helping to improve the script you also make an important contribution.

fixed bugs
Problems with the script on CS3 (unknown UI element type “Group”) where fixed in Version 1.1.

The “pasted keyframe data has 29.97 fps but your comp has 29.97fps” error message is fixed since Version 1.2

Some issues with tracked fields/interleaced footage where fixed in 2.0

Some problems with corner pin data (Error Message “Invalid corner pin or transform data”) where fixed in 2.02

version history:
1.5 Added new smarter interface options 10/2009
1.3 fixed mac output filename bug 08/2009
1.2 added numbering option 07/2009
1.1 changed to work within workarea only 01/2009
1.01 bug fixes 09/2008
1.0 Initial Release 09/2008

Features:

• Develop your motion graphics based on some Adobe kuler color theme and once you are finished see how it looks with a different one. Simply load a new color theme and your entire composition updates automatically.
• Do color correction based on Adobe kuler color themes by pushing highlights, midtones and shadows towards different colors of your color theme.
• Your projects still work on machines where the script is not installed.

Tutorial:

You can watch a tutorial explaining Chameleon on aetuts+.

How does it work?

Chameleon allows you to conveniently work with color themes from Adobe kuler in 3 steps.

1. Load color themes in After Effects either from color themes downloaded at the kuler website or via cut and paste from the kuler desktop application
2. Apply any loaded color theme to your comp with just one click
3. Dynamically link any color property within your comp to a color theme color. Once you load a new color theme, all linked color properties in your comp update accordingly.

Install it in the Plugins folder. Inside After Effects you will find it in the Effects menu under the Gutsblow category. Pixel Bender plugins are only compatible with CS4 and above.

**Please note: This tutorial uses an earlier version of TrackerViz, however, the principles are still the same. Please stay tuned as a new tutorial will be coming soon.

Data can come from layers position data, from tracking data or from path data.

Details on each function are given below. Note that some tool tips also provide information.

Average Position:
Creates a new solid layer at the center of the selected layers (or track points).

Position & Rotation:
Creates a new solid layer at the first selected layer (or track point) position, and rotates it towards the second selected layer (or track point).

Position & Scale:
Creates a new solid layer at the first selected layer (or track point) position, and scales it so that its size matches the distance between the two selected layers (or track points).

Position & Rotation & Scale:
Creates a new solid layer at the first selected layer (or track point) position, rotates it towards the second selected layer (or track point) and scales it so that its size matches the distance between the two selected layers (or track points).

Track Combine:
Creates a new layer that combines the selected layer (or track point) position with the position of its parent layer.

Corner Pin:
Creates a new comp-sized solid with the Corner Pin effect applied to it. The four corners are linked to the position of the four selected layers (or track points) (in the following order: UpperLeft-UpperRight-LowerLeft-LowerRight).

CC Power Pin:
Same as above except that the CC Power Pin effect is used instead of the Corner Pin effect.

Shape To Tracker:
Associates each vertex of the selected mask path with a new track point.

Shape To Layers:
Creates a new solid at each vertex of the selected mask path (the mask path can be animated).

Track Points To Shape:
Transforms the selected track points into an animated mask path.

Layers To Shape:
Creates a new mask path for which the vertices are linked to the position of the selected layers.

pt_Panorama was used in this Lexus Toyota Hybrid Drive Commercial:

Link to the tutorial that shows how this commercial was made including how it used pt_Panorama

How to use:

1. Drop a panoramic image (such as a cylindrical render from Stitcher Express or any panoramic image) into your main comp and select it. A test image maximus.jpg is included with the script if you want to try it out.

2. Run pt_Panorama and you’ll see you have some options:

Panorama Angle: If you have a full panorama leave this at 360. Maximus.jpg is only a 180 degree panorama, so in that case you’d set it to 180 to generate a half cyclinder.

Number Of Sides: A value between 10-20 should be fine for this. More sides means longer render times.

Side Overlap: The sides overlap outside the cylinder to prevent gaps when Motion Blur is on and the camera is moving fast. You can leave this at its default value unless you intend to see the cylinder from the outside, in which case set the value to 10. Or set the value to 500 and view the outside of the cylinder for a cool effect!

3. Click Apply and the 3D panorama will be generated and placed in a precomp. The layer is scaled to 10000% in order to simulate a distant background.

If you switch to a Custom View you may not see the cylinder as it is so big. Select the layer and choose View > Look At Selected Layers to reveal it. In Top View you’ll see a wireframe line that represents the cylinder’s center and diameter.

Video Copilot used pt_Panorama in this Oval Office Demo

Note: The palette cannot detect any errors in the scripts that you run from it. It’s just a quick way of launching scripts without restarting AE or using ExtendScript Toolkit (i.e., switching away from AE).

If a PNG file of a similar name and same folder as the script file (but with a .png file name extension) exists, it will appear next to the script name in the list.

Enhancements requested by Russ Maehl.

Furthermore, with KeyTweak you cannot only modify masks but any other keyframed property. You can for example also use it to correct a drifting track or quickly refine the keyframed movement of a layer.