Copy / Paste image data from clipboard into After Effects composition.

AE creates a new image when you click the Create Reference Frame button in Content Aware Fill, so I don't see why it couldn't be basically the same thing.  You could have a preference setting for the file type: PNG, JPG, etc; and the desitnation folder: project folder, specified folder, etc.  Obviously you'd want any image you add to become a normal footage item. It could add pasted images into a specific folder in the Project Window just like it does with solids. The amount of stuff you have to do to get an image from the clipboard into AE via PS is bonkers. I don't see any reason AE couldn't just automate the process for you. Computers are supposed to save us time.

I agree, it seems like it is a natural progression of things to come.  The way Adobe likes to make apps work seamlessly between each other, I'm sure something like this is on the horizon like 5 versions from now lol

I hear you. That being said, even a consistent 'reference layer' which you could toggle on/off as an overlay to facilitate pasting image data into would be handy as hell. That way it's almost silo'ed in it's functionality to the rest of the app. Just a thought.

AE has no way of generating actual image data inside the project structure (unlike Flash/ Animate, which simply converts it to PNG or JPEG data). Anything like that would probably have to be handled in the caches, which then would have a ton of other repercussions. Not sure if that's worth it, to be honest. That's one of those "messy workflow" things I just can't get to love, but maybe I'm simply too old school.

Mylenium