Pseudo Effect Maker
  • Jake BartlettJake Bartlett
    This is seriously the most efficient way to make custom, clean controls in After Effects. I can't imagine not having it.
  • Fabian BosmanFabian Bosman
    Would be cool if I could link a text layer to the text effect and type in for example a name. And that the source text will change depending on the text I type in there. A very cool plugin by the way!
  • Jimmy NguyenJimmy Nguyen
    It got an error "Unable to execute script at line 34. Object of type Error found where a Number, Array, or Property is needed". I was not able to create anything.
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Hi Jimmy, 

    Can you please open a support ticket? https://aescripts.com/contact/?direct=1&product_id=1047

    I'll need some more info about the problem before I can fix it.

    Jimmy Nguyen said:
    It got an error "Unable to execute script at line 34. Object of type Error found where a Number, Array, or Property is needed". I was not able to create anything.

  • David KaminskiDavid Kaminski
    This extension has quickly become an indispensable part to my arsenal of tools inside of AE. Previous solutions for creating custom controls inside of AE have been clunky and buggy to say the least. The opposite is true for what Batchframe has created. With an elegant and simple to use UI, I can create a control in under 5 minutes, apply it to a layer instantly, and it will always be ready to edit in the future if need be. I would have gladly paid closer to $30 for this extension, so it should go with out saying that is a steal at $18.
  • Hans Christian FürstenheimHans Christian Fürstenheim
    What is the difference between this product and Flex Effector? https://videohive.net/item/flex-effector/12444265
  • Alex MunteanuAlex Munteanu
    hey, what will happen, if i share my project where i used that effect in? will it show correctly on the other machine?
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Hans Christian Fürstenheim said:
    What is the difference between this product and Flex Effector? https://videohive.net/item/flex-effector/12444265
    Both the Flex Effector and the Pseudo Effect Maker will , in the end, give you the same result. 

    The main difference is in the design experience. You can drag and drop controls, change settings as you would in the After Effects 'Effects Panel', see exactly how your control will look without having to apply it to a layer, etc.

    You also have the ability to import XML controls, which can either be used to bring old controls into the editor, or give you the ability to create your controls by writing code and then apply them in After Effects with a couple of clicks. 

  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Alexander Weil said:
    hey, what will happen, if i share my project where i used that effect in? will it show correctly on the other machine?
    Yes, sharing project files that include the pseudo effect will work fine. They will show up correctly on any machine with no 'Missing' warning as long as you are using After Effects CC or higher
  • Hans Christian FürstenheimHans Christian Fürstenheim
    Jesse Toula said:
    Hans Christian Fürstenheim said:
    What is the difference between this product and Flex Effector? https://videohive.net/item/flex-effector/12444265
    Both the Flex Effector and the Pseudo Effect Maker will , in the end, give you the same result. 

    The main difference is in the design experience. You can drag and drop controls, change settings as you would in the After Effects 'Effects Panel', see exactly how your control will look without having to apply it to a layer, etc.

    You also have the ability to import XML controls, which can either be used to bring old controls into the editor, or give you the ability to create your controls by writing code and then apply them in After Effects with a couple of clicks. 

    Thanks for the answer.

    I must give you that your solution seems much more smooth than Flex Effector even though the result in the end is the same. I have Flex Effector and editing and building effects is close to a pain. The drag and drop feature in your solution seems to be neat. In Flex effector you have to click and click and click to rearrange the custom build effects and there is as you note no preview function. I might purchase this even though I have Flex Effector.
  • Ed NoneEd None
    image

    Always adds extra Layer Control on a mac. El Capitan 10.11.6 and AE 2014.2
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Ed None said:
    Always adds extra Layer Control on a mac. El Capitan 10.11.6 and AE 2014.2

    Thanks for letting me know. I've just uploaded Version 1.00 which fixes this issue.
  • Ed NoneEd None
    Extra layers don't appear but i still can't open saved presets. Btw, it saves without extension ffx by default. When i try to open saved preset nothing happens. And another one issue, arrow buttons should not work in text area? When i use them while editing Popup control i move selected layer in Timeline. And if possible make this button working too, its deleting Adjustement layer when i press it when editing text in Popup Control etc. :)image
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Ed None said:
    Extra layers don't appear but i still can't open saved presets. Btw, it saves without extension ffx by default. When i try to open saved preset nothing happens. And another one issue, arrow buttons should not work in text area? When i use them while editing Popup control i move selected layer in Timeline. And if possible make this button working too, its deleting Adjustement layer when i press it when editing text in Popup Control etc. :)
    I'm not able to reproduce any of those issues, can you open a support ticket so I can get some more info? https://aescripts.com/contact/?direct=1&product_id=1047
  • Jake BartlettJake Bartlett
    Would it be possible to include an "Export XML" Option? I love building my pseudo effects in the extension, but it would be nice to be able to export that XML for further tinkering.
  • sap itosap ito
    +1 for a future "Export XML" option!
    Also, I think it would be really usefull to have the option to add expressions to a selected controller. Is that possible? So you don't have to save the ffx twice (one created from the Pseudo Effect Maker and then the same + expressions saved as a new ffx).
    Anyway, a great tool! and the drag and drop feature is a real time saver vs Flex Effector!
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Jake Bartlett said:
    Would it be possible to include an "Export XML" Option? I love building my pseudo effects in the extension, but it would be nice to be able to export that XML for further tinkering.
     For sure, check out the v1.01 update. You can now output the XML code. There's some other bug fixes as well
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    sap ito said:
    +1 for a future "Export XML" option!
    Also, I think it would be really usefull to have the option to add expressions to a selected controller. Is that possible? So you don't have to save the ffx twice (one created from the Pseudo Effect Maker and then the same + expressions saved as a new ffx).
    Anyway, a great tool! and the drag and drop feature is a real time saver vs Flex Effector!
    I won't say it's not possible, but it's definitely not an easy addition. I have plans for a similar feature, but it will probably be a while before I can get it implemented.

    You can output the XML code now, though.
  • David KaminskiDavid Kaminski
    Hey Jesse, I'm having trouble in v1.01 when trying to open effects made with v0.99. It just freezes the interface. Is this an unavoidable casualty of the added XML functionality or just a bug? 
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    David Kaminski said:
    Hey Jesse, I'm having trouble in v1.01 when trying to open effects made with v0.99. It just freezes the interface. Is this an unavoidable casualty of the added XML functionality or just a bug? 
    That's a bug. Would you be able to start a support ticket (https://aescripts.com/contact/?direct=1&product_id=1047) and send over one of the .ffx files that is giving you an issue so I can figure out what's going on?
  • Tim ThiessenTim Thiessen
    So if I make a Pseudo effect and then make an Animation Preset - and use that Animation Preset in a Script - will the Pseudo effect show up "Missing" in someone who uses that script?

    Thanks,
    Tim T
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Tim Thiessen said:
    So if I make a Pseudo effect and then make an Animation Preset - and use that Animation Preset in a Script - will the Pseudo effect show up "Missing" in someone who uses that script?

    Thanks,
    Tim T
    As long as the preset is being used in After Effects CC or higher, there will not be a 'Missing' error. The control will be 'embedded' in the preset and will load normally. 

    As long as the script is applying the actual .ffx preset to the layer, there won't be any issues.
  • Eric LatekEric Latek
    Hello, I was having an issue with latest update.  The program is not saving the file as a .ffx.  I add the extension on myself.  Which is no problem.  Issue is that, the work I do is not saved.  When I reopen the file all the work is gone.  Using After Effects CC17, Mac Sierra.  I tried using CC15, and 14, and it was the same issue.  Not sure if this may be a bug of some sort.  Not sure if you have any type of work around.  Thanks.
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Eric Latek said:
    Hello, I was having an issue with latest update.  The program is not saving the file as a .ffx.  I add the extension on myself.  Which is no problem.  Issue is that, the work I do is not saved.  When I reopen the file all the work is gone.  Using After Effects CC17, Mac Sierra.  I tried using CC15, and 14, and it was the same issue.  Not sure if this may be a bug of some sort.  Not sure if you have any type of work around.  Thanks.
    It is a bug. Others have had similar problems. Working on getting a fix out soon.  Please download version 1.02. 

    If you have any more issues, please open a bug report at: https://aescripts.com/contact/?direct=1&product_id=1047
  • Eric LatekEric Latek
    Fantastic!  Thank you so much Jesse!
  • Alex MunteanuAlex Munteanu
    purchased it, downloaded it, installed it, tried it, nice! the only thing that drives me nuts is the font, it looks like times new roman or equal, not like the one in your preview pics
  • Jerzy DrozdaJerzy Drozda
    Tried it. Loved it. Purchased it. Still loving it! Great job. I had a similar tool of my own but this is just what I always wanted. I don't say it lightly - better than mine :D But I've noticed there is no "Cancel" option when deleting controls and being asked "if I'm sure". Would also be cool to have a warning message when closing a panel without saving the FFX, or have it recreate it from a selected effect on a selected layer if it was applied once before.

    Correction: I've just checked again and it worked fine. I got "YES" and "NO" buttons, but once before I just had the "OK" button. 
  • Lars JandelLars Jandel
    Still have to try it in more detail, but like Alexander already mentioned: Please change / fix the font in the interface. Haven't tried it on the PC yet, but the Mac uses a serif font, which doesn't look that nice... Thanks! :)
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Jerzy Drozda said:
    Tried it. Loved it. Purchased it. Still loving it! Great job. I had a similar tool of my own but this is just what I always wanted. I don't say it lightly - better than mine :D But I've noticed there is no "Cancel" option when deleting controls and being asked "if I'm sure". Would also be cool to have a warning message when closing a panel without saving the FFX, or have it recreate it from a selected effect on a selected layer if it was applied once before.

    Correction: I've just checked again and it worked fine. I got "YES" and "NO" buttons, but once before I just had the "OK" button. 
    Thanks! Glad you like it

    I'll look into the Delete issue, I'm not sure why the "Yes / No" alert wouldn't have shown.

    And that's a good idea about doing something when the panel closes, I'll work on that
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Alexander Weil said:
    purchased it, downloaded it, installed it, tried it, nice! the only thing that drives me nuts is the font, it looks like times new roman or equal, not like the one in your preview pics

    Lars Jandel said:
    Still have to try it in more detail, but like Alexander already mentioned: Please change / fix the font in the interface. Haven't tried it on the PC yet, but the Mac uses a serif font, which doesn't look that nice... Thanks! :)
    Sorry for the font issue. Working on it...
  • Lars JandelLars Jandel
    Hi Jesse!
    When I open a previously saved .ffx  with PEM and try to apply it, I do get this error unfortunately :

    After Effects error: File not found: “C:\Users\MCP\Documents\Adobe\After Effects CC 2017\User Presets\Pseudo Effects Maker\PEM-temp.ffx”. ( 3 :: 0 )

    The folder does exist. Is this a bug or am I doing sth wrong?

    Thanks, Lars.

    /// update 1: Tried it again with the same setup without renaming stuff etc and it worked - will further explore...

  • Lars JandelLars Jandel
    Another bug:
    When pasting a XML, it will stop after a "TEXT" object. The copied XML itself will contain all elements, but when pasted, anything below won't show up...
  • Lars JandelLars Jandel
    Hm, I can barely manage to rearrange elements out of / into groups. Sometimes, the main group will get selected and either way then the whole thing or the single element will "glitch" into the other elements and will destroy everything… Also when working without groups, strange stuff can happening.
    Is everyone else able to move elements around via drag and drop? These glitch effects are happening to me all the time….  :(
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Lars Jandel said:
    Hm, I can barely manage to rearrange elements out of / into groups. Sometimes, the main group will get selected and either way then the whole thing or the single element will "glitch" into the other elements and will destroy everything… Also when working without groups, strange stuff can happening.
    Is everyone else able to move elements around via drag and drop? These glitch effects are happening to me all the time….  :(

    Lars Jandel said:
    Another bug:
    When pasting a XML, it will stop after a "TEXT" object. The copied XML itself will contain all elements, but when pasted, anything below won't show up...

    Lars Jandel said:
    Hi Jesse!
    When I open a previously saved .ffx  with PEM and try to apply it, I do get this error unfortunately :

    After Effects error: File not found: “C:\Users\MCP\Documents\Adobe\After Effects CC 2017\User Presets\Pseudo Effects Maker\PEM-temp.ffx”. ( 3 :: 0 )

    The folder does exist. Is this a bug or am I doing sth wrong?

    Thanks, Lars.

    /// update 1: Tried it again with the same setup without renaming stuff etc and it worked - will further explore...

    Hi Lars, 
    Sorry for the issues the Pseudo Effect Maker is giving you. Could you please open a bug report at https://aescripts.com/contact/?direct=1&product_id=1047 ;
  • Christian KunwaldChristian Kunwald
    Hi,

    would it possible to create groups for existing Effects on the layer or only for expressions controls?

    Also is it possible to load existing Pseudo Effects from After Effects into the Editor to change them up, or do I have to recreate them?
  • Zack LovattZack Lovatt
    Do you generate FFXs the 'normal' way, which results in them being version-locked to the current version of AE and forwards? Or do you have some alternative magic that creates backwards-compatible preset files?
  • Steve KirbySteve Kirby
    Is it possible to generate effects that are editable-dependent on another dropdown condition? Eg. a group of controls would be 'greyed out' unless a dropdown had a certain selection?
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Zack Lovatt said:
    Do you generate FFXs the 'normal' way, which results in them being version-locked to the current version of AE and forwards? Or do you have some alternative magic that creates backwards-compatible preset files?
    The presets that are created directly by the Pseudo Effect Maker are backwards compatible, though opening them in version CS6 or below will result in the 'Missing' error. Although these 'presets' are backwards compatible, they are just empty controllers until you actually connect all the expressions. Once all the expressions are added, you must use After Effects to create the final preset. This version of the preset will no longer be backwards compatible.
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Steve Kirby said:
    Is it possible to generate effects that are editable-dependent on another dropdown condition? Eg. a group of controls would be 'greyed out' unless a dropdown had a certain selection?
    Currently this is not available. I don't know if it is even possible to create that sort of interaction, but it is something I'm looking into...
  • Jesse ToulaJesse Toula
    Christian Kunwald said:
    Hi,

    would it possible to create groups for existing Effects on the layer or only for expressions controls?

    Also is it possible to load existing Pseudo Effects from After Effects into the Editor to change them up, or do I have to recreate them?
    It is not possible to include effects within a pseudo effect. They can only hold expression controls.

    The Pseudo Effect Maker can only directly load pseudo effects that it created. There are other methods for importing older controls. For instance if you created your old pseudo effect using the PresetEffects.xml file, you can simply paste the XML for you control directly into the Pseudo Effect Maker. Or if your preset uses separate expression controls, you can now (as of version 1.03) import a control from the expression controls applied to the selected layer.
  • Lars JandelLars Jandel
    > New BETA Feature: Read Expression Controls
    Nice - thanks Jesse!
  • Lars JandelLars Jandel
    On the Mac:
    Using the tab key on the left side of PEM will change the first selected effect name to the ones you are toggling over… (and other crazy stuff when having clicked with the "hand" on the control of the left first. I was checking, if I could toggle through the controls, to quickly check the details settings on the right side of PEM.)

    Possible?
    - highlight the control on the left side while changing values on the right side (I have problems keeping track on where I am doing changes)
    - copy and paste controls
    - optional display of all settings below every control (min/max/precision etc) - atm I have to activate one after another to check the settings

    Thanks.

  • Parker YoungParker Young
    Great plugin! I can see you guys put a lot of thought into this and I appreciate all of your efforts.

    I have one suggestion:
    When entering a Valid Maximum on a Slider element, the first digit typed into the field resets both the Default Value and Slider Maximum value. This can be pretty annoying since there's no way to undo this and it can be hard to recall the numbers previously held in those input fields.

    For example, imagine a Default Value of 100, Slider Minimum of 0, Slider Maximum of 1000 and Valid Minimum of 0... When you input 2000 as the Valid Maximum, it immediately resets Default Value and Slider Maximum to 2.

    While I understand exactly why this happens, I would suggest comparing those values after a user clicks out of the input field. I think automatically clamping values in real time may be confusing to someone who doesn't realize why the numbers are changing.

    Keep up the great work!

    Parker Young
  • VinhSon NguyenVinhSon Nguyen
    Very nice interface, works great with no major issues! As others have mentioned, it would be awesome to have a "Duplicate control" feature to clone similar controls. Not sure if it's possible, but it would be handy to extract and import the matchname of the .ffx loaded in, since you have to manually re-type the matchname every time you load a different .ffx file made with the tool.
  • russia russiarussia russia
    Why does not work for AE 12.1.0.168?????
  • Tim ThiessenTim Thiessen
    Parker Young said:
    Great plugin! I can see you guys put a lot of thought into this and I appreciate all of your efforts.

    I have one suggestion:
    When entering a Valid Maximum on a Slider element, the first digit typed into the field resets both the Default Value and Slider Maximum value. This can be pretty annoying since there's no way to undo this and it can be hard to recall the numbers previously held in those input fields.

    For example, imagine a Default Value of 100, Slider Minimum of 0, Slider Maximum of 1000 and Valid Minimum of 0... When you input 2000 as the Valid Maximum, it immediately resets Default Value and Slider Maximum to 2.

    While I understand exactly why this happens, I would suggest comparing those values after a user clicks out of the input field. I think automatically clamping values in real time may be confusing to someone who doesn't realize why the numbers are changing.

    Keep up the great work!

    Parker Young
    Parker I have found for me if I fill in a slider element numbers in the reverse, starting with the Valid Maximum, things won't reset. Not the easiest but it works
  • Mike AbbottMike Abbott

    Jesse,
    Having used this for a week or so - it's proved to be really useful.

    I'd just like to add my voice to the 'wish list' with my top two requests - both of which have been highlighted by others.

    1. An improvement to the method for entries in the default / min / max fields - as Parker and Tim mention below. I'm using Tims 'reverse order' work around - but it's easy to mess things up if you forget. Ideally: Make an entry in a field and tab through fields 'left to right'.

    2. Some form of highlighting of the 'active' controls preview on the left - so that's it's clear to see what you are editing on the right. As Lars notes, it's currently it's too easy to loose track and edit the wrong control.

    ...but I have to say - Great work to date! This has made Pseudo Effects a practical proposition for me. And thanks for the 1st class support too : )

  • Jacqueline DesselJacqueline Dessel
    Deleting my question- I figured out the problem. I had the numbers set way, way too low. Awesome extension, I love working with it!
  • Paul SlemmerPaul Slemmer
    Is there a way to set the precision/increments used when dragging slider values? Sliders created with Pseudo Effect Maker seem to all work in increments of ten, while expression controllers use increments of 1. I'd like set my own increments or at least switch to ones like expression controllers.

    Does this question make sense? Have others run into this and/or found a workaround?
  • Wlazinski MatthieuWlazinski Matthieu
    This extention is really top! Please add the property "invisible" in a future version.
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