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AnimateParallax

  • Compatibility After Effects
    Please check exact version compatibility under the "COMPATIBILITY" tab below

Author: TarouTools

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Quick Overview

25% Off until June 20. Create parallax effect intuitively in After Effects. Visually manipulate Z-space to easily achieve realistic depth.

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AnimateParallax

 

What's AnimateParallax?

Insipired by Adobe Animate's Layer Depth feature. AnimateParallax gives After Effects an intuitive visual interface to create and manage parallax effects.

You no longer need to write complex expressions each layers or manually keyframe multiple layers. Simply adjust the Z-position of your layers visually, hit Apply, and you're done!

  UI
 

AnimateParallax Features

Intuitively adjust Z-position with visual sliders for precise depth control.

action

 

Placement Support

Randomization
Randomization
Even Distribution
Even Distribution

 

AnimateParallax Help

Version 1.0.1 • Developed by TarouTools

This tool allows you to visually adjust Z positions and apply expressions to create parallax effects based on the current appearance.

Basic Operations

  • Adjust Z Position: Drag the layer's numeric value or drag markers in the visual view
  • Fine Adjustment: Hold Shift while dragging for more precise control
  • Direct Input: Double-click the value to type it directly
  • Select Layer in Composition: Right-click on a layer name to select it in the After Effects composition

Z Range Settings

  • Near Value: The forward limit (smaller value)
  • Far Value: The backward limit (larger value)
  • Note: Far value must be greater than Near value, and Near value must be greater than camera Z position

Button Controls

  • Refresh Button: Reload layer information from selected layers in composition
  • Distribute Button: Distribute selected layers evenly across the Z range (Hold Shift to reverse distribution order)
  • Random Button: Randomly distribute selected layers within Z range
  • Apply Button: Apply set positions and add parallax expressions
  • Bake Button: Bake existing parallax expressions to keyframes (simplifies to first and last keyframe)
  • Reset Button: Return selected layers to original Z positions

Layer Selection

  • Layer Selection: Select layers in your After Effects composition before using the Refresh button
  • Right-click: Right-click on a layer name to select it in the After Effects composition

Important Notes

  • Layer Selection Issues: If you add or delete layers in the composition after registration, layer selection may become inaccurate. Please re-register the layers using the Refresh button.
  • Working with Camera Animation: It is recommended to keep AnimateParallax expressions on layers while animating the camera. This ensures the parallax effect works correctly as the camera moves.
  • Regarding the Bake Function: Baking removes the expressions and may change how layers appear the next time you use this tool. Unless you specifically need to remove the expressions (like for render optimization), it's generally not recommended to use Bake.
  • Initial Setup: For best results when first using the tool, set all layer Z values to 0. Non-zero values may cause positioning offsets that require manual adjustment.
  • Handling Keyframed Layers: If your layers have keyframes, parent them to null objects and load those null objects into the tool instead. This preserves your animation while allowing parallax control.
  • Collapse Transformations Usage: When using pre-compositions with Collapse Transformations enabled, all layers inside the pre-composition must be set to 3D layers. Otherwise, Z-position information will not be properly transmitted to the main composition, causing position misalignment. To fix this: 1) Open the pre-composition, 2) Enable the 3D layer toggle for all layers that will use AnimateParallax, 3) Ensure the pre-composition layer itself is also set to 3D in the main composition.

 

After Effects 2025, 2024, 2023