Start with wiggle and give After Effects expressions a try. wiggle(3,2)) with say a random seed of 5. Each different iteration of random is called a seed so a random seed of 1 is different from a random seed of 2, but if you had similar wiggle expressions (i.e. If you’d rather read than watch, check out our previous article “ Using Wiggle to Create Random Movement in Adobe After Effects” or this post which several wiggle expressions written out (copy and paste them into your project).ĭon’t be intimidated. When After Effects draws this base number it uses the layer number that can be found on the far left side of the layer in the timeline. It’s a worthwhile 6 minute viewing for all AE users. The video tutorial below, by motion designer Jens Uttikal, provides a nice overall tutorial on the capabilities of Wiggle and how to integrate it into your After Effects project. By modifying the parameters in the expression you can set limits on the magnitude and frequency of the animation. You can apply it to a layer in your AE project to add movement to position, rotation and scale. Wiggle is one of the more versatile After Effects expressions. You can also use expressions to speed up your workflow, sparing you from having to keyframe all the animation in your project. Applying expressions in your AE project can add some really dynamic features (random motion, auto animating to sound, etc), so it’s worthwhile to give them a shot. In reality though, many AE expressions can be broken down simply. After all, we’re video editors and motion designers – not coders.
Get started with AE expressions! Wiggle is one of the fundamental AE expressions and can be used to quickly add random movement to your After Effects animations.Īfter Effects expressions can be intimidating.
