What's new in v2?

New Features in v2

After Effects 2023/24+ Ready

Workflower is finally After Effects 2023/24+ compatible!

Literally hundreds of sections within the code - across matting-, cloning-, and adjustment layer-functions - had to be completely rebuilt, mostly relating to AE's new track matte system.

But now you can take full advantage of AE's new track matte system as well as other new AE features (like the Advanced 3D renderer) while at the same time enjoying Workflower's various functions!

ScriptUI Panel

Staying true to After Effects feature development, the most requested while at the same time most basic feature took the longest to develop... But here it finally is: The option to use Workflower as a ScriptUI Panel!

To make use of it, install Workflower ScriptUI Panel.jsxbin (provided in the download files) into AE's ScriptUI Panels folder, or use the aescripts + aeplugins manager app.

Please note that it is still mandatory to additionally have --- Workflower ---.jsxbin installed in AE's Scripts folder!

The ScriptUI panel is resizable and available in 4 different configurations:

  1. Row layout, 1 line

  2. Row layout, 2 lines

  3. Column layout, 1 column

  4. Column layout, 2 columns

Improved & Faster Matting Tools

All matting tools within Workflower have been overhauled in a major way to conform to AE 23's Selectable Track Mattes and in turn, are easier to use and execute way faster.

Group Mattes, for example, perform many times faster now since the Group Matte only has to be calculated once, whereas, in AE 22 and below, Group Matte layers have to be applied to every group layer individually, slowing down your comp the more group layers you have.

However, now, you can add as many group layers as you want and AE will stay super fast and responsive! (Well, okay, as super fast and responsive as things were back in 2005. But that's not my fault!)

Relabel Keyframes

Using Relabel Layer/s, you can now relabel keyframes too!

Simply select keyframes instead of layers and execute Relabel Layer/s. Click on the desired color and keyframes will be relabeled.

Hold down Ctrl+Alt/Cmd+Option when clicking on a color if you want to relabel the entire keyframe label group of your currently selected keyframe/s within your comp.

Bonus: If you execute Select Group while keyframes are selected, all keyframes with the currently selected label color group/s in the comp will be selected.

Easier Ways to learn Workflower

Workflower now provides various ways that help with learning Workflower. This is especially useful for newer users. However, even older users can find it insightful since they might still learn a thing or two about the functions that way.

The new ways to learn Workflower include:

  • Extended Tooltips: Hover over the functions on the Main Menu to get information on the function. When pressing a modifier key, the Extended Tooltip of the modifier function will be displayed. You can also turn off Extended Tooltips and only use simple tooltips (displaying solely the function name and shortcut), or disable tooltips altogether by going to the Miscellaneous Settings.

  • Pop-Up Tips: When first executing certain functions (like creating a group), Workflower will now display useful tips about the functions.

  • Links to User Guide & Tutorial Chapters: When right-clicking on a function button on the Main Menu, Workflower will now open up a dropdown where you can click on links to the user guide and tutorial chapter about the specific function. Hold down a modifier key and right-click on the button to open up the links for the modifier functions.

Tag Layers & Groups

Workflower now features the ability to tag layers. That way, you can create groups of layers not bound by the layer hierarchy and perform various actions on them. You can even tag Workflower's regular groups.

Simply select your layers/groups and execute Tag / Untag Layer/s. Now choose one of After Effects' 17 label colors as well as a name for your Tag Group.

Afterwards, execute Perform Action on Tagged Layer/s and choose either of these actions:

  1. Activate (= enable & solo if necessary) / Deactivate

  2. Enable / Disable

  3. Solo / Unsolo

  4. Lock / Unlock

  5. Select / Deselect

  6. Toggle effects

  7. Toggle motion blur

  8. Jump to the top-most layer of the Tag Group in your timeline

And more!

But wait, there's even more! For example:

  • New Double-Click Behavior: Now you can double-click on a group header to expand/collapse the group! Alt/Option+double-click to select, Shift+double-click to enable/disable, and Alt/Option+Shift+double-click to solo. (Needs the WQ plug-in installed that can be found in the installation files.)

  • Reveal Opacity Properties: When you execute Reveal Layer Opacity while having properties selected, all contained properties with an opacity will now be revealed in the timeline too (e.g. the Effect Opacity, or clone stroke opacity properties when having the Paint effect selected).

  • New Trimming Functions: Trim Layer to Keyframes & Trim Layer to Layer.

  • ... as well as a bunch of other little features and fixes.

Full Changelog

For a full changelog, please click here!

New Features in older Versions

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