After Effects MCP Bridge#

This skill enables programmatic control of Adobe After Effects via ExtendScript (.jsx) automation and command-line tools.

🛠️ Core Capabilities#

1. ExtendScript Automation#

Use scripts/ae_script.jsx to execute After Effects operations:

• Create/modify compositions
• Add layers, effects, keyframes
• Batch render projects
• Manipulate project structure

2. Command-Line Rendering#

Use aerender (After Effects command-line renderer) for:

• Headless rendering
• Batch processing
• Queue management

3. Project Template System#

Use assets/templates/ for reusable AE project templates.

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📋 Usage Patterns#

Pattern 1: Create Composition Programmatically#

jsx

// scripts/create_comp.jsx
var comp = app.project.items.addComp("MyComp", 1920, 1080, 1, 30, 300);
var solid = comp.layers.addSolid([1,0,0], "Red Solid", 1920, 1080, 1);

Pattern 2: Batch Render Project#

bash

aerender -project ./my_project.aep -output ./output.mov -mp

Pattern 3: Apply Effect via Script#

jsx

// scripts/apply_effect.jsx
var layer = app.project.activeItem.selectedLayer(1);
layer.property("ADBE Effect Parade").addProperty("ADBE Gaussian Blur");

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🔧 Available Scripts#

ScriptPurposecreate_comp.jsxCreate new composition with specified paramsbatch_render.jsxQueue multiple compositions for renderapply_effect.jsxApply effects to selected layersexport_template.jsxSave project as template (.aet)

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🚀 Quick Start Workflow#

1. Check AE Installation: Verify After Effects is installed bash

   which aerender
   
   

2. Load Project: Open existing .aep or create new jsx

   app.open(new File("./my_project.aep"));
   
   

3. Execute Script: Run ExtendScript via:

   • AE: File → Scripts → Run Script File
   • Command-line: aerender -script ./myscript.jsx

4. Render Output: Use aerender for headless rendering

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⚠️ Requirements#

• Adobe After Effects installed (CC 2019+)
• ExtendScript Toolkit (optional, for debugging)
• aerender in PATH for command-line rendering

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📚 References#

• ExtendScript Guide: See references/extendscript_api.md
• Effect Names: See references/effect_names.md
• Render Settings: See references/render_settings.md

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🎯 Monitoring#

Be verbose about:

• Composition settings (resolution, duration, framerate)
• Effect choices and parameters
• Render queue status
• Output format decisions