Adobe After Effects CS5 Visual Effects and Compositing Studio Techniques

Scripting

Jeff Almasol

Scully: Homer, we’re going to ask you a few simple yes or no questions. Do you understand?

Homer: Yes. (lie detector blows up)

—The Simpsons

Via scripting, After Effects enables you to automate many operations. You can reorder the selected layers of a composition based on their Z-axis positions, import text from a file to create keyframed text layers, apply effects, create masks, and add several compositions to the render queue, then change their render settings and output modules, to name a few actions. Just as expressions provide powerful control over a property’s value, scripting enables a similar level of control over the After Effects application and contents of your projects. Procedures that otherwise would be ...