After Effects MCP

Automates Adobe After Effects using ExtendScript (.jsx) files and aerender CLI. Supports composition creation, effect application, batch rendering, project templates, and Adobe Media Encoder workflows.

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

// 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

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

Pattern 3: Apply Effect via Script

// 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

Script	Purpose
create_comp.jsx	Create new composition with specified params
batch_render.jsx	Queue multiple compositions for render
apply_effect.jsx	Apply effects to selected layers
export_template.jsx	Save project as template (.aet)

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🚀 Quick Start Workflow

1. Check AE Installation: Verify After Effects is installed

   which aerender
   

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

   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