Best way to animate dynamic numbers or calculations in after effects?

Question

Hi everyone,I’ve been experimenting with some projects where I want to animate numbers on screen so they count up dynamically, almost like a calculator in motion. For example, I’ve been building tools like this: https://ipptcalculators.com/, where values update instantly based on user input, and I’d love to recreate a similar feel visually inside After Effects.I’ve tried a couple of approaches, like expressions with time * value and using text layers. But they don’t always give me the smooth, professional look I’m aiming for.Does anyone here have tips or best practices for animating numbers that update realistically like in a fitness tracker, scoreboard, or calculator demo?Would you recommend expressions, plugins, or even exporting data from a spreadsheet / JSON?Thanks in advance

Zoe Parker · Answer

The cleanest way is to use a Slider Control and drive the Text layer’s Source Text with an expression. Just keyframe the slider from your start to end values, then add this expression to Source Text:

s = effect("Slider Control")("Slider");
v = s.numKeys > 0 ? s.valueAtTime(time) : s.value;
Math.round(v).toString();

This will animate the numbers as the slider moves. If you need decimals, replace Math.round(v) with v.toFixed(1), and for more complex calculations you can just reference other sliders and build formulas into the expression.

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