Download "After Effects Expressions 403 - Triggers Using Markers"
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi_webp%252FB_3XS2-VWOM%252Fmaxresdefault.webp&w=1139&q=75)
Table of contents
Audio from this video
Video tags
Subtitles
Russian
00:00:09
Using layer and composition markers to trigger
animations is a great way to easily recycle00:00:14
simple animations or complex nested animations
in another composition.00:00:22
Sometimes you may want to reuse
a single animation on the same property.00:00:26
This technique allows you to change a property
value at a specific point in time00:00:31
by placing a marker on a layer.00:00:33
You can also name the markers to trigger a
variety of simple property value changes.00:00:38
Let's make the Planet fade in and out at a
specific point in time using markers.00:00:44
So, with the Planet layer highlighted, press
T on your keyboard to open Opacity.00:00:50
Add a new expression and begin the first line
with a variable, called fadeFrames, capital F.00:00:56
Follow this with an equal sign and value of 10,
and then close the line with a semi colon.00:01:02
Now this is the number of frames that your
animation will interpolate across.00:01:06
Now, on the same line, you can add a new variable
called m, followed by an equal sign,00:01:12
and set this to a value of 0.00:01:14
This sets the initial number
of layer markers for the expression.00:01:18
And finally, include another variable on the
same line, t, followed by an equal sign.00:01:24
And set this value to time,
and then semi colon.00:01:28
The t variable will represent time until we
redefine it later.00:01:32
Now, on the next line, start a conditional
statement with if, open parenthesis,00:01:37
and then you can type marker, period operator,
numKeys, capital K, greater than symbol, a 0,00:01:48
and then a close parenthesis.00:01:50
And then, at the end of this,
start an open curly bracket.00:01:54
Now, because this is a multi line conditional
statement, we're going to leave the curly bracket00:01:58
at the end of this line,
go to the next line, and indent 2 spaces.00:02:03
On this line, we're going to redefine m to
represent the nearest keyframe.00:02:07
So start with another m variable, followed by an
equal sign, and then we'll use marker again,00:02:14
period operator, and then we'll search
for the nearest key, so nearestKey, capital K.00:02:21
And then open parenthesis,
time, close parenthesis.00:02:26
After that, a period operator, and then index,
and then end the line with a semi colon.00:02:32
So this line is looking for the
nearest marker to the current time,00:02:35
and then redefines the m variable
as the marker's index.00:02:40
On the next line, indent two spaces, and then
create a new variable called tag,00:02:46
and then an equal sign, and then marker,
period operator, key, open parenthesis,00:02:53
m, close parenthesis,
period operator, comment.00:02:59
And then end this line with a semi colon.00:03:01
This line finds the marker specified in m,
and then assigns the marker's comment00:03:06
to the tag variable.00:03:08
On the next line, indent two spaces and then
start a new conditional statement.00:03:12
So start with if, and then open parenthesis,
and then we're looking for the contents of tag,00:03:18
double equal sign, open double quotation, In,
with a capital I, and then close double quotation.00:03:25
After this, you can close it with a close
parenthesis, and then open a curly bracket.00:03:30
And then we can redefine t, equal sign, to the marker, period operator, key, open parenthesis, m,00:03:39
close parenthesis, period operator, time
minus time, close curly bracket.00:03:48
This line checks to see if the nearest marker's
comment matches m, and if so it defines t00:03:54
as the gap between the marker
and the current time.00:03:58
The next line will do the same, but it's going
to look for a marker with Out as the comment.00:04:03
So indent two spaces and then start with
else if, and then open parenthesis, tag,00:04:10
double equals sign, open double quotation, Out,
with a capital O, close double quotation, and then00:04:17
close parenthesis, open curly bracket, t equals
time minus marker, period operator, key,00:04:28
open parenthesis, m, close parenthesis,
and then period operator, time, close curly bracket.00:04:35
So this line is looking for a marker with
a comment of Out, and then defines t00:04:41
as the current time
minus the marker's time.00:04:44
So the next line assembles
everything together in the linear method.00:04:48
So indent twice and then linear,
open parenthesis, t as the input, comma,00:04:55
the beginning of the range is going to be 0, comma,
and then framesTo, capital T, capital T, Time, capital T,00:05:03
open parenthesis, fadeFrames, capital F, which
is our value from before, and then close parenthesis,00:05:11
comma, and then the beginning of the output
is going to be value, comma, 0, close parenthesis.00:05:18
So this linear method evaluates the value
change of t across the fadeFrames value,00:05:24
and then animates from 0
to the original property value.00:05:28
So on the next line we're going to end this
statement with a close curly bracket.00:05:34
And finally, we just want to set a fallback,
so else, open curly bracket,00:05:39
value, close curly bracket.00:05:42
Now if I click away from the expression,
nothing's going to happen immediately00:05:45
because we don't have any layer markers.00:05:47
So if I highlight Planet, and then if I navigate
to the top level menu under Layer,00:05:53
and then come down about half way
and you'll see Add Marker.00:05:56
So if you click that, it's going to add
a layer marker to the selected layer.00:06:00
And now if you put your mouse directly over it and
double click, you'll get a Layer Marker dialog box.00:06:06
And by default the cursor is already
in the comment box.00:06:09
And you can make this the beginning
of the fade in, so In, capital I.00:06:14
And then hit OK.00:06:16
So now you see that this marker has been labelled
with In, but the Planet is still at 100 percent Opacity.00:06:22
And that's because the marker is at the very
beginning of the composition.00:06:26
But if I click and drag on this marker
and drag it forward in time,00:06:30
you'll notice that now
the Planet has disappeared.00:06:32
And now you'll see that the Planet fades in over
10 frames right here before the 1 second mark.00:06:38
So that's pretty cool!00:06:40
I can change the fadeFrames from 10 to something
like 30, and then click away from the expression.00:06:45
And now if you preview, you'll see a nice
smooth transition from 0 to 100 Opacity00:06:50
across 30 frames.00:06:52
Okay so now that we have the fade in,
let's go ahead and add a fade out.00:06:55
I'm going to come to second 4
and highlight the Planet layer.00:06:59
I have an extended keyboard, so I can just hit
the asterisk on the num pad to add a layer marker.00:07:05
And now you can see the Planet layer
has disappeared, but that's because this marker00:07:09
doesn't have a comment.00:07:10
So if I double click and in the comment box,
type Out, capital O, and then come and hit OK.00:07:16
Now, this marker has Out applied to the label,
and then Planet is back.00:07:21
And if I preview from this point, you'll see
that now the Planet fades out of view.00:07:26
Now, for this Opacity fade, it would have
probably been pretty easy to keyframe this manually.00:07:31
The benefit you get from these markers is
the ability to drag them around00:07:35
very easily without selecting keyframes.00:07:38
You also have the ability to add
more markers along the timeline.00:07:43
And now you have multiple fade in and outs
without a single keyframe on the Timeline.00:07:52
You can take the layer markers method a step
further, and create a series of pre-built,00:07:56
complex, nested animations that are triggered
with corresponding markers.00:08:01
This is a technique that's borrowed from Dan Ebbert's
Marker Sync expression on MotionScript.com,00:08:07
so be sure to visit him and say thank you
if you find this technique useful.00:08:11
So, in this composition,
you'll see a Rocket layer.00:08:14
It's a little different than the Rocket layer
in other lessons because the Rocket is a00:08:19
nested composition
instead of a shape layer.00:08:21
So, if you come over to the Timeline
and double click on the Rocket,00:08:25
it's going to open it
in a separate composition.00:08:27
Now, if you preview the composition, you'll
see a couple of nested animations00:08:30
with the Fin and the Flame,
and even a Laser that shoots out.00:08:34
Each of these animations happens one time,
and they are about a second apart from each other.00:08:39
If I hit U to reveal all keyframes, you'll see
that the first second in time is pretty static,00:08:45
and then across the next second, you
have the fins close, and then they open again,00:08:51
and then the Flame grows larger and then it
gets smaller and then the Laser shoots.00:08:56
Each of these animations happens one time,
and then it returns to the original state.00:09:01
If you need complex variations of the scene,
you can have multiple layers of this method.00:09:06
It's all up to how much flexibility
and complexity you desire.00:09:10
So, inside the Rocket composition, you have
some pre built animations and we know that00:09:14
each animation is one second in length.00:09:17
To access these stages,
we have to link them to markers.00:09:20
Now, an easy way to do this is to create a
blank null layer at the top of the composition.00:09:25
My favorite way to do this without adding
unnecessary solids to the Project panel,00:09:29
is to double click the shape layer,
and then delete the contents.00:09:34
This essentially creates a null for me,
but it hasn't created any additional assets.00:09:39
Now, I can rename this shape layer to Markers,
hit enter, and then hit U to collapse this up.00:09:46
Now, I'm going to hit U so I can
see the keyframes really quick.00:09:49
And I'm going to highlight the Marker layer.00:09:52
Now, first you want to add a marker to the
very beginning to specify the base stage.00:09:56
So with Markers highlighted, I'm going to
go to Layer, Add Marker,00:10:01
and then come down and double click the marker
and I'm going to name this Rocket, capital R.00:10:08
Now, when I hit OK
it's going to add the label here.00:10:11
I'm going to come to 1 second
and do the same thing.00:10:14
Layer, Add Marker, double click to rename.00:10:18
And this animation has the Rocket Fins closing.00:10:21
So I'm just going to call it Fin Close,
and then hit OK.00:10:25
I'm going to come to second 2 where the Fins
have already been closed00:10:29
and they are getting ready to open up.00:10:30
And go to Layer, Add Marker, double click,
Fin Open, and then hit OK.00:10:37
I'm going to come to second 3,
and this is where the Flame grows larger.00:10:41
I'm going to go to Layer, Add Marker,
double click, Flame Grow, hit OK.00:10:48
Do the same thing for number 4, Layer, Add
Marker, double click, Flame Shrink.00:10:55
Really creative names, huh?00:10:57
And then come to second 5, Layer, Add Marker,
double click, I'm going to call this Laser Shoot,00:11:03
and then hit OK.00:11:06
So this Markers layer is going to be our reference
for all of the animation stages.00:11:11
So I'm going to click outside and hit U to
collapse everything up.00:11:14
And then I'm done with this composition,
so I'm going to close it.00:11:16
And now we're back in our main composition.00:11:19
So now, to properly link these two together,
we need to add some markers in this composition.00:11:24
So I'm going to come to second 2, and with
Rocket selected, I'm going to go to Layer,00:11:29
Add Marker, double click.00:11:31
I'm just going to get it started
with Fin Close.00:11:34
That will be our first test animation.00:11:36
I'm going to hit OK.00:11:38
So now, you actually need to apply the
marker's expression to see it in action.00:11:42
This is a pretty complex expression to write
step by step in this lesson,00:11:46
so I'm just going to walk through the
different parts to help you understand.00:11:50
If you're watching the tutorial online, you'll find a
link to copy the expression in the video description.00:11:55
If you've downloaded the project files,
you can find the expression in the Resources folder00:12:00
of the project files,
or in the 403: Reference composition.00:12:04
Okay, so at this point,
you've probably grabbed the expression.00:12:07
I have it right here in Sublime Text.00:12:09
So I'm going to select all of the text and
copy, Ctrl + C (or Cmd + C on a Mac) and then00:12:14
I'm going to navigate back to After Effects.00:12:16
And we need a property to paste this to.00:12:19
So with the Rocket layer selected, I'm going
to go to Layer, Time, Enable Time Remapping.00:12:26
And now we have a new
Time Remapped property on the Timeline.00:12:30
So I'm going to hit tilde on my keyboard so
I can full screen this.00:12:33
And come over and add a new expression
to Time Remap.00:12:37
Now, I'm going to drag this expression window
down so we can kind of see what we're doing.00:12:41
And I'm going to hit Ctrl + V
(or Cmd + V on a Mac) to paste the expression.00:12:45
The only line you should really need to edit
is this first line.00:12:49
So in this case, the first line is correct on mine,
you may need to update yours depending00:12:53
on what you named that layer.00:12:55
And I'm going to go ahead and walk through
this expression really quick.00:12:58
So this first line is looking for the composition
called Rocket, because that's the name of00:13:02
the current layer.00:13:04
And then inside of that it's looking for
the layer called Markers.00:13:07
The next line sets an initial value for the number
of markers which will be redefined layer.00:13:13
The next conditional statement checks to see
if there are any markers on the layer.00:13:18
If there are, it's going to redefine n
as the index of that marker.00:13:23
Now, the next conditional statement right here
sets the Time Remapping to 000:13:27
if it doesn't detect any markers.00:13:29
Now, the next conditional statement
is a pretty complex block of code.00:13:34
And this is basically a series of conditions that
compares the comment value of the previous marker00:13:39
with comments inside
of the nested composition.00:13:42
If it detects a match between the two comment names,
it's going to change the Time Remapping value00:13:48
based on the marker's time
of the matching comment.00:13:51
The nested conditional statement here ensures
that once a scene has played through,00:13:56
it pauses at the end and waits for another marker,
rather than play through the rest of the scenes00:14:01
in sequence.00:14:03
Catch is included to suppress errors and to set
Time Remapping to 0 if markers don’t match up.00:14:09
So now, everything looks good here
and it's applied to the property.00:14:12
So I'm going to click outside of the
expression window and collapse this up.00:14:16
And hit tilde to collapse this back down.00:14:18
So now, we're back in the composition and
we're at 2 seconds in time,00:14:22
but Time Remapping is at 1 second.00:14:24
And that's because the Fin Close animation
starts at second 1 inside of the Rocket composition00:14:30
and animates for 1 second.00:14:33
So, for simplicity sake, I'm going to hide the
Planet layer just so we can focus on the Rocket.00:14:37
And if you preview the scene, the fins close
right at the 2 second mark00:14:42
where the marker is placed.00:14:44
You can add new markers
that match the scene names.00:14:46
So for example, at second 4, I can come up
to Layer, Add Marker, double click,00:14:52
Fin Open as the name, and hit OK.00:14:57
And now, the fins will open
right at the 4 second marker.00:14:59
I can come over to second 7 for example, highlight
the Rocket layer, go to Layer, Add Marker,00:15:07
double click on the marker, and call this
one Laser Shoot and then hit OK.00:15:13
And now, if you preview, you'll see the Laser
coming out of the ship right at second 7.00:15:18
You can add some Position keyframes, layer
markers to trigger specific animations,00:15:23
add some Rotation, Scale keyframes, easing,
some more layer markers.00:15:28
And now you have a finished animation, complete
with complex nested animations00:15:33
triggered with simple layer markers.00:15:39
We've arrived at the end of Lesson 403:
Using Markers on the Timeline to Trigger Animations00:15:46
If you enjoy this expressions course,
consider purchasing the paid content.00:15:50
It includes in-depth documentation,
extra tutorial content, high definition videos,00:15:54
and all the project files used in the training.00:15:57
Your purchase will help to create more
free courses like this in the future.Description:
Get the Course Materials: https://animoplex.gumroad.com/l/animoplex-expressions World of Expressions - Full Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvr5U5ZSt6IzHyvSL9fo0M9NRPsTvra31 0:00 - Intro 0:18 - Simple Triggers With Layer Markers 0:51 - Trigger Fade Expression 5:42 - Adding Layer Markers 7:48 - Trigger Multiple Nested Animations 8:11 - Looking at the Nested Composition 9:17 - Adding Reference Markers 11:18 - Adding Trigger Markers 11:38 - Marker Sync Expression 14:18 - Animating the Trigger Markers 15:36 - Wrap Up Copy & Paste - Trigger Fade Expression: https://gist.github.com/animoplex/8611bf480e2ef63be27d7870430b4a3d Copy & Paste - Marker Sync Expression: https://gist.github.com/animoplex/cecf1c64aec4f2733ecd0edbebf4786d Marker Sync Expression based on Dan Ebbert's Marker Sync Tutorial: http://www.motionscript.com/design-guide/marker-sync.html View Course: https://www.animoplex.com/learn/expressions.html If you enjoy this expressions course, consider purchasing the paid content! It includes in-depth documentation, extra tutorial content, high definition video files, and project files used in the training. Your purchase will fund the release of this free course online for everyone to enjoy. Your support is greatly appreciated, and you’re helping to build more free courses like this in the future! For additional questions and help, reporting issues, or to share examples of how you used the World of Expressions tutorials, please email [email protected] or post in the comments below.
Preparing download options
Similar videos from our catalog
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi%252F0oJ1Ipa_cdM%252Fmaxresdefault.jpg&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi%252F78uhkYo5UOE%252Fmaxresdefault.jpg&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi%252FAEMWIga-Bo0%252Fmaxresdefault.jpg&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi_webp%252FJ3e2p7wUQ9M%252Fmaxresdefault.webp&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi_webp%252FepxXr43ZSt8%252Fmaxresdefault.webp&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi%252Fh9CTg-eRsbo%252Fhq720_2.jpg%253Fsqp%253D-oaymwEdCJYDENAFSFXyq4qpAw8IARUAAIhCcAHAAQbQAQE%253D%2526rs%253DAOn4CLAUR6coYjVi8x80vqZ6DBiGE5YYkA&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi%252FmVhEb-4nnhQ%252Fmaxresdefault.jpg&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi%252Fy9KFLbFu1S8%252Fsddefault.jpg&w=1139&q=75)
* — If the video is playing in a new tab, go to it, then right-click on the video and select "Save video as..."
** — Link intended for online playback in specialized players
Questions about downloading video
How can I download "After Effects Expressions 403 - Triggers Using Markers" video?
http://unidownloader.com/ website is the best way to download a video or a separate audio track if you want to do without installing programs and extensions.
The UDL Helper extension is a convenient button that is seamlessly integrated into YouTube, Instagram and OK.ru sites for fast content download.
UDL Client program (for Windows) is the most powerful solution that supports more than 900 websites, social networks and video hosting sites, as well as any video quality that is available in the source.
UDL Lite is a really convenient way to access a website from your mobile device. With its help, you can easily download videos directly to your smartphone.
Which format of "After Effects Expressions 403 - Triggers Using Markers" video should I choose?
The best quality formats are FullHD (1080p), 2K (1440p), 4K (2160p) and 8K (4320p). The higher the resolution of your screen, the higher the video quality should be. However, there are other factors to consider: download speed, amount of free space, and device performance during playback.
Why does my computer freeze when loading a "After Effects Expressions 403 - Triggers Using Markers" video?
The browser/computer should not freeze completely! If this happens, please report it with a link to the video. Sometimes videos cannot be downloaded directly in a suitable format, so we have added the ability to convert the file to the desired format. In some cases, this process may actively use computer resources.
How can I download "After Effects Expressions 403 - Triggers Using Markers" video to my phone?
You can download a video to your smartphone using the website or the PWA application UDL Lite. It is also possible to send a download link via QR code using the UDL Helper extension.
How can I download an audio track (music) to MP3 "After Effects Expressions 403 - Triggers Using Markers"?
The most convenient way is to use the UDL Client program, which supports converting video to MP3 format. In some cases, MP3 can also be downloaded through the UDL Helper extension.
How can I save a frame from a video "After Effects Expressions 403 - Triggers Using Markers"?
This feature is available in the UDL Helper extension. Make sure that "Show the video snapshot button" is checked in the settings. A camera icon should appear in the lower right corner of the player to the left of the "Settings" icon. When you click on it, the current frame from the video will be saved to your computer in JPEG format.
What's the price of all this stuff?
It costs nothing. Our services are absolutely free for all users. There are no PRO subscriptions, no restrictions on the number or maximum length of downloaded videos.