Penpal
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Compatibility After Effects Please check exact version compatibility under the "COMPATIBILITY" tab below
BOSS YOUR BEZIERS WITH OVER 40 PATH EDITING FUNCTIONS MISSING FROM AFTER EFFECTS.
- Precisely move points in their ‘true’ space
- Align and distribute points
- Rotate tangents by a set amount, like 45º or 90º
- Snap points to pixels
- Flip paths precisely
- Simplify paths with too many points
- Zero individual tangents
- Reverse path direction (the actual order of the points, not just the timeline toggle)
- Match the angle or length of tangents
- Break a path in two, or join two into one
- And more
“Penpal has made my workflow so much easier. Gives me really smart basic shape layer functions that I've been wanting for years inside of AE” - Claudio Salas.
EDIT PATHS AS THEY REALLY ARE
If your path is inside a group or layer that’s rotated, Ae’s snapping can act weird. With Penpal you can work on the path as it really is, and move the points in their original space.
It’s a bit like having your shapes stored in ‘right way up’ external files, except you can adjust and keyframe the path right there without having to leave your comp.


GET A HANDLE ON YOUR TANGENTS
Penpal’s UI is based on the one you already know from Ae - so it’s pretty intuitive. There is one thing it does differently: tangents can be selected in the same way that you select points - by either dragging a marquee over them, or shift-clicking them one-by-one.
This enables tangent control that’s more advanced than anything in Ae or Illustrator.
How does it work?
Load paths from selected layers into Penpal by clicking the reload button at the top-left, or double-clicking anywhere in the canvas space below.
Select the elements you want to work with by either dragging a marquee, or shift-clicking on them one-by-one. You can select paths, points and tangents independently of one another. The icons of points and tangents will change from empty to filled as you select them.
Click on the three tabs at the top of the panel to see the buttons that work with that element - paths, points or tangents. As you change tab Penpal highlights those elements blue, so you know what you’re about to affect.
Paths

Points

Tangents

“Penpal is so jam-packed with essential path editing features, I have it permanently docked in my After Effects workspace” - Al Boardman.
Learn more
The Penpal User Guide is the most thorough way to learn everything Penpal can do. You can also access it from within Penpal itself - just click the Hamburger and then the Help… button.
Click the Try button at the top of this page to instantly download a 10-day trial - it will only load paths with 10 points or less. Purchase a license to unlock the full version.
Penpal is localized for Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
Penpal is made by renderTom and Steve Kirby for Animatable.
After Effects | 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, CC 2019, CC 2018 |
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1.5.0 (Current version) - Nov 11, 2022
- “Points: Mirror Path on axis” function buttons
- "Tangents: Move" function buttons
- "Points: Snap" button accepts ALT modifier key to also snap tangents.
- "Points: Move" button accepts ALT modifier key to leave tangents in place.
- Toggle button in Preferences to display tangent coordinates as absolute or relative.
Changed:
- "Points: Break" function now also works with only one point selected.
- "Points: Toggle paths open/closed at selected points" only opens closed paths with 2 points selected, and does not alter points when closing open paths.
- Selected paths are now thicker in Points and Tangents tabs UI.
- Little UI arrows for dropdowns are disabled.
Fixed:
- "Points: Snap" no longer zeros tangents if no points are selected.
- Panel no longer listens to keystrokes it doesn't use (re-enabling various other keyboard shortcuts).
1.4.0 - Jul 8, 2021
- Backspace button deletes selected points in the Points tab.
- Align tangents to neighbouring points button.
Changed:
- Path > Merge now shows user friendly error message when joining masks.
Fixed:
- double clicking a point or tangent in another tab no longer causes the unselected points or tangents to change position.
1.3.0 - Apr 20, 2021
Added "Paths: Simplify" function button
Various bug fixes
1.2.0 - Nov 29, 2020
1.1.0 - Sep 7, 2020
- Small indicators on UI buttons that have unveiling items.
- Use Backspace key to remove path(s) or to zero tangent(s).
- New function buttons: "Path: Center Vertically" and "Path: Center Horizontally"
- Option in the context menu to solo selected paths in the canvas.
- Better experience when working with multiple shapes.
- Interface translated into Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish languages.
Changed:
- "Tangents: Match angle" now makes selected tangents opposite rather than equal to their point’s other tangent angle.
Fixed:
- "Paths: Center" and "Paths: Flip" functions now ignore the two open segments of open paths.
- Modifier keys in the tooltip to open/close shapes for "Paths: Toggle open/close" and "Points: Toggle open/close at index".