After Effects Expressions Library

A comprehensive collection of useful After Effects expressions for motion designers and animators. These expressions are production-ready and designed to speed up your workflow.

👋 About

Hi, I'm Onder - a Freelance Sr. Motion Designer and Content Creator. I've created these expressions through years of production work, and I'm sharing them with the community. Feel free to use and customize them for your projects!

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📁 Repository Structure

The expressions are organized into categories for easy navigation:

AE-Expressions/
├── Animation/       # Motion, timing, and animation effects
├── Text/           # Text manipulation and formatting
├── Color/          # Color-related expressions
├── Shape/          # Shape layer operations
└── Utility/        # General-purpose utilities

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🎬 Animation Expressions

Bounce Effect

File: Animation/Bounce Effect.expr Apply to: Position, Scale, Rotation, or any animated property

Adds a natural spring/bounce effect to your animations. Perfect for creating organic motion with controllable intensity and decay.

Key Parameters:

• amp - Bounce intensity (0.05 = subtle, 0.3 = strong)
• freq - Bounce speed (1 = slow, 4 = fast)
• decay - How quickly it settles (3 = slow, 8 = fast)

Use Case: Logo reveals, text animations, UI elements

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Smooth Inertia

File: Animation/Smooth Inertia.expr Apply to: Any property

Creates smooth follow-through animation with lag/delay. Excellent for creating secondary motion or making one layer follow another with natural delay.

Key Parameters:

• delay - Response time (3 = quick, 10 = slow)
• smoothness - Transition smoothness (50 = loose, 95 = very smooth)

Use Case: Follow cameras, delayed animations, organic motion

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Wiggle with Limits

File: Animation/Wiggle with Limits.expr Apply to: Position, Rotation, Scale, Opacity

Standard wiggle expression but constrained between minimum and maximum values. Prevents wiggle from going out of control.

Key Parameters:

• freq - Wiggle frequency (1 = slow, 5 = fast)
• amp - Wiggle intensity
• minValue & maxValue - Boundary limits

Use Case: Handheld camera shake, subtle movements, controlled randomness

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Loop Out with Offset

File: Animation/Loop Out with Offset.expr Apply to: Position, Rotation, or any animated property with keyframes

Loops your animation but adds offset each cycle - perfect for walk cycles, rolling wheels, or any repeating motion that needs to progress.

Key Parameters:

• offsetValue - How much to progress per loop

Use Case: Walk cycles, rolling objects, repeating patterns with progression

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Rotation from Velocity

File: Animation/Rotation from Velocity.expr Apply to: Rotation property

Automatically rotates layer based on its movement direction. The layer will always face the direction it's moving.

Key Parameters:

• smoothness - Rotation lag (0.05 = responsive, 0.2 = smooth)
• offset - Direction correction in degrees

Use Case: Flying objects, vehicles, directional arrows

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Keyframeless Animation

File: Animation/Keyframeless Animation.expr Apply to: Any property

Creates continuous animation without keyframes using time-based functions.

Use Case: Continuous motion, procedural animations

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Multiple Position Follow by Markers

File: Animation/Multiple Position Follow by Markers.expr Apply to: Position property

Animates position based on composition markers for precise timing control.

Use Case: Marker-driven animations, synchronized movements

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Time Remap to Comp Markers

File: Animation/Time Remap to Comp Markers.expr Apply to: Time Remap property

Maps layer time to composition markers for advanced timing control.

Use Case: Frame-accurate timing, marker-based playback

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Easy Ease (Custom)

File: Animation/Easy Ease Custom.expr Apply to: Any property

Manual ease in/out control without keyframes. Create smooth animations with customizable easing curves.

Key Parameters:

• easeIn - Ease in amount (0 = linear, 100 = maximum)
• easeOut - Ease out amount (0 = linear, 100 = maximum)
• duration - Animation duration
• startValue & endValue - Value range

Use Case: Smooth transitions, custom timing curves, keyframe-free animation

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Overshoot

File: Animation/Overshoot.expr Apply to: Position, Scale, Rotation, or any animated property

Overshoots the target value and bounces back for an elastic, springy feel.

Key Parameters:

• overshootAmount - How much to overshoot (1.1 = 10% over)
• bounceSpeed - Bounce frequency (1 = slow, 5 = fast)
• smoothness - Bounce smoothness (0.5 = bouncy, 0.9 = smooth)

Use Case: UI elements, elastic animations, organic motion

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Camera Shake

File: Animation/Camera Shake.expr Apply to: Camera Position or Rotation (or any layer)

Realistic camera shake for impact, earthquake, or explosion effects with natural decay.

Key Parameters:

• intensity - Shake strength (10 = subtle, 100 = extreme)
• frequency - Shake speed (10 = slow, 30 = fast)
• decay - Fade speed (1 = slow, 5 = quick)
• startTime & duration - When and how long

Use Case: Impact effects, explosions, earthquakes, action scenes

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Look At Camera

File: Animation/Look At Camera.expr Apply to: Orientation property of 3D layer

Automatically orients 3D layer to face camera or another layer - perfect for billboard effects.

Key Parameters:

• mode - Choose "camera" or "layer"
• targetLayerName - Layer to look at (if mode is "layer")
• offsetX/Y/Z - Rotation offsets

Use Case: Billboard effect, characters looking at camera, directional elements

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Oscillate

File: Animation/Oscillate.expr Apply to: Position, Rotation, Scale, or any numeric property

Creates continuous back-and-forth motion like a pendulum with various wave types.

Key Parameters:

• amplitude - Range of motion
• frequency - Speed of oscillation (1 = slow, 3 = fast)
• waveType - Choose "sine", "triangle", "square", or "sawtooth"

Use Case: Pendulums, floating objects, breathing effects, alarm lights

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📝 Text Expressions

Text Counter

File: Text/Text Counter.expr Apply to: Source Text property

Smoothly animates numbers counting from one value to another. Professional-looking counters with customizable formatting.

Key Parameters:

• decimalPlaces - Number formatting (0 = whole numbers)
• prefix & suffix - Add currency symbols, units, etc.
• useCommas - Thousand separators (1,000 vs 1000)

Use Case: Statistics, counters, animated numbers, data visualization

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Time to Frames

File: Text/Time to Frames.expr Apply to: Source Text property

Displays current time as frame number or timecode. Perfect for creating custom timecode displays.

Key Parameters:

• displayMode - Choose "frames", "timecode", or "seconds"
• startOffset - Start counting from specific frame
• useCompTime - Use composition or layer time

Use Case: Timecode displays, frame counters, video editing tools

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Letter Index Number

File: Text/Letter Index Number.expr Apply to: Source Text property

Manipulates text based on character index and position.

Use Case: Character-by-character animations, text effects

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Source Text (charAt())

File: Text/Source Text (charAt()).expr Apply to: Source Text property

Advanced text character manipulation and extraction.

Use Case: Dynamic text effects, character-level control

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Typewriter Effect

File: Text/Typewriter Effect.expr Apply to: Source Text property

Types out text character by character like a typewriter with optional blinking cursor.

Key Parameters:

• charsPerSecond - Typing speed (5 = slow, 20 = fast)
• showCursor - Display blinking cursor
• cursorChar - Cursor character (default: "|")

Use Case: Computer screens, subtitle effects, revealing text, retro effects

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Text Box Fitter

File: Text/Text Box Fitter.expr Apply to: Scale or Size of shape layer behind text

Automatically adjusts background box/shape size based on text length with smooth animation.

Key Parameters:

• textLayerName - Name of text layer to track
• padding - Space around text (in pixels)
• animationSpeed - How fast box adjusts (1 = slow, 10 = instant)

Use Case: Dynamic buttons, animated labels, subtitle backgrounds, lower thirds

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Random Text Generator

File: Text/Random Text Generator.expr Apply to: Source Text property

Generates random characters for Matrix, hacking, glitch, or data visualization effects.

Key Parameters:

• textLength - Number of characters
• changeSpeed - Character changes per second
• characterSet - Characters to use (binary, hex, letters, symbols, etc.)
• groupSize - Characters per group (0 = no grouping)

Use Case: Matrix effect, hacking scenes, glitch text, data streams, security codes

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🎨 Color Expressions

Connect Color Hue to Another Property

File: Color/Connect Color Hue to Another Property.expr Apply to: Color properties

Links color hue values to another layer's color property for synchronized color changes.

Use Case: Color coordination, synchronized palettes, dynamic color schemes

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RGB Separation

File: Color/RGB Separation.expr Apply to: Position of duplicated layers

Creates chromatic aberration/VHS glitch effect by separating RGB channels.

Key Parameters:

• channel - Set 0 (Red), 1 (Green), or 2 (Blue) for each layer
• separationAmount - Pixel offset (3 = subtle, 15 = extreme)
• angle - Separation direction (in degrees)

Use Case: VHS effects, glitch art, chromatic aberration, retro looks

Setup: Duplicate layer 3 times, apply expression with different channel values, use blend modes

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Color Cycle (Rainbow)

File: Color/Color Cycle Rainbow.expr Apply to: Fill Color, Stroke Color, or any color property

Smoothly cycles through rainbow colors or custom color palettes over time.

Key Parameters:

• cycleMode - Choose "rainbow" or "custom"
• cycleSpeed - Cycles per second (0.5 = slow, 2 = fast)
• customColors - Define custom color palette (for custom mode)

Use Case: Neon signs, loading indicators, music visualizers, RGB lighting effects

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Brightness Based on Position

File: Color/Brightness Based on Position.expr Apply to: Fill Color, Effect Color, or Opacity

Changes brightness/opacity based on distance from a light source position.

Key Parameters:

• lightPosition - Light source position [X, Y]
• maxDistance - Distance at which brightness reaches minimum
• falloffType - Choose "linear", "quadratic", or "smooth"

Use Case: Proximity lighting, spotlight effects, interactive lighting, depth effects

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🔷 Shape Expressions

Expand Linked Path Sizes

File: Shape/Expand Linked Path Sizes.expr Apply to: Shape path properties

Dynamically expands or contracts shape paths while maintaining proportions and linked relationships.

Use Case: Responsive shapes, animated paths, scaling effects

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Auto Stroke Width

File: Shape/Auto Stroke Width.expr Apply to: Stroke Width property

Maintains consistent stroke width regardless of layer scale - perfect for responsive designs.

Key Parameters:

• baseStrokeWidth - Desired width in pixels (at 100% scale)
• scaleCompensation - Enable/disable compensation
• inheritParentScale - Account for parent layer scale

Use Case: Logos with consistent line weight, icons, UI elements, technical drawings

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Path Trim Animator

File: Shape/Path Trim Animator.expr Apply to: Trim Paths Start or End property

Smoothly animates path trimming for line drawing and reveal effects with various easing options.

Key Parameters:

• applyTo - Choose "start" or "end"
• duration - Animation duration
• direction - Choose "forward" or "reverse"
• easeType - Choose "linear", "smooth", or "bounce"

Use Case: Line reveals, drawing animations, write-on effects, path animations

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🛠️ Utility Expressions

Scale to Fit Comp

File: Utility/Scale to Fit Comp.expr Apply to: Scale property

Automatically scales any layer to fit composition dimensions while maintaining aspect ratio. Works with any source dimension.

Key Parameters:

• fitMode - Choose "contain" (fit inside) or "cover" (fill completely)

Use Case: Responsive design, automatic scaling, multi-resolution workflows

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Distance Between Layers

File: Utility/Distance Between Layers.expr Apply to: Opacity, Scale, or any numeric property

Calculates distance between two layers and maps it to property values. Create proximity-based effects.

Key Parameters:

• targetLayerName - Layer to measure distance to
• minDist & maxDist - Distance range in pixels
• minValue & maxValue - Output value range

Use Case: Proximity-based opacity, distance-driven animations, interactive effects

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Random Seed Based

File: Utility/Random Seed Based.expr Apply to: Any property

Generates controllable random values using seed numbers. Same seed always produces same random values - perfect for consistent randomness across multiple layers.

Key Parameters:

• seed - Control randomness (same seed = same result)
• minValue & maxValue - Random value range

Use Case: Consistent randomness, duplicated layers with variation, controlled chaos

Pro Tip: Use seed = index; to give each layer unique but consistent random values.

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Count Layer with Name

File: Utility/Count Layer with Name.expr Apply to: Any property

Counts layers with specific name patterns and uses the count to drive property values.

Use Case: Dynamic layer management, counting systems

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Pad Zero Function

File: Utility/Pad Zero Function.expr Apply to: Text or numbering systems

Formats numbers with leading zeros (1 → 01, 2 → 02, etc.).

Use Case: Frame numbering, organized sequences, file naming

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Snap to Grid

File: Utility/Snap to Grid.expr Apply to: Position property

Snaps layer position to a grid system for pixel-perfect alignment and organized layouts.

Key Parameters:

• gridSize - Grid cell size in pixels (5, 10, 20, 50, etc.)
• snapX/Y/Z - Enable/disable snapping per axis
• offset - Grid origin offset

Use Case: Pixel art, UI alignment, organized layouts, isometric grids

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Layer Sequencer

File: Utility/Layer Sequencer.expr Apply to: Opacity, Position, Scale, or any property

Automatically sequences animation across multiple layers based on index - perfect for cascading effects.

Key Parameters:

• delayPerLayer - Delay between each layer (in seconds)
• animationDuration - How long each animation takes
• startValue & endValue - Animation range
• reverseOrder - Reverse sequence direction

Use Case: Sequential reveals, cascading effects, stagger animations, menu animations

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Value Remap/Range

File: Utility/Value Remap Range.expr Apply to: Any property

Remaps values from one range to another (like Arduino's map function) - extremely versatile utility.

Key Parameters:

• inputMin & inputMax - Source value range
• outputMin & outputMax - Target value range
• sourceValue - Value to remap (can link to other properties)

Use Case: Mapping sliders to properties, converting ranges, linking different property types

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Exponential Growth/Decay

File: Utility/Exponential Growth Decay.expr Apply to: Any numeric property

Creates exponential growth (viral spread) or decay (fade out) curves for dramatic effects.

Key Parameters:

• mode - Choose "growth" or "decay"
• rate - Speed of change (1 = slow, 5 = fast)
• startValue & endValue - Value range

Use Case: Viral growth, social media counters, explosions, deceleration, signal loss

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Blink/Flicker

File: Utility/Blink Flicker.expr Apply to: Opacity property

Creates blinking or flickering effects with various patterns including morse code.

Key Parameters:

• pattern - Choose "blink", "flicker", "random", or "morse"
• frequency - Blinks per second
• onOpacity & offOpacity - On/off values
• dutyCycle - ON duration ratio

Use Case: Warning lights, broken screens, cursor blinks, morse signals, faulty electronics

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🚀 How to Use

1. Browse the category folders to find the expression you need
2. Open the .expr file in a text editor
3. Copy the expression code
4. Paste into your After Effects property
5. Customize the parameters at the top of each expression
6. Read the comments in each file for detailed usage instructions

📖 Tips

• All expressions include detailed comments and usage instructions
• Parameters are clearly marked at the top of each expression
• Most expressions work with both 2D and 3D layers
• Test with a single layer before applying to multiple layers
• Adjust parameters to match your specific needs

🤝 Contributing

Have a useful expression to share? Contributions are welcome!

Guidelines:

• Code must be well-commented with clear explanations
• Include usage instructions and parameter descriptions
• Follow the existing file structure and naming conventions
• Use descriptive file names with .expr extension
• Test your expressions before submitting

Open an issue or pull request to contribute your expressions!

📄 License

These expressions are free to use in personal and commercial projects. Attribution is appreciated but not required.

💬 Support

If these expressions helped you, consider buying me a coffee!

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Created by Onder - Sr. Motion Designer & Content Creator Making motion design more efficient, one expression at a time.