You're welcome Jamie.  Have a good one! ... View more

I've got 3 soon-to-be-released scripts that should help AE users quite a fait bit. This sequence took about 40 minutes to set up and offers lots of options.  We're looking at 3 scripts to set this up -  Keyframe Orchestrator Layer Grouper bGEMs Distributor - flares are from Video Copilot's Optical Flares. Not as quick as Cavalry for previews but they're a lot quicker to set up IMO. The main bottleneck seems to be AE's timeline architecture especially moving and time stretching keyframes.What's cool is the ability to orchestrate lots of keyframes in a powerful and intuitive way.   ... View more

In AE Beta 25+ - https://community.adobe.com/t5/after-effects-beta-discussions/improved-ui-language-support-in-ae-beta-25-4x5/m-p/15309195 ... View more

It's mostly about setting the baseline at expected location -  Left Aligned Point Text, its baseline is left edge of first line Center Aligned Point Text, its baseline is center of first line Right Aligned Point Text, its baseline is right edge of first line  And it's also about Point of Origin for the Point Text Layer. The fix is to use Expressions to lock the Anchor Point and Position. I've also got a script that's done but I'm waiting to make it available once I complete another 8 or so scripts. The script solution doesn't require expressions but it will automatically change the position value to offset the built-in/default behavior.   ... View more

"Weird" carries different connotations - for AE, I see it as unique and not strange/awkward/MEH. Back to Point - Render Engine Options opens up lots of opportunities for AE and its users. As it is, AE already has different render engines for standard AE work and 3D AE workflows. So, adding a MoGraph Optimized Render Engine will work well. It'll be like LottieFiles but 10x-100x better and built for today and the foreseable/imaginable future.    ... View more

The highest hurdle, for now, is getting the render engine to be really really really fast. Without this, all the nice sparkles aren't going to be utilized as much as they should and/or by as many users.  I've always thought there will always be a good demand for a MoGraph-Only render engine in AE which could then blossom into a hybrid to support moving source footage. This MoGraph-Only render engine would be really fast with lots of state of the moment features for speed and creativity while leveraging all the good stuff currently in AE. I would also build a Web UI for this MoGraph-Only AE Render Engine which could work interchangeably with a desktop AEMP (After Effects MoGraph Project File).  Most folks see AE as just a product but I also see it as a brand and lots more can be done to leverage this branding but it has to be done soon or it'll be left behind as time and competitors come on board.    ... View more

Not intending to compare ants and oranges -  These are done precedurally with AE's Text Expression Selectors. They share quite a fair bit of similarities with Generative Coding. I've only scratched the surface - just 2-3 days of code and experimentation and UI Development. They render really fast too but can slow down quickly when per character 3D is is part of the process.  Look up Repiece who does interesting stuff - not inherently all text-based but very good at Mograph-Styled distribution and cloning of layers. ... View more

The Expression isn't difficult and you can save it as an FFX -  Anchor Point Expression -  const myLayerRect = thisLayer.sourceRectAtTime(); [myLayerRect.left + myLayerRect.width/2 , myLayerRect.top + myLayerRect.height/2] Position -  [thisComp.width/2 , thisComp.height/2] And what's nice with locking both the Anchor Point and Position is you get to change Paragraph Justification and the layer stays locked in place; always centered in the composition. If you want something interesting for your MoGRTs, I've got a few interesting solutions -  Adaptive Anchor Point and Text Reflow -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXmoVWsuwUA&t=1285s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXmoVWsuwUA&t=1388s  And I've got this script that should be available in a couple of weeks, along with about 18 other interesting scripts - Anchor Point Pro -  It does regular Anchor Point setups without disturbing an existing Motion Path within the Position Property. And it's got features to set up Baselines for your Text Layers.       ... View more

AE ships with an Animation Preset, Write On Arrow (in the Elements Folder), that does what you just described -  plus|minus minor tweaks but it's a regular Shape Layer, so you get all of its options. HTH ... View more

You can double-click a property in the Essential Graphics Panel and it will open up the composition where the property came from.The only issue is if the property in the EGP originated in another composition and this was then nested into the Primary Comp - in such a case, it is the originating comp that opens up, becoming the active comp. HTH   ... View more

As Rick correctly noted, the source and destination layer and composition sizes play a part. Things get messy if you want a 1 to 1 copy-paste result. On the bright side, I'm about 70% into completing a script that is aimed at making this workflow a one-click solution. I will share an update when it's done and ready for the public. Best Wishes ... View more

It's a Comp Setting. It's a lot to have to set these on a per layer basis. FWIW, locked layers won't show their handles - so, maybe this might alleviate the frustration? ... View more

You're welcome Neil. I made it especially for you and Miriam.   🙂 ... View more

Like this ? -  If it is, the default Shortcut is CTRL + SHIFT + H (I think - it's been ages since I changed this to SHIFT + H). You can also access this with a Right-Click on the Comp Name at the top-left of Comp Panel.   ... View more

It's sort of available now but not as a Shortcut - it's in Prefs > General >  Create Layers at Comp Start Time Also, if you were to drag from the Project Panel to the Timeline and you move into the timeline's layer stems area, you can select which layer index in the timeline you want the new layer to be placed AND if you at the timeline ruler, you can see another timeline indicator that tells you exactly where in time the in point of your layer will be when you release the mouse/drag process. HTH   ... View more

You're welcome Kevin. I was actually expecting more downloads - sadly folks don't appreciate how useful text reflow is in getting better-looking layouts.  Or perhaps this is already a common feature in AeMoGRTs? ... View more

I actually liked that 3D solution. It renders really fast with a decent GPU which most users have today.  ... View more

Hi Dan, I believe setJustification has to be last if it is invoked. This was from the AeTeam sometime last year - I've not heard of an update on this since. ... View more

Do we get to offset more layers with one of these?  😄 ... View more

Hi Nishu, Matt purchased my Adaptive Text Tool AeMoGRT (it's for use in PPro) and is experiencing the issue I brought up in my initial post.  Based on Matt's experience, the issue seems memory-related because it occurs when the video is relatively long while short videos have no such issues.  If you can pursue this, I can send you an NFR of the AeMoGRT Product and the license key via DM. Cheers ... View more

EeeeeK!    Where do I go to get a refund.  😉 ... View more

Hmmm ... so ... you fixed it TWICE. And now we have two cursors?  😄 ... View more

The correct answer is - It Depends. 🙂 IF your Anchor Point is not Locked with an Expression -  Your Text Layer can have any Paragraph Alignment and have your text stretch outwards from the center with the Tracking Animator Property as long as you have the Line Anchor Animator Property set to 50%.  When your Text Layer is a Center Aligned paragraph, then you don't need to apply/set the Line Anchor Animator Property because the default value it is calculated under-the-hood and its default value is 50%.  Now, when the Text Layer's Anchor Point is locked via an Expression, then this locked position dictates where/how the Tracking flows - left, right outwards/inwards. So, this Expression locked Anchor Point becomes the anchor for tracking and any value you set to the Line Anchor Animator Property nothing will change. HTH    ... View more

Thanks for the reply Nishu, I can repro easily BUT it's got to be with a reasonably heavy/realworld project and this means no Magic AE Buttons.  Once the project is quite set up, editing the Drop Menu in the EGP can lead to issues. Deleting a Drop Menu from the Timeline when it has been placed in the EGP has a very high chance to create major issues. And often, trying to add Drop Menu items results in a NoGo - it refuses to accept any input.  It's been what? Over 7 years since its release and this is still happening?!!!  I'm not upset with you but with those who actually built this thing and who are supposed to provide paid/professional development and support for this feature which supports a larger, more important feature; a seamless workflow between AE and PPro.  When they were developing MoGRTs, I had about 15 years of AE Template Development experience. You would think they would have invited me onboard to help test BUT NO! Strange but it is what it is.  I just like things to work as expected.  Nishu, I'm quite deep in a few things but if I can set aside time for this AND if I thought it would actually bring some positive output then I would but I am very doubtful. There is something quite wrong at play and it's been going on for too long. I really can't rationalize spending more time in this area for bugifixing. It's a waste of time IMHO - it's all about developing buttons and basic media replacement as far as I see it.  BUTT I'll give it one last shot IF I can set aside some time to send over an AEP/Composition where these issues can be repro-ed.  Thanks for revisiting my issue. For now, maybe these issues only affect me.  😄   ... View more

This -  text.animator.group(1).selector("ADBE Text Selector") works as a Text Animator?   ... View more

https://ae-expressions.docsforadobe.dev/objects/markerkey/#markerkeycomment PS - Sorry, I missread it as marker comment. ... View more