https://github.com/FxLow/adobe-after-effects-tools/releases

Adobe After Effects Tools for Motion Graphics, Keying, and Tracking

A compact toolkit for Adobe After Effects that accelerates motion graphics, keying, and tracking work. This repository bundles scripts, templates, and presets designed to streamline common tasks, cut down setup time, and help you achieve clean composites faster. It focuses on practical automation, robust presets, and thoughtful workflows that fit into typical production pipelines.

Download releases badge Link to latest assets and installers

• https://github.com/FxLow/adobe-after-effects-tools/releases

Table of contents

• About this project
• What you get
• How it works
• Getting started
• Installation guide
• Quick start tutorial
• Core workflows
  • Keying workflow
  • Tracking workflow
• Automation and scripting
• Templates and presets
• Tutorials and learning resources
• Examples and case studies
• Troubleshooting and support
• Frequently asked questions
• Roadmap
• Contributing guidelines
• License and usage terms
• Acknowledgments

About this project This repository collects tools that help you work more efficiently inside Adobe After Effects. The focus is on three pillars: motion graphics, keying, and tracking. You’ll find a mix of scripts that automate repetitive steps, presets that standardize color work and matte creation, and templates that speed up the setup of new projects. The goal is to reduce the time you spend on rote tasks so you can focus on creative decisions.

What you get

• ExtendScript and JavaScript tools that you can run from the After Effects scripting panel or as part of a project workflow
• FX templates and precomposed setups to jump-start common scenes
• Presets for color correction, matte extraction, edge refinement, and tracking confidence
• A lightweight UI panel that exposes core functions in a single place
• Documentation and examples that explain how to adapt the tools to your pipeline

How it works The tools are designed to play well with standard After Effects projects. They do not replace core features but extend them with helpful wrappers and automations. Most tools are implemented as:

• Scripts you run from the After Effects UI or via the Script Launcher
• Projects and templates you can import into a new or existing composition
• Presets you apply to layers, effects, or tracks
• Small panels that provide one-click access to common actions

This approach keeps things predictable and easy to audit. You can inspect the code, modify it if you need to adapt to your workflow, and share improvements with your team.

Getting started If you are new to After Effects scripting, this project provides a gentle entry point. You can start by exploring the presets and templates, then move into scripts as you become more comfortable with ExtendScript and the After Effects scripting model. The examples are built to be approachable for both newcomers and seasoned artists.

Prerequisites

• A workstation with Adobe After Effects installed
• A recent version of After Effects (CC 2020+ recommended for best compatibility)
• A basic understanding of layers, masks, and keying concepts
• Access to the repository’s releases to download installers and assets

Installation guide This project distributes assets via the Releases page. From the page, download the latest installer or asset package and run it on your workstation. The Windows installer is typically named adobe-after-effects-tools-windows.exe and the macOS package is adobe-after-effects-tools-macos.dmg. For Linux users, a lightweight option may be provided as a script or not supported; consult the Releases page for platform availability.

Downloads From the Releases page, download the latest asset package. Run the installer to install tools into After Effects, or extract templates into your project. The exact file names may vary by release, but the process remains the same: obtain the installer, run it, and follow the on-screen prompts. For convenience, you can visit the Releases page directly or use the button below to jump there.

Quick start: a practical first run

1. Install the tools from the releases page. Choose the installer suitable for your OS and follow the prompts.
2. Open After Effects and verify the new tools appear in the Window > Extensions (or the Scripts panel, depending on how you installed them).
3. Create a simple composition: 1920x1080, 24 fps, 5 seconds long.
4. Import a sample clip that demonstrates keying or tracking. If you don’t have a clip handy, use a public domain stock clip for practice.
5. Try the basic keying workflow: apply the keying preset, adjust threshold and spill suppression, refine edges, and evaluate the matte in the alpha channel.
6. Try the tracking workflow: set up a scene, apply the tracking tool, and bind the tracked data to a target layer (such as a mask, a solid, or a 3D layer).
7. Save your project and note how the tools simplify repetitive steps.

Tip: If you run into a problem during installation, revisit the Release notes for any platform-specific considerations or prerequisites. The Release notes also describe version-specific changes and known issues.

Core workflows

Keying workflow Keying is essential for clean composites in motion graphics and VFX. The goal is to separate subjects from their background with a matte that is accurate and free of color spill or edge artifacts. The keying workflow in this project emphasizes:

• A robust hue-based key with adjustable tolerance
• Spill suppression in a controlled pass
• Edge relief for soft, natural edges on hair and fine details
• Matte refinement using feathering, choke, and contract controls
• Quick preview modes to assess matte quality in real time

Steps to perform a typical keying task

• Prepare your source: ensure lighting is consistent and the subject is well separated from the background.
• Apply the keying preset: choose the preset that matches your footage (green screen, blue screen, or vignette-based keying).
• Adjust tolerance and edge controls: refine the core key while preserving fine details.
• Refine the matte: activate edge refinement, feathering, and choke to improve the transition between the subject and the background.
• View the matte: toggle the alpha channel view to confirm the key quality across the whole frame.
• Add a background: place your new background layer behind the keyed subject, and fine-tune the composite.

Tips for effective keying

• Shoot with a clean and evenly lit backdrop to minimize spill and shadows.
• Use edge refiners sparingly; too much feathering can cause halos and soft edges.
• For hair and fine details, consider a multi-pass approach: a rough key followed by a precise edge pass.
• Consider adding a light wrap to soften the boundary between subject and background.

Tracking workflow Tracking helps you maintain believable relationships between elements in a scene. This project includes tools to streamline:

• Planar and point tracking
• Stabilization workflows for shaky footage
• Tracking data assignment to masks, shapes, or null objects
• Reuse of tracking data across multiple layers or scenes
• Visual feedback to confirm tracking quality

Steps to perform a typical tracking task

• Choose the right tracker for the scene: point tracker for relatively flat scenes; 3D camera tracker for more complex shots.
• Set anchor points and track points with good coverage across movement.
• Review tracking results, fix drift or mis-tracked frames, and refine as needed.
• Apply tracking data to the target layer or null object to drive motion or effects.
• Integrate tracked data with other effects, such as stabilization or masking.

Practical tips for reliable tracking

• Use high-contrast tracking points and avoid repetitive textures.
• Track over longer clips in chunks if the scene changes significantly.
• Manually adjust key frames where automatic tracking struggles, then resume auto-tracking.
• Dry-run each step to ensure consistency before committing the data to layers.

Automation and scripting This repository emphasizes automation to reduce manual work. You’ll find:

• Script palettes that wrap common actions in a single click
• Custom panels that expose multiple functions in a unified interface
• Lightweight utilities for batch processing within a project
• Example scripts that demonstrate how to chain actions for faster workflows

Examples of automated tasks

• Automatically create a precomposed composition for a scene with a masked subject
• Batch apply keying presets to a set of layers
• Automatically stabilize a clip, then reframe the shot for consistent composition
• Generate a control layer with sliders to drive color corrections across multiple layers

How to use scripts

• Open After Effects and access the Scripts panel
• Locate the script you want to run, or install it via the provided installer
• Select the layers or items you want to affect
• Run the script and follow on-screen prompts if available
• If a script exposes a UI, interact with the controls to fine-tune results

Templates and presets Templates and presets offer quick-start options for many common tasks. They help you:

• Set up a project with a ready-made layout
• Apply consistent color grades and keying parameters
• Create a reusable layout for tracking and stabilization
• Save your favorite combinations for future projects

Examples of templates you might find

• A standard shot-reveal template with a keyed subject and a dynamic background
• A tracking-driven parallax template that creates depth
• A modular lower-third package with ready-to-edit text layers and motion
• A multi-shot composite template that assembles a scene with consistent lighting and color

Templates and presets usage tips

• Start with a template to ensure structure and consistency
• Customize presets to match your camera, lighting, and color pipeline
• Save your modifications as new presets to reuse across projects
• Keep templates lightweight to preserve performance in large projects

Tutorials and learning resources Learning is ongoing. The repository includes a curated set of tutorials and learning resources to help you ramp up quickly. Topics cover:

• Basic keying principles and best practices
• Core tracking workflows and how to interpret results
• Efficient use of layers, masks, and effects in After Effects
• Scripting fundamentals for automating routine tasks
• Advanced workflows for composite scenes and visual effects

Tips for getting the most from tutorials

• Practice with sample footage that matches the tutorial’s scenario
• Pause and reproduce each step; adjust parameters to your footage
• Keep notes on what works and what doesn’t; document settings that yield good results
• Revisit tutorials after you’ve gained a bit of experience to see how your understanding grows

Examples and case studies Real-world scenarios demonstrate how these tools fit into production pipelines. Case studies cover:

• A simple green-screen keying job that becomes clean with minimal manual cleanup
• A multi-shot tracking sequence where motion data is shared across layers
• A composite with a moving subject and a dynamic background that looks natural and cohesive
• A tutorial-based approach to stabilizing footage and reintroducing composition

Each case study outlines:

• The challenge
• The approach taken with the tools
• The results and observed improvements
• The steps to reproduce the results in your own project

Troubleshooting and support When things don’t go as planned, a few strategies help you get back on track:

• Confirm you’re using a supported version of After Effects
• Check for updates to the tools in the Releases page
• Review sample projects and templates to ensure compatibility
• Re-run a clean install if necessary and verify that the installation completed successfully
• Use a minimal test project to isolate issues and avoid conflicts with other plugins or scripts

If you encounter issues

• Look for a readme or release notes in the asset package
• Compare your settings with the recommended defaults
• Reset After Effects preferences if you suspect the issue relates to the host application
• Consult the examples and tutorials for guidance on expected behavior

Frequently asked questions

• What versions of After Effects are supported?
• Do I need an internet connection to use the tools after installation?
• Can I use these tools on multiple machines?
• Are there any licensing restrictions for the templates and scripts?
• How can I contribute improvements or new features?

Roadmap The roadmap outlines planned enhancements and expansion areas:

• Broaden support for additional keying methods and edge refiners
• Improve tracking stability in challenging footage
• Add more templates for common production tasks
• Expand scripting capabilities and introduce a modern Panel-based UI
• Introduce more comprehensive tutorials and example projects

Contributing guidelines Contributions are welcome. If you want to contribute:

• Fork the repository and create a feature branch
• Add or modify scripts, presets, and templates with clear, maintainable code
• Include a short description of changes and how to test them
• Submit a pull request with a concise explanation of the improvements
• Follow existing coding style and documentation practices to keep the project coherent

License This repository uses an open source license intended to encourage broad usage and collaboration. By using or contributing to this project, you accept the terms described in the license file included in the repository.

Security and privacy notes The tools integrate with After Effects in a way that does not expose external services by default. As with any script or plugin, verify compatibility with your existing projects and workflows. If you discover any security concerns, please report them through the repository’s issue tracker so they can be reviewed and addressed.

Appendix: how to verify the installation After you complete the installation, you can verify the toolset by performing a basic check:

• Open After Effects
• Create a new composition
• Open the script panel or window layout to locate the Tools panel
• Run a simple operation such as applying a keying preset to a test layer
• Observe the results in the composition preview
• If the operation completes and the preview updates, the installation is successful

Appendix: frequently used commands and references

• After Effects scripting basics
• ExtendScript Toolkit (or the built-in JavaScript Console in recent After Effects versions)
• A short reference for common layers, effects, and properties used by the tools
• A guide to working with masks, mattes, and track points

Appendix: global guidelines for usage

• Respect the source footage and maintain rights to use assets in your projects
• Use the tools to enhance, not replace, the artistic decision
• Document any changes you make to presets or templates for future reuse
• Share improvements with the community to help others grow

Appendix: best practices for project structure

• Keep assets organized by shot, take, or scene
• Maintain a consistent naming convention for layers and compositions
• Save frequently and use version control for project files
• Separate the project’s color pipeline from the motion graphics logic to simplify updates

Appendix: sample workflow outline

1. Set up a new composition with desired resolution, frame rate, and duration
2. Import footage and place it on the timeline
3. Apply a base keying preset and adjust core parameters
4. Refine the matte and edge details
5. Add a background and color grade to match the scene
6. Set up a tracking pass if the shot includes motion that needs to be stabilized or integrated with other elements
7. Use automation to apply repetitive tasks across multiple layers or scenes
8. Save a template for future projects and reuse settings

Appendix: recommended practices for performance

• Work with proxies for heavy compositions when possible
• Limit the number of high-resolution layers on screen to keep preview performance smooth
• Pre-render resource-intensive sections if you need to review results quickly
• Use caching wisely to avoid repeated heavy calculations

Appendix: references and further reading

• Official After Effects documentation for scripting and automation
• Community tutorials on keying, tracking, and motion graphics
• Guides on best practices for compositing and color management
• Case studies showing how automation improves production speed

Releases note and future updates The Releases page contains notes about each version, including new features, bug fixes, and compatibility considerations. It is the best place to track changes and plan upgrades. The latest version typically includes:

• New presets and templates
• Expanded support for recent After Effects features
• Performance improvements and bug fixes
• Updated documentation and tutorials

If you want to stay current with improvements, check the Release notes and the Releases page regularly. The updates reflect ongoing work to improve reliability, add more templates, and expand scripting capabilities so you can automate more tasks in your workflow.

Usage policy All assets provided via the Releases page are intended for personal and professional use within the scope of your projects. You can adapt tools and templates to fit your workflow, share your modifications within your team, and contribute back improvements through the project’s contribution process.

Acknowledgments This project draws on community knowledge and shared techniques in motion graphics and post-production. The work represents a collaborative effort to provide practical tools that simplify key tasks in After Effects.

Note on navigation If you’re browsing the repository, you’ll find:

• A scripts folder with ExtendScript files that automate common tasks
• A templates folder with ready-to-use compositions and presets
• An assets folder containing sample footage, placeholder graphics, and UI assets
• Documentation that explains how to use and tweak the tools for your projects

Final reminders

• The primary entry point for downloads is the Releases page. Use the link provided at the top and then again via the badge to navigate quickly.
• The tools are designed to be approachable for people new to scripting while offering depth for power users.
• Take advantage of the tutorials and examples to accelerate your learning and get the most from the toolkit.

Releases page navigation When you arrive at the Releases page, you’ll see the latest asset package at the top. Download the Windows installer or macOS package depending on your operating system. If you are unsure which file to download, look for names that include “windows” or “macos” and match your system. If in doubt, the release notes describe what each asset is designed to do. You can also download older releases if you want to compare versions or validate behavior before adopting the latest changes.

Choosing the right file to download and execute

• Windows: adobe-after-effects-tools-windows.exe
• macOS: adobe-after-effects-tools-macos.dmg
• Optional: adobe-after-effects-tools-portable.zip for a portable setup or alternative packaging

After downloading the file, run the installer and follow the prompts. The installer will place the tools into the After Effects environment in a way that keeps your current projects intact. If you already have a customized workflow, you can selectively enable or disable features during installation.

Project philosophy The tools in this repository are designed around a few guiding principles:

• Accessibility: Build tools that are easy to learn and quick to apply
• Modularity: Keep components decoupled so you can reuse or replace parts as needed
• Reliability: Prioritize predictable behavior across a range of footage styles
• Documentation: Provide clear instructions, examples, and troubleshooting steps
• Community: Encourage feedback, contributions, and shared best practices

How to extend and customize

• Modify existing scripts to fit your unique pipeline
• Create new presets by copying and adjusting existing ones
• Add your templates and share them with the team
• Document changes to preserve a clear history of what you modified and why

Community and support channels

• Issue tracker for bug reports, feature requests, and compatibility notes
• Discussion forums for sharing workflows, tips, and best practices
• Pull requests for code contributions and improvements
• Documentation and examples to help new users ramp up quickly

Final notes This document provides a comprehensive guide to the Adobe After Effects Tools for Motion Graphics, Keying, and Tracking repository. It covers installation, usage, workflows, and how to contribute. The aim is to help you integrate these tools into your production process smoothly and efficiently.

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