[Walter Soyka]

Step through all the layers in the comp, check to see if they’re unselected, and create your own array of unselected layers.

This code ought to do it:

function getUnselectedLayers(comp) {
if (comp instanceof CompItem) {
var unselectedLayers = [];
for (var compLayerIndex = 1; compLayerIndex < comp.numLayers; compLayerIndex++) {
if (comp.layer(compLayerIndex).selected == false) unselectedLayers.push(comp.layer(compLayerIndex));
}
return unselectedLayers;
} else {
return null;
}
}


Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Walter Soyka]

Use this:
https://aescripts.com/compsfromspreadsheet/

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Walter Soyka]

Two thoughts:

1) Maybe it’s running, but the working directory is not what you expect .

2) Maybe you need to pass the call to python via cmd.exe /c

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Walter Soyka]

I see the same issue here. I suggest you file a bug report:
https://www.adobe.com/products/wishform.html

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Walter Soyka]

Two approaches I can think of:

2D:
Duplicate your Wings layer to create a shadow layer. Use the Fill and Blur effects to make it shadow-like, offset it, and parent it to the main Wings layer so it follows any movement you make. Duplicate your Surface layer to use as a matte, and parent it to the Surface layer so it too follows any movement you make. Stack your layers like this, from top to bottom: Wings, Surface Matte, Wings Shadow, Surface. Set Wings Shadow to be matted by Surface Matte’s alpha.

3D:
Make these layers 3D. Set the light and the Wings layer to cast shadows, and set the Surface layer to receive shadows. (Additionally, set their “Accept Lights” properties to off if you don’t want the layers shaded by the lights.) Separate them in Z-space and position them and the light to taste.

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Walter Soyka]

There is no Ae/Pr workflow that matches FCPX/Motion drop zones which would let you build the template in After Effects and push assets into it from Premiere Pro.

Instead, you could build your template in Ae, using precomps [link] (which don’t really exist in Motion) to hold the assets you’d like to swap out.

For each new version of the logo animation, you’d open Ae, replace the assets inside the precomps, and render (or dynamic link, or dynamic link + render and replace) to Pr.

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Walter Soyka]

Instead of using a rounded rectangle, create a path on your shape layer with two points. Add a big fat stroke, set the line cap to to Round, then use Trim Paths to extend it from a circle to a rounded rectangle.

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Walter Soyka]

Ooh, that’s an interesting challenge. Can you post a stripped down project so we can see the expression?

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Walter Soyka]

UHD (3840×2160) is probably the most common 4K format, but there are a number of other 4K formats for digital cinema.

You should definitely confirm delivery specs; there are a number of possible frame rates, containers, codecs, audio layouts, etc.

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Walter Soyka]

You are not using a track matte, you are using the “Preserve transparency” switch:
https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/alpha-channels-masks-mattes.html#preserve_underlying_transparency_during_compositing

Layer 6 will get its transparency from the composite of all layers beneath it, not just layer 7. Since you have only shown a sliver of your Ae UI, we can’t see if there are other layers there that may be affecting your composite.

If you want to use a track matte, put the Shape Layer ABOVE your footage layer, then choose “Alpha Matte Shape Layer 1” from the TrkMat column.

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]