Script To Make Video Variations With Layer Visibility

Report · Nov 08, 2018

Hello! I'm looking for someone with JavaScript experience to help me make something for After Effects. I'm looking for something that can take specifically named layers and render out the video so one version of each layer is visible. I tried to make an example of what the project might look like:

Essentially, I'd want it to render out so there's a version with A1-B1-C1, then a version with A1-B1-C2, then a version with A1-B2-C1 etc etc until it renders out every variation possible (in the example it'd make 24 videos). The layers would probably be precomps, I just used shape layers because they were quick to make. Does anyone know if this is possible, and if so can they help me with a script that will run it? If you'd like to be paid to write the script, that can be arranged!

Thank you for reading!

Report · Nov 08, 2018

Sounds very interesting and is clearly doable with a script!

If the point of the script is not automation, you can manually switch visibility of the layers and add the comp one by another to AME queue. However, if you need to do it more than once, a script is probably the better way.

*Martin

Report · Nov 08, 2018

Exactly! If it was only 3 variations or so, it would be fine, but when you get into dozens, it's just not efficient to do them one by one, especially just to make sure you don't make a mistake when you make 20+ videos. Even if it just makes the variation in visibility and adds it to the queue I can render it out from there. Martin, would you know how to code something like this?

Report · Nov 08, 2018

I did wrote two scripts so far (Free Plugin! Motionblur and Collapse Transformation , the other one is for expressions management and not official released yet, since I want to add more features) and I'm pretty sure that I can write such a script.

But I don't think that I can do it very soon, since I'm deep into animating a small series of 5 films at least until the end of November.

*Martin