after-effects-automation 0.1.2

A Python tool for automating Adobe After Effects workflows

🎬 After Effects Automation

Automate Adobe After Effects with Python - Create, modify, and render AE compositions programmatically.

Perfect for batch video production, template-based workflows, and automated content creation.

[!TIP] Starring this repo helps more developers discover after-effects-automation ✨

🔥 Also check out my other project RepoGif – the tool I used to generate the GIF above!

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📑 Table of Contents

• ⚡ Quick Start
• ✨ Features
• 📚 Documentation
• 🎯 Examples
• ⚙️ How It Works
• 🛠️ CLI & Web Editor
• 🐛 Troubleshooting

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⚡ Quick Start

# 1. Install
pip install after-effects-automation

# 2. Setup After Effects integration
python install_ae_runner.py

# 3. Run an example
cd examples/basic_composition
python run.py

That's it! A 10-second video will be created automatically.

📖 Need more help? See the Quick Start Guide

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✨ What Can It Do?

• 🎨 Template Creation - Build AE templates programmatically
• 📝 Text Automation - Update text layers with dynamic content
• ⚡ Batch Processing - Render hundreds of variations automatically
• 🎬 Scene Management - Assemble complex timelines from templates
• 🔧 Full AE Control - Access all After Effects features via Python
• 🚀 Fast Workflow - Batch system speeds up multi-scene projects

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📚 Documentation

Guide	Description
Installation	Complete installation and setup
Quick Start	Get started in 5 minutes
Examples	Practical working examples
CLI Guide	Command-line usage
Troubleshooting	Common issues and fixes
Process Management	Understanding the automation flow

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🎯 Examples

Basic Composition

Create a video with intro and outro in ~2 minutes:

cd examples/basic_composition
python run.py

Text Animation

Multi-layer text with dynamic content:

cd examples/text_animation
python run.py

Render Only

Quickly render existing .aep files:

cd examples/render_only
python render.py

📖 More Examples: See examples/README.md

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🖥️ Compatibility

Software	Versions
After Effects	2024, 2025, 2025 Beta (CC versions should work)
Python	3.7+
OS	Windows, macOS, Linux (experimental)

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⚙️ How It Works

graph LR
    A[Python Script] -->|JSON Commands| B(JS Bridge)
    B -->|ExtendScript| C{After Effects}
    C -->|Builds| D[Composition]
    D -->|aerender| E[Final Video]

1. Python defines what you want to create
2. JavaScript bridge sends commands to After Effects
3. After Effects builds the composition
4. aerender renders the final video

📖 Technical Details: See Process Management Guide

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🚀 Features Detail

Core Features

• ✅ Automated composition creation & Timeline manipulation
• ✅ Text layer updates & Property keyframing
• ✅ Resource management & Batch rendering

Advanced Features

• ✅ Batch Script Execution - Multiple commands in single operation
• ✅ Smart Defaults - Intelligent composition detection
• ✅ Process Management - Efficient AE instance handling
• ✅ Real-time Communication - File-based command queue

Recent Improvements (v0.0.4+)

• 🆕 Fixed Batch System - Black video bug resolved
• 🆕 Render-Only Mode - Quick .aep file rendering
• 🆕 UTF-8 Support - Proper Unicode handling on Windows
• 🆕 Smart Composition Defaults - Auto-detects correct composition

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🛠️ CLI Tools

Automation

Run automation from a config file using the command line:

ae-automation config.json

Web Editor (Visual Interface)

Prefer a GUI? Launch the visual editor to modify your configs without touching JSON.

ae-editor config.json

(Note: Replace this link with your actual screenshot link)

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🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

After Effects won't start?

• Check .env has correct AE path
• Verify AE version matches path (2024 vs 2025)

Scripts not executing?

• Enable scripting: Edit > Preferences > Scripting & Expressions
• Install startup script: python install_ae_runner.py

Empty/black video?

• Update to latest version: pip install --upgrade after-effects-automation
• This was a bug in the batch system (now fixed)

📖 More Solutions: See Troubleshooting Guide

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Here's how:

1. Report bugs - GitHub Issues
2. Share examples - Add to examples/ folder
3. Improve docs - All .md files in repo
4. Submit PRs - Bug fixes and features

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📄 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.

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📞 Get Help

• 📖 Documentation - Read the guides in /docs folder
• 💡 Examples - Working code in examples/ folder
• 🐛 Issues - GitHub Issues
• 💬 Discussions - GitHub Discussions

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Made with ❤️ by the After Effects Automation community