What are some of the most useful expressions for motion design in After Effects and why?

Looping expressions in After Effects are incredibly useful for creating continuous motion without the need to manually replicate keyframes or layers. By using expressions like loopOut(), loopIn(), and their variations, you can make your animations loop in different ways. For instance, loopOut("cycle") lets an animation continue beyond its last keyframe, repeating itself seamlessly, which is perfect for creating endless background animations or cyclic movements like a bouncing ball. The loopOut("pingpong") type is particularly useful for creating a back-and-forth motion, ideal for things like hovering effects.

Personally, I usually rely on plugins and scripts that provide useful expressions with just one click, saving me from writing them out manually. However, this method works best if you only use a few expressions and know them well. For me, the most useful expressions are: looping, wiggle, time, and math.

Here are a few more popular variations of this expression. There are actually more, but these are the ones most commonly used. loopOut(); //Loops beyond the last keyframe loopIn(); //Loops before the first keyframe loopOut('pingpong'); loopIn('pingpong'); //Loop type goes back and forth between your first and last keyframe

An underused hero of the looping expressions is loopOut("Continue"). Say you want an object to continue its movement indefinitely at a slow pace but don't have the frame range to place the final position keyframe. Instead of expanding the frame range, placing the keyframe, and reducing the frame range again (making your keyframe difficult to access), you can set a small position animation in your composition, add loopOut("Continue"), and the position movement will continue. You can then make the space between your two keyframes smaller or wider to make the indefinite movement faster or slower.

If you’re trying to wiggle scale and want both dimensions to wiggle uniformly, try: w = wiggle(5,30); [w[0],w[0]] Set your wiggle function to a variable and then return it as an array.

The wiggle expression is a cornerstone in the After Effects toolkit due to its simplicity and effectiveness in adding dynamic, organic movement to any property. By using wiggle(frequency, amplitude), you can simulate a variety of natural motions like camera shakes, vibrations, or even the fluttering of leaves. This expression is invaluable for adding realism to static elements by introducing subtle random movements, making the scene feel more alive. The ability to control the frequency and amplitude of the wiggle gives you precise control over the intensity and speed of these movements, making it an incredibly versatile tool for adding lifelike dynamics to your animations.

The wiggle expression in After Effects is like adding a pinch of spontaneity to your animations, making them feel more organic and alive. When I animate characters, I will add the wiggle expression to certain joints to make them less rigid. By adjusting the parameters of that wiggle expression, you can control the intensity and frequency of the movement, allowing for precise customization tailored to your animation needs; especially when applied to expression controls where you can fine-tune those values.

This is my favorite expression with many writing variations. With this expression, you can solve a variety of different tasks. The most popular way to write it is 'Bounce,' which creates the effect of gradually decaying oscillations. By adjusting the first three parameters (amp, freq, decay), you can achieve the desired result. amp = 0.5; freq = 4; decay = 6; n = 0; if (numKeys > 0){ n = nearestKey(time).index; if (key(n).time > time){ n--; } } if (n == 0){ t = 0; }else{ t = time - key(n).time; } if (n > 0){ v = velocityAtTime(key(n).time - thisComp.frameDuration/10); value + v*amp*Math.sin(freq*t*2*Math.PI)/Math.exp(decay*t); }else{ value; }

The wiggle expression is a cornerstone in the After Effects toolkit due to its simplicity and effectiveness in adding dynamic, organic movement to any property. By using wiggle(frequency, amplitude), you can simulate a variety of natural motions like camera shakes, vibrations, or even the fluttering of leaves. This expression is invaluable for adding realism to static elements by introducing subtle random movements, making the scene feel more alive. The ability to control the frequency and amplitude of the wiggle gives you precise control over the intensity and speed of these movements, making it an incredibly versatile tool for adding lifelike dynamics to your animations.

The time expression is a powerful tool in After Effects for creating animations that are inherently linked to the composition's playback time. This expression is straightforward yet versatile, allowing you to generate motions that evolve over time without keyframes. The beauty of the time expression lies in its ability to be combined with other expressions and mathematical operations, enabling the creation of complex, evolving animations like accelerating movements or oscillatory motions.

Time expressions is frequently used in After Effects to create various types of continuous animations, such as oscillating motion and linear continuous motion. When combined with other expressions, time expressions become even more powerful. For example, if you have animated an object to move back and forth and you want another object to follow the same path or rotation, with a time offset, you can use an expression like this to achieve that. This will make your timeline more efficient: ``` var delay = 2; // delay time in seconds thisComp.layer("Shape Layer 1").transform.position.valueAtTime(time - delay); ```

Remember about using Pick Whip when working with different layers/values changing over time. Be sure you're using the most accurate numbers at a specific keyframe aka "glue" them together across time.

LoopOut = seamless loops, Wiggle = organic wobbles, Time = killer countdowns (all expressions). Pick Whip (magic!): link properties, animate scale to control opacity - mind blown! Time counter trick: animate text 0-100 with Pick Whip (slider, empty text!), add "math.round()" to expression for integer magic. Master these, rule After Effects. Best expression = solves your animation problem.

By using various controls, you can make your task easier and speed up the workflow. There are many ways to use controls. You can improvise and create different applications for them, thus approaching problem-solving in a non-trivial way. Use pre-made ones from "Effects & Presets" or create your own.

One of the most popular slider-controlled expressions is the "Time Counter" where, for example, you can animate the value going from 0 to 100. To do this, you need to connect the Source Text feature of the text layer with the slider using pickwhip. Remember that you need to keep the text "empty" initially. Also, to remove decimals during the animation you should add math.round(); to the expression.

One powerful way to optimize your workflow in After Effects is by using expression control effects. For example, if you have a composition with many shapes and you need to animate their colors using a specific color palette, instead of changing the color of each shape individually, you can create a Null object or Adjustment layer in the composition. Then, apply the color control effects to it and connect the colors of the different shapes to that color control effect. This will allow you to change the color of different shapes easily.

Using expression templates can significantly improve your workflow. Certain expressions become like your best friends that you know you'll use for various tasks. For example, you can create an animation preset for expressions like "loopIn() + loopOut() - value;" and apply it whenever needed, saving you the hassle of writing them repeatedly.

Forget keyframes! Newtonian Motion = physics playground in After Effects. Gravity? Elasticity? Friction? You got it! Animate like a rebel, ditch the smooth stuff. Unleash galaxies of text, bouncing characters - physics at your fingertips. Complex, but worth the chaos for mind-blowing animation.

One of the most common expressions that come up is using a slider or point control to drive the text of a number increasing. When using this, there are different instances where Math.round () comes into play. When it comes to common expressions you use in After Effects, it might be helpful to keep a document of common expressions and their variants- for instance, rounding per decimal, or rounding a decimal up to a certain number. This is also a great opportunity to leverage an AI chatbot to troubleshoot a specific variation on an expression.

There are numerous expressions that you can find on the internet. Use them to solve tasks. If you have programming knowledge, you can also create your own expressions (After Effects uses the JavaScript engine for expression calculations). Utilize neural networks to generate new expressions. The key is to practice more, and you will definitely achieve success!