16 Expressions You Should Know in After Effects

You may remember Ukramedia’s Sergei Prokhnevskiy and his “useful tricks” series of tutorials for After Effects. Making a bit of a return, Sergei has a look at 16 expressions everyone should know and use in After Effects.

Some people find expressions in After Effects a little daunting. There is a lot to know to create and automate complex things in Ae. One the other hand, it’s impressive how far a single line of expressions on an attributer can take you. Sure, everyone uses a wiggle now and then, but there are more expressions that are just as simple to use and very helpful.

If you stay away from expressions due to fear, Sergei hopes to change that. He lists and demonstrates 16 simple expressions you can use daily. The expressions are easy to remember and quick use.

The list of 16 Useful Expressions in After Effects includes:

  • Value
  • Layer Index
  • Time
  • valueAtTime()
  • sourceRectAtTime()
  • loopIN() & loopOUT()
  • ease() & linear()
  • clamp()
  • toComp() & toWorld
  • length()
  • if/else
  • Math.abs()
  • wiggle()
  • Math.round()
  • random()
  • Math.min() & Math.max)