• Adobe After Effects Expressions

  Ae Script: Adding generated layer to selected layers

  Posted by Mike Pindara on October 24, 2016 at 5:07 pm

  Hey folks,

  I’m writing a script for some project management things in the studio I work at.
  I’ve got everything working except the most important part.

  With the selected layers, the script should create a precomp of the selected layers, and the duplicate of a master layer that is at the bottom of the comp. Right now, everything gets duplicated correctly, and precomped and trimmed correctly. I just can’t figure out how to add the duplicated layer into the selected array, so that it gets precomped as well.

  Any help? I posted the function below.

  function precompGroup(userLayers){
// create undo group
app.beginUndoGroup("Pre-Compose to Layer Duration");

  // select the active item in the project window
  // and make sure it's a comp
  var myComp = userLayers;
  if(myComp instanceof CompItem) {

  // make sure one or more layers are selected
  var myLayers = myComp.selectedLayers;
  if(myLayers.length > 0){

  // set new comp's default in and out points to those of first layer
  var newInPoint = myLayers[0].inPoint;
  var newOutPoint = myLayers[0].outPoint;

  //ensure master audio exists
  if(masterAudio instanceof CompItem){

  // create new comp name of "Scene " and global variable
  var newCompName = "Scene ";
  newCompName += currentShot;

  // "precompose" expects an array of layer indices
  var layerIndices = new Array();
  for (var i = 0; i < myLayers.length; i++) {
  layerIndices[layerIndices.length] = myLayers[i].index;

  // make sure new comp in point is in point of earliest layer
  // and new comp out point is out point of latest layer
  if (myLayers[i].inPoint < newInPoint) newInPoint = myLayers[i].inPoint;
  if (myLayers[i].outPoint > newOutPoint) newOutPoint = myLayers[i].outPoint;
  }

  //create ref audio layer
  var origAudio = app.project.activeItem.layer("0_Master Audio");
  var refAudio = origAudio.duplicate();
  refAudio.inPoint = newInPoint;
  refAudio.outPoint = newOutPoint;

  //addRef Audio to selected Layers

  //add index to layerIndicies

  // create the new comp
  var newComp = myComp.layers.precompose(layerIndices, newCompName, true );

  // set in and out points of new comp
  var preCompLayer = myComp.selectedLayers[0];
  preCompLayer.inPoint = newInPoint;
  preCompLayer.outPoint = newOutPoint;

  currentShot++;

  }

  Miguel De mendoza replied 9 years, 6 months ago 2 Members · 1 Reply
• 1 Reply

• 

  Miguel De mendoza

  October 25, 2016 at 9:23 am

  If that master layer is at the bottom of layers you can get his index like this:

  var bottomLayerIndex = myComp.layer(myComp.layers.length).index;

  If that layer have a concrete name:

  var bottomLayerIndex = myComp.layers.byName(yourMasterLayerName).index;

  Then you can push it into the array:

  layerIndices.push(bottomLayerIndex);

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