m1jackson
Contributor
m1jackson
Contributor
Activity
‎Dec 17, 2024
09:42 AM
1 Upvote
...aaaand I figured out "my" problem. I wasn't replacing the right things with the correct things. In my original post I was replacing Bottom Layers with Middle Layers. Doh!
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‎Dec 17, 2024
09:09 AM
I only do the 'loop' because I sometimes replace the footage in multiple comps thruout the project.
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‎Dec 16, 2024
09:01 PM
I'm creating a script that replaces footage with other footage and have encountered what I'm hoping is a "my problem" and not a bug. I've a template project that has actual footage in it that is the used in varous places in the project. And this works sucessfully with the following blocks The 2048x1080 footage (source item) get replaced as expected. However, when I tried to simplify things and reduce my template comp by using "Placeholders" or "Solids" in the project window of a different template file. Using the following script block... I get the following error message. Am I stuck with using actual footage to make these templates work? I only ask cause I have to have template footage that can be somewhat large on occasion rather than using internal Solids or Placeholders. Thanks as always.
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‎Nov 27, 2024
02:05 PM
1 Upvote
I figured out what "my" problem was. I was getting confused when trying to set a piece of footage that had the first 16 frames clipped off and was trying to shift it to frame 1017 (actual frame 1) . The display start frame IS the answer. I get "why" After Effects sets frame based on 0, but I got confused.
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‎Nov 19, 2024
11:21 PM
In my continuing quest to script a template, I've got a variable start frame from the client's lineup sheet. (This shot starts on 1001, this shot starts on 1097, etc.) So I've been trying various ways of setting the Comp's Start Frame via script. My template is set to 1000. ...but I'd like to change it to (in this example) 1016 or some other number. For the life of me, I can not find it in the set attributes block of Ae Comp (work area start, display start frame, display start time, work area start), or Ae Project Items (time). To paraphrase C-3PO on the Death Star, "Where could it be?"
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‎Nov 19, 2024
09:40 AM
1 Upvote
This is even better! I did note when implementing this idea that using the "length of" block was unnecessary, since the "selected items" list produces a number.
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‎Nov 18, 2024
01:02 PM
Thank you. That's perfect! And so anyone can see how it's done, here's what I came up with. For no selected footage, it runs one function block, for when one footage is selected, it runs another, and it puts up an alert dialog reporting that there is more than one footage is selected.
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‎Nov 18, 2024
11:19 AM
I'm trying to set up a script that "If" a file is selected, then do something on it, if not, I'd like to throw an error to do something else. I'm setting up the variable Selected Duration that polls the duration of a selected item (for the A side of the logic), but if nothing is selected, it throws an error. There is an alert that comes up in the library tab and in the console "execution result:"please select exactly one project item in the project panel (line 1)"". I just want to do something actionable based on this result to fix it since users might not see either of these alerts. Problem is, I can't seem to find check if something is selected or not. Maybe I'm going about this all wrong by testing the duration of a selection, but I can't figure a way to test if something is selected or not. Any recommendations on how to solve this would be, as always, appreciated.
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‎Nov 08, 2024
08:59 AM
1 Upvote
I had never thought to look at ChatGPT. So I followed your advice and was able to cobble together something that worked exactly as you mentioned in Alternative 2. So NEAT! Thank you for opening up so many possibilities...
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‎Nov 07, 2024
05:59 PM
I'm looking to reduce a list from a spreadsheet and don't know how to do it. I've got a .csv where column B is the 'type' of sequence that the shot belongs to. Column C is the the actual sequence name and Column D is the shot name. This is my current block set. The last two "in list" blocks add the last selected item to the top of the list with a space. (Super handy, but I can't figure out an easy way to exclude the space from actually being selected.) It creates a list that is every single line of the .csv How can I reduce all the "same" sequence to a single item? Or if I had many "reduced" sequence initials that would get pulled if they match the "if" block?
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‎Nov 04, 2024
11:39 AM
I'm trying to work on putting together more efficent blocks by using functions appropriately. I've got 3 check box choices on a form that fill variables "choice Previs, choice Postvis, choice Finals" I know that I can do three if blocks to execute commands based on this, but can I use input names on a function to use the variables? I'm figuring I have this fundimentally incorrect, but I "know" there is something in here that can do what I'm looking to do. As always, your input is appreciated!
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‎Oct 23, 2024
12:05 PM
Would this type of jsx code be able to drill into the "Interpret Footage>Color" tab in After Effects to be able to set "Preserve RGB", cause if so, now I have to learn more programming.
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‎Oct 23, 2024
09:58 AM
I see a lot of support in Premier, but not so much for AE. I know that right click contextual menus have very limited support. Is marker support in After Effects limited to Layer>Marker menu commands?
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‎Oct 21, 2024
11:49 AM
Would the "Exectue Code Block" allow the execution of python script outside of AE? Cause that opens a whole new can of worms...
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‎Oct 20, 2024
02:56 PM
4 Upvotes
This is a terrible policy. There are lots of prefectly valid reasons for needing older, outdated versions of the program. Not the least of which, plug in manufacturer's don't support these older plug ins. (i.e. Red Giant Keying Suite). If I have to go open an older project from 2019 (it happens), there is literally no easy way to do it if I don't have that older version on my machine. I recently had a machine go bad and could not restore the hard drive, even from my back up. That whole project is gone now and can not even be launched into the new versions. To quote Charles Barkley, "Turrible."
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‎Oct 20, 2024
12:50 PM
I'm trying to figure out a way to appropriately render my output my files to a dated, and maybe hourly directory. I know how to create an expression to write the date into a "Source Text" field. //CampName and Date D = new Date(Date(0)); //Today's Month + (D.getMonth()+1) + "/" //Today's Day + D.getDate() + "/" //Today's Year + D.getFullYear() How can I get this expression into text blocks so I can connect it to my output path that I pipe into a "add to Ae render queue" block? As always, any input is appreciated. ---------------------------- BTW, I just wanted to again say thank you for this extension. It has literally changed how I work. I've built a system to render my projects to specific folders and name them appropriately for various outputs. It has saved me hours/days of work and changed my productivity dramatically. I'm adding and changing the system all the time and it's been a revelation. Here's a snapshot of how deep it's gotten. This supports the following dialog. (I'm currently trying to automated the dated value in the Playlist Name) I've not had to enter an Output Module setting or Output To Path dialog in more than a year because of Automation Blocks. If you've not seen or used this extention, GET IT! I'm not a programmer, just a nearly 30 year user of After Effects.
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‎Oct 17, 2024
10:34 AM
I've got a comp that is 23.976. I'm trying to slip my "Work" comp one frame from frame 1000 to 1001. I make a "set attribute>start time" block set to The problem is that I get nothing. The frame seems to be just a fraction beyond frame 1001. When I click the In Frame of my Work Comp and hit Ok with 1001. I get exactly the expected result. I'm guessing that this is a conversion between time and frames. I really wish I could "Set Time In" as frames rather than time, but I seem unable to do so. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you as always.
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‎Oct 14, 2024
11:20 AM
1 Upvote
THAT'S the trick. Thank you. Being a programming neophyte is such a drag sometimes. I'll look further into the execut code block. Was very handy in some other things.
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‎Oct 14, 2024
10:51 AM
This video tutorial works great, as long as there is only one line of text. I'm trying to print out a multi paragraph block of information. I've tried several ways of getting around it by using a replace text with paragraphs. I still get the json data as the text instead of a multiline data structure. Is there a hard-return available in Automation Blocks text? Any thoughts? While I have you here, with the updates to the text formatting in After Effects, any plans to update Automation Blocks to better work with the (relative) newness?
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‎Oct 13, 2024
11:49 AM
I'm looking to see if a layer has an effect, and if not apply it. How to do check if a layer in a comp has a specific effect applied i.e. "camera lens blur", and if it's not there, apply it with specific values? Alternately, if the effect is applied, change the value to a desired value? (I think, I can figure this part out once the first part is answered, but this is where I'm headed) As always, thanks for your input.
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‎Sep 26, 2024
12:51 PM
Not as such. I'm looking for a way to set Attribute of a Project Item to a Source Item the same way you just showed I can Set Attribute of a Layer to Source Item (of another project item). The option drag/replace function works this way in the project window and replaces all uses of one project item with another and I do use this manual replace function quite a bit, and it would be helpful to do via and Automation Block script (if possible).
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‎Sep 26, 2024
10:23 AM
The option drag to replace project items also occurs within items of the project window, but there doesn't seem to be a similar Source Item funtion in the Set Project Attributes Block. If I need to replace all uses of a piece of footage, do I have to do them manually?
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‎Sep 24, 2024
09:49 AM
I'm running a .jsx script that creates a bunch of comps and footage automatically. I'm able to run the .jsx and it does what it does just fine. The .jsx creates a couple of comps and brings to the front one of two comps. I'm able to do some after action steps on one of the created comps "Camera01_3d" upto and including a execute menu command block "Trim Comp to Work Area". This is all great! ` Where I'm having an issue is opening the second comp in the forefront of After Effects to run the execute menu command block on the second comp. How can I "open" the (second) ReCamera01_3d comp to run the menu command? I tried the select project items block, and select layer(s) block and neither of these brings the comp to the front. As always, any input is appreciated!
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‎Sep 23, 2024
11:14 PM
I promise that I've scoured the documentation and REwatched all the youtube videos and can find no mention of how the following might occur. I have a template file that I start with for every shot. I import in a tracked scene and I'd like that comp to replace a piece of footage in my work comp. By muscle memory I know to alt/opt drag the Camera01_3d comp over the Source Footage layer in the Work comp. Is it possible for Automation Blocks to accomplish this task? If so, how? As always, thanks!
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‎Sep 23, 2024
09:45 PM
So I was able to use the new Execute Code block to get an importer that works great! As always, thank you so much. As with any piece of code, I'm looking at some feature creep. This creates a handly little dialog that displays the contents of the directory. What I'm now looking to do is shorten this list down to JUST the .jsx files since nothing else is applicable in this dialog. This is where (as always) my lack of real programming skills doesn't allow me to parse the "list" of files. When printing the output of Track Name I get a comma delinated line of files that I tried writing out to a csv, but the items all showed up in cell A1. There's got to be a better way! Any assistance you can give, as always, will be appreciated.
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‎Sep 23, 2024
08:36 AM
1 Upvote
Since it's now 2024 and it was implemented in 2020(ish) there has been no further integration of the ProEXR plug in. So I'd like to request that the functionality of ProEXR be integrated fully into the Render Que. Currently we only have the following options. While the ProEXR exporter has the following that are inaccessible by the RenderQue options. The "Include layer composite" is clutch cargo when trying to deliver embedded mattes to a DI house (or really any number of other reasons). Right now the access to the rendering of layered composites can not be queued, or access by any other tools and this is a drag since it also can not given post render actions, scripted, or accessed by scripting tools like Automation Blocks (my current favorite non-Adobe tool in AE). Thanks for your consideration and hopeful implementation.
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‎Sep 22, 2024
09:03 AM
Mathias, Just wanted to check in on this to see if this was still on your list, or if you're buried in so many other things? Setting up my layout each time doesn't take a long time, but it's the 5 clicks that I can't automate (haha). Thanks for the great tool.
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‎Sep 22, 2024
08:38 AM
Is there a way to access "Save Frame as ProEXR" from Automation Blocks? I'm looking to export a multilayered EXR with holdout mattes via the Render Que, and this functionality is not available there? If not, I'd love to petition Adobe to include this functionality into the render que so it can be used more widely. Adobe bought and implemented this fnord plugin back in 2019/2020 and hasn't really incorporated it into the main codebase.
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‎Sep 20, 2024
11:03 AM
Shebbe: Your proposed, never converting an EXR, or "setting" an EXR color space via preference, is a good "simple" fix, but doesn't help with accessing this dialog's functions via script (both are important pieces). I've been working with "None" as my Working Color Space for the past 10 years and using the old OpenColorIO plugin has been clutch for my EXR film visual effects workflow. The new Adobe implementation of OCIO is problematic since it doesn't have the roll outs for camera manufacturers the same way the old one does (and it's REALLY slow to scroll) thru. This was brought up during the beta phase when the new OCIO workflow functionality was being implemented. This is the old OCIO plug in. This is the new Adobe implementation. I don't wish upon my worst enemy that they ever have to deal with trying out various Input AND Output values cause it's an incredibly long scroll. This list also has no ability to be called by script. Another reason that this is problematic is when we setup a render Ouptut module for EXR sequences they "need" to be rendered with "Preserve RGB" explicitly checked on or they are improperly formatted for the client. Worse still is that when rendering EXRs and using them as proxies mean that we have to set the "Preserve RGB" again on the Proxy. This again has to be done manually because the Interpret Footage->Main is not a command that can be called by script. If I didn't have to do this I could render out my main EXR (4k), immediately replace the comp with the rendered proxy, and then render slated quicktimes for editorial (HD and 2k) unattended. Currently, I have to render the 4k, wait for completion, then kick off the slated HD and 2k (bypassing the point of the Post-Render Action: Set Proxy).
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‎Sep 19, 2024
02:05 PM
1 Upvote
Something that happens EVERY time we use EXR sequences in After Effects, we have to right-click on the footage (there is no File menu equivalent) Interpret Footage->Main and then select the color tab and "Preserve RGB". It would be super helpful to be able to set these values in these sub tabs with a script event that can be accessed with the scripting language or Automation Blocks system.
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