How to update a composition across multiple projects

[klaush55119029]

Hi,

I am developing a series of educational videos, all following the same design. I want to split these videos into separate After Effects projects to keep things manageable. But the same design elements (e.g. a composition containing an animated bullet point with a specific design) are used across all projects.

What's the best way to implement that in After Effects so that I am able to change those "shared compositions" (e.g. the bullet point) and have it update across all projects automatically?

Can you think of any? That would be of great help!

Thanks in advance for spending your valuable brain cycles to help me answer that question!

[Dave Merchant · Accepted solution]

AE has no concept of a "shared" composition, as soon as you import something from another AEP file it becomes a standalone copy. There are some commercial scripts that fake the workflow - such as https://aescripts.com/bao-dynamic-comp/ - but they don't create any type of dynamic link, they just re-import the comp each time you press a button.

The normal workflow is to render the 'shared' assets to video in an intermediate codec (ProRes4444, etc) so all the child projects are reading footage from disc - since those are re-read every time the comp opens. If the master animation changes, just render it again to the same file.

[klaush55119029]

Thanks for the insightful answer, Dave!

AE has no concept of a "shared" composition, as soon as you import something from another AEP file it becomes a standalone copy. There are some commercial scripts that fake the workflow - such as https://aescripts.com/bao-dynamic-comp/ - but they don't create any type of dynamic link, they just re-import the comp each time you press a button.

Yeah! That's what I figured from what I researched. I was hoping that I was missing something.

I'll have to look at that script. Thanks for the reference. As long as the workflow feels kind of like there's an update, I can live with the fact that it's only faking it.

The normal workflow is to render the 'shared' assets to video in an intermediate codec (ProRes4444, etc) so all the child projects are reading footage from disc - since those are re-read every time the comp opens. If the master animation changes, just render it again to the same file.

That's an interesting solution. It's quite obvious, but I hadn't thought about it so far. Thanks!

I have to look into the problem of changing parameters for those rendered videos so that the asset behaves differently in different spots. That may be possible by rendering a limited number of versions.

[Martin_Ritter]

Have a look at Essential Graphics, too. I'm not sure how it behaves on updates, but it is ment to manage preset animations.

[klaush55119029]

martinr84659894  schrieb

Have a look at Essential Graphics, too. I'm not sure how it behaves on updates, but it is ment to manage preset animations.

Yes! I was looking at that already. But it appears that there is no way of using an After Effect MOGRT inside After Effects itself. At least I have not found a way to do that.

You can create them and export them (e.g. to the CC Library). But dragging a MOGRT from the library panel into a composition to use it is not possible. ...unless there's some trick to it that have not found.

If you know how to to do that, please let me know. That would be awesome!

[Martin_Ritter]

You are right - you can open MOGRT, but it creates a new project so basicly it's the same like importing an existing project. No updates, too.

You can try animation presets (just mark all layers and properties and drag them into the effect and preset panel) but I don't know if this turns out with the flexibility you want.

I would create master projects with the animations you need over and over again and build them up with expressions and UI elements (slider and checkboxes and so on), so you can change them quickly for the whole project if you have to.

I also would make sure that the client approves the animations before mass production starts. If you have to make changes on all animations afterwards, you can charge the extra work, at least.