Insert images via file name

There's 2 approaches to this, through expressions or scripting:

Expressions with Master Properties are far easier if you have a pre-defined media set. In this case, stack all your images/videos in a comp, and add a control null with a slider to pick which layer to show, then add an opacity expression to each layer so it turns on or off depending on your comp

If you don't have a pre-defined media set, then you'll need to restort to scripting. You can write up a script yourself that opens and modifies a project with new media assets, or use an out-of-the-box solution like Dataclay.

You might be able to acheive this by using Adobe's Master Properties though I'm not sure if it supports targeting external image assets for re-versioning.

An alternative, but effective solution, is to use Dataclay's Templater Rig product to re-version text layers, audio / visual layers, and solid layers.  It lets you map your filename data stored in either a TSV file or Google Sheet to a composition's image layer.  Then, once mapped, you can preview how the "dummy" image layer will re-version as you step through the data with Templater's Transport.  While it isn't a free solution, it does support many layer types out-of-the-box. Watch this demo to get a feel for how previewing linked data works.

Hope this helps!

Best,

Arie

You can write a script that dooes that for you. If you are new to scripting, explaining the entire process is beyond what can be explained in a single forum post.

In general you want to use the replaceSource function of the footage item that is documented here

http://docs.aenhancers.com/items/footageitem/#footageitem-replace

If you want a ready to use solution for these kinds of automations, take a look at templater

https://aescripts.com/templater/

This does not cover replacing footage, but the chapter "Tempaltes & Automation" of my free eBook "Motion Graphics that Speaks to Your Brain" might also be helpful for these kinds of automation scenarios. It basically covers the automation options you want to keep it simple and don't write scripts.