How Do I Loop Animation In After Effects

A Better Way to Loop in After Effects

A faster way to loop footage, PNG sequences, and imported animations in After Effects.

If you are like me, doing a lot of your animations outside of Adobe After Effects, you might be familiar with the following trouble — perfectly looping footage without blank frames or skipped frames is not as piece of cake as information technology should be.

The Usual Manner to Loop

How to loop the traditional way

The usual style is the following:

1. Drop footage into the timeline
2. Select your footage and "Enable Fourth dimension Remapping": a. Either past pressing CTRL+ALT+T (Mac: CMD+ALT+T) or b. Right Click > Time > Enable Time Remapping
3. Then ALT+Left Click on the stopwatch on the left of your layer to open up expressions of Time Remap and blazon in there loopOut() expression.

Now this already enables looping. And now you lot can stretch out that footage to your preferred elapsing in your timeline and be happy.

BUT Expect!!!

A very attentive fellow like y'all will immediately find when playing — it skips the first frame!

Well, this is but an insult to your piece of work, since you spent then much fourth dimension cartoon that first frame! Unacceptable!

So you go back to work. To gear up it y'all are going through these steps:

1. Motility the playhead to ane frame before the last keyframe. And create a keyframe at that place. By pressing the Diamond icon on the very left of the layer.
2. Re-create the starting time keyframe on the timeline (Click on the diamond on the first keyframe, and so CTRL+C / CMD+C)
3. Paste keyframe over the last keyframe (Click on the diamond of last keyframe, then CTRL+V / CMD + V)

At present you play information technology once more, and proudly meet it finally working! It's looping perfectly!

Earlier you realize in horror, you have to do it for the 10 other imported animations all over again. Each time you get more than efficient… only it yet takes you 30 seconds per animation every time. You remember of all the times yous take to exercise this work now and in your future. All the mindless work, that volition proceed you away, from your loved ones!

But do not despair! At that place is a better way.

And here is how…

The Faster Style to Loop

I had the same problem, over and once more. That's why I sat down one 24-hour interval and automated that task with a script.

I call it EasyLoop . And information technology allows you to supercede this tedious process with just ii clicks. Or 1 click if you assign a shortcut (I testify you lot how below.)

Information technology can save you lot 20–30 seconds, making yous 15x faster compared to the method above! More on that below.

How to loop faster with EasyLoop

The new process looks like this:

1. Select the layers on your timeline you lot want to loop.
2. Become to File > Scripts > EasyLoop.jsx
3. Stretch out that layer on your timeline

And done… all yous demand to exercise at present is expand the prune length to whatsoever you lot want and it's perfectly looped.

And it supports applying that to multiple layers at the same time! What could have taken yous multiple minutes before, now just takes a couple of seconds.

Installation of the Script

The installation of a script is as simple every bit drag and drop into the right folder. Or via a menu in After Effects.

First go the script hither. Information technology only costs as much as a coffee, but saves you time then y'all actually have time for the java! 😉

Option 1 — Card

1. File > Scripts > Install Script File….
2. Select the script file: EasyLoop.jsx
3. Restart Later Furnishings

Option ii — Drag and Drop

1. Put the EasyLoop.jsx file into the right folder:

Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects 2020\Support Files\Scripts

Mac: ~/Applications/"Adobe After Effects 2020"/Scripts/

Supersede 2020 with your version. And on windows supersede the bulldoze letter C:\ if necessary.

ii. Restart Afterward Effects

Assign a Shortcut for Looping (fifty-fifty faster)

At present for the true masters of the arts and crafts, allow's do it with a shortcut.

1. Go to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts
2. Check out which shortcuts are still complimentary on your setup, by just pressing central combinations. Find a free ane yous similar. CTRL+ALT+L is already taken for me, so I will become with CTRL+ALT+8 (because 8 is similar a standing loop symbol. #SymbolicShortcutsFTW)
3. Type in EasyLoop into the search.
4. Click into the shortcut column next to EasyLoop.jsx until a box with a cross appears
5. Press your preferred fundamental combination (e.g. CTRL+ALT+viii)
6. Press OK on the bottom right!

Now this key combination should show upwardly right next to EasyLoop.jsx in the shortcut cavalcade. And you're expert to become!

Now you lot can just select the layers in your timeline and use the shortcut. Done!

15x productivity in a thing of seconds!

Workflow Comparing, or… how much fourth dimension yous actually salvage!

For comparison I created a video showing the three methods side-by-side.

Comparison of the 3 methods. Native AE, EasyLoop, and EasyLoop + Shortcut

As yous come across with EasyLoop you are at least 3x faster, and if you lot use the shortcut you are even 15x faster, saving y'all 20–30 seconds for each looped layer, compared to the native method. I know this pocket-sized comeback to my workflow will relieve me hours and days of piece of work in the long run!

The EasyLoop method makes you 15x faster, and saves xx–30 second per looped layer!

Want to exist even more than efficient in Later Effects? Check out this commodity 👇🏼

Enjoy!

I am happy to accept been able to help you lot repossess some precious hours of your life! Information technology adds upwardly pretty quickly, believe me!

Consider leaving a tip, some claps, or sharing information technology to other Move Designers and Animators if this helps you out! It would certainly help me out.

⭐️ FUN FACT: Did you know you can 👏 upwards to 50 times by holding down the handclapping icon?

Wait, where can I get the script?

Yous missed information technology? Happens to the best of usa… Get it hither!

Contact me if yous encounter whatever issues!

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Source: https://medium.com/the-inspired-animator/a-better-way-to-loop-in-after-effects-c5aa7ef60d85

Posted by: acostapracess.blogspot.com

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