• Adobe After Effects Expressions

  Slate from Project Name

  Posted by Steve Kellener on June 19, 2014 at 6:30 pm

  AE CS5

  In the “Output To” pulldown you can specify using the After Effects [projectName] for your file name to render. Is there a way to hook that same name to a text layer and generate a slate?

  Steve Kellener replied 11 years, 10 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Declan Smith

  June 19, 2014 at 9:53 pm

  The only way is I know of is to use an ExtendScript as the project name is not available using expressions.

  Below is a simple extend script that will set the currently selected text layer to the base name of the after effects file. Add this to a file called SetProjectName.jsx and save it to the Scripts directory. Within AE, select scripts -> run a script and select the script.

  var comp = app.project.activeItem;
if ( comp && comp instanceof CompItem && comp.selectedLayers.length == 1) {
var selectedlayer = comp.selectedLayers[0];
if (selectedlayer instanceof TextLayer) {
selectedlayer.sourceText.setValue(app.project.file.toString().replace(/\\/g,'/').replace( /.*\//, '' ));
}
}

  Declan Smith
  https://www.madpanic.tv
  After Effects CS6/ FCS3 / Canon XLH1 / Canon 7D / Reason / Cubase

  “it’s either binary or it’s not”
• 

  Steve Kellener

  June 20, 2014 at 10:56 pm

  Thank you Declan. I made a text layer, selected it and tried the script and get an error. I wanted to just try and automate this so it simply pulls the name from the output name file (which is based on the project name). Scripting is already a bit beyond me so if the project name is not even available then I guess it won’t work. Amazing that there’s no built-in tool that can do this by now. Thanks again for your help.

  —
  Steve Kellener

  Digital Compositor
  Titmouse, Inc.

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