Not fun!Īnd, this can be done on several properties. If we had done this with keyframes, every time the client wanted changes, we’d have to change the keyframes. If you want to modify the wiggle, change the numbers. The first number is how many times a second, the second is the amount of pixel movement. So, this expression reads that it’s going to wiggle 50 pixels on the x & y-axis twice a second. Type wiggle, open bracket, then the first number (which is the frequency of the movement), so 2 would be two movements per second, comma, then 50 (which is the amplitude of the movement), and close bracket. The text turns red, telling you there’s an expression applied. Hit Alt (PC) or Option (Mac) and click on the stopwatch to create the expression.

To do this, we’re going to select the YES layer and hit P to open the Position Transform properties. I think a wiggle to the position would be the perfect expression to give it more life. But this “YES!” to recycling is slightly boring. We have the clouds moving in the background, and then a 3D push in. In the composition, we have a 3D camera moving upward with a visible parallax between the foreground and the mountains. To show how a wiggle expression is added, I’ve created an end card that we’re going to pretend appears at the end of a recycling commercial. How to Add a Wiggle Expression in After Effects I have numerous expressions tucked away in my head, and haven’t the faintest idea about JavaScript. While the language is based on the JavaScript language, you don’t need to know JavaScript to get started with expressions. If you’re emulating the light flicker from a candle using a solid color and adjusting its opacity, the wiggle expression is perfect for replicating the sporadic nature of a flickering flame. This is a lot faster than tediously animating the media item back and forth, or continually lowering the opacity or scale.Īs noted in the examples above, although the wiggle expression is usually applied to an object’s position, there are numerous applications for the wiggle expression. With that covered, what about in the case of the wiggle expression? With a wiggle, we’re instructing the property, whether the scale, opacity, or position, to wiggle within the set parameters. An example of a script-not an expression. For example, this script tells the application (the application being After Effects) to position the anchor point of this layer to the center, the right, or the top.

Now, unlike a script, which tells the application to do something, an expression will inform the individual property to do something. First, before we look at what the wiggle expression does, we must ask: What is an expression? An expression is a piece of JavaScript code that you can insert into the animated properties of your media.

Wiggle expression for after effects