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https://github.com/docsforadobe/after-effects-scripting-guideA community-driven guide for scripting in Adobe After Effects, evolved from the original CS6 Scripting Guide. It provides documentation on the global `app` object, including managing projects, GPU acceleration, effects, undo groups, and Multi-Frame Rendering (MFR) introduced in version 22.0. Includes details on executing GUI menu commands, handling external script exit codes, and using global functions for Info panel output.
The app.settings object allows you to manage persistent settings for third-party scripts. These settings are stored in the main After Effects preferences file and persist between application sessions.
Settings are organized by a sectionName and a keyName. Internally, After Effects prepends all saved settings with the prefix "Settings_".
Important Notes:
getSetting and saveSetting will throw an error.prefType argument to specify a target preference file if the setting is not located in the main preferences file.// Conceptual structure in the preferences file:
// ["Section Name"]
// "keyName" = "value"The app.project.renderQueue.items property returns an RQItemCollection object. This collection represents all items currently visible in the Render Queue panel of the project. It provides access to individual RenderQueueItem objects and allows you to add new items to the queue.
Note: The collection is 1-indexed; the first RenderQueueItem in the collection is located at index position 1.
A Collection object acts as a logical group of objects or values, similar to an array, allowing access via an index.
Key characteristics:
MaskPropertyGroup object encapsulates mask attributes for a specific layer. It is a subclass of the PropertyGroup object, meaning it inherits all methods and attributes from PropertyGroup and PropertyBase. You can access a mask group via the path: app.project.item(index).layer(index).mask.The After Effects scripting object model follows the hierarchy of the user interface. The app (Application) object is the root, which contains a Project. The project contains Item objects (like CompItem, FootageItem, or FolderItem) visible in the Project panel. Compositions (CompItem) contain Layer objects (such as AVLayer, TextLayer, or ShapeLayer). Layers contain Property objects, which in turn can contain MarkerValue or keyframe data. The RenderQueue contains RenderQueueItem objects, which manage output modules and render settings.
Note on Terminology: To avoid confusion between JavaScript and After Effects concepts, this guide distinguishes between:
app.project.renderQueue object provides access to the data and functionality of the After Effects Render Queue panel. It allows you to manage the render automation process, including starting, pausing, and stopping renders, as well as accessing specific items in the queue via RenderQueueItem objects.The LayerCollection object represents a set of layers within a CompItem. You access it via app.project.item(index).layers. It is a subclass of the Collection object, meaning it inherits all methods and attributes from Collection (such as .length) in addition to its own layer-specific methods.
Use the LayerCollection to manage the layers within a composition, such as counting existing layers or adding new ones from other project items.
var firstComp = app.project.item(1);
var layerCollection = firstComp.layers;
alert("number of layers before is " + layerCollection.length);
var anAVItem = app.project.item(2);
layerCollection.add(anAVItem);
alert("number of layers after is " + layerCollection.length);After Effects provides two special folders within the Scripts directory for automated execution:
The CharacterRange object is an accessor for a specific span of characters within a TextDocument instance. Unlike the TextDocument object, which typically returns attributes for only the first character, CharacterRange allows you to access and modify attributes (like color, font size, or text content) for a range of zero or more characters.
fillColor) where the characters in the range have different values, the attribute returns undefined rather than a single value.TextDocument. If the text length changes (e.g., via character addition or removal), the CharacterRange may become invalid. Use isRangeValid to check this state. Accessing an invalid range will throw an exception.characterStart: The first character index.characterEnd: The (last + 1) character index. The number of characters in the range is calculated as characterEnd - characterStart.// Accessing a CharacterRange
var textDocument = app.project.item(index).layer(index).property("Source Text").value;
var characterRange = textDocument.characterRange(0, 1); // Range from index 0 to 1The app.fonts object provides access to the font ecosystem on your device. After Effects uses internal 'font proxies' to represent fonts.
Key Behaviors:
true for isSubstitute().app.fonts.freezeSyncSubstitutedFonts.postScriptName of a currently substituted font, After Effects will automatically replace the substitute with the new real font.// Access the Fonts object
var fonts = app.fonts;The app object is a single global object that provides access to objects and application settings within After Effects. It is always available by its name. You can use its attributes to access specific objects (like app.project) and its methods to control the application (such as creating projects, purging memory, or quitting).
// The app object is globally available
var currentProject = app.project;