Using expression to loop layer and trim Work Area?

[Scott Mcgee]

You can do it with a script, otherwise you have to manually trim. Expressions don’t trim your Comp.

So you could implement your expression into said script. Add a text box for time length, so it’s a bit more dynamic. Hit the submit button and that will trim your activeComp and add the expression to your layer.

I do something similar for idents I used to make that ranged between 2-15 seconds.

If you want to trim the layer and not the comp. I guess you could add an opacity expression to switch itself off, but again if that’s the case. Manually or script is the only way.

[Xavier Paredes]

Hi Scott,

Thank you for your reply. You wouldn’t happen to have the script that you used to trim the comp handy would you?

I don’t know how to script unfortunately :/

Xavier

[Xavier Paredes]

Forgot to ask, how would the script know where to trim the comp? Would it be able to use the marker I was hoping to be able to create with the expression (please see my original post)?

Xavier

[Scott Mcgee]

I’d have to dig it out as I don’t work for that company anymore, but there is no reason why you couldn’t use it to do it based on a marker, but I did mine based on seconds.

Unless Someone answers before hand I will come back to you maybe later on or tomorrow

[Scott Mcgee]

I’ve updated it to include frames.

There might be an easier way to add frames and seconds, but I’ve bodged it this way and it works fine.

var win = new Window (“palette”,”Comp Duration”,undefined);

var title = win.add(‘statictext’,undefined,”Seconds”);
var myTextSec = win.add(‘edittext’,[100,120,150,140],0);
var title2 = win.add(‘statictext’,undefined,”frames”);
var myTextFrames = win.add(‘edittext’,[100,120,150,140],0);
var btn = win.add(‘button’,undefined,”Submit”);

btn.onClick = function(){
var myComp = app.project.activeItem;
var text1 = myTextSec.text;
var text2 = myTextFrames.text;
myComp.duration = text1;
myComp.duration += text2*myComp.frameDuration;// set duration
}

win.show();

All it’s doing is changing the comp based on seconds, then changing it a second time to add the frames separately. If someone can offer a way to change it in one line cool. Otherwise this will work fine for you.

[Scott Mcgee]

Forgot to mention that if you want to update comp length based on the outPoint of a selected layer.

var myComp = app.project.activeItem;
var myLayer = myComp.selectedLayers[0];
myComp.duration = myLayer.outPoint;

or you can do it based on cursor of time

var myComp=app.project.activeItem;
myComp.duration = myComp.time;

So these are a few other options available to you.

[Sami Bayley]

Hey Scott, sorry this was a while ago. I’m having trouble.

Should this work?

 var win = new Window (“palette”,”Comp Duration”,undefined);
var title = win.add(‘statictext’,undefined,”Seconds”);
var myTextSec = win.add(‘edittext’,[100,120,150,140],0);
var title2 = win.add(‘statictext’,undefined,”frames”);
var myTextFrames = win.add(‘edittext’,[100,120,150,140],0);
var btn = win.add(‘button’,undefined,”Submit”);
btn.onClick = function(){
var myComp = app.project.activeItem;
var myLayer = myComp.selectedLayers[0];
myComp.duration = myLayer.outPoint;// set duration
}
win.show();

[Scott Mcgee]

Hey Sami,

Not too sure what you might be having trouble with but just incase.

If you’ve copied and pasted into Extendscript, make sure “” aren’t “”. I’ve noticed the code I’ve copied and pasted back then did that has done that. So they’ll need to be swapped. Same goes for ” and ‘’

Once these have been replaced then it should work no problem.

If not, can you specify what the error is coming back with, but it should be saying something on the lines of.

unable to execute script at line 1. syntax error

If it’s saying something like this, then it’s the “” and ”.

Hope that helps.