UI Animator Pro

Getting Started

Overview

UI Animator Pro (UIAP) is an After Effects panel for bringing websites, apps and interface mockups into After Effects. From there you can turn them into scenes, animate them, add sound and export the result.

This guide explains what each tool does, what to select before using it, and what result to expect.

A Few General Tips:

• Most tools work on the ACTIVE composition. Open a comp and click inside its timeline before you use a tool.
• Hover over any button to see a short tooltip. You can turn tooltips on or off in Settings.
• A small "› Settings" line under a block opens its extra options. A gear icon (⚙) on a tile opens the settings for that single tool.
• If something goes wrong, UIAP shows a short error message in the corner. You can copy it and send it to support if needed.
• Use Ctrl/Cmd + Z for changes to the AE project. Library edits, plugin settings and downloaded files are not covered by AE Undo.

New In This Version:

• Plan: a new tab for your brief, tasks and client feedback, linked to your compositions.
• Frame Border: a frosted blur or liquid glass frame around any image, shape or precomp in one click.
• Light mode: a bright version of the whole panel. Switch it in Settings › Display.
• Storyboard export: turn your animation into a clean frame grid for clients and presentations.
• Design to Motion: a clearer Import Report with font links, Convert all SVG, link underlines, video previews and better precomps.

Top Bar

Search

Type the name of any tool, block or action to find it quickly and jump straight to it.

Update Button

Appears when a new UIAP version is available. Click it to install the update.

Manual Update

Opens your Gumroad Library so you can download the latest UIAP version.

Workspace

My Workspace

Your own page. Collect the tools you use most in one place.

My Workspace

• Click "+" on the page to add a tool block (Design to Motion, Layer Tools, Animation Presets, SFX, Export and so on).
• Drag a block by its handle to change the order.
• Remove a block with its X. You can add it again at any time.
• Use the "+" next to the workspace tab to create more workspaces, for example one for editing and one for sound.
• Right-click a workspace tab to rename it.

Daily References

A new motion design reference every day. Click the arrow to open it in your browser. Close the card if you don't need it. You can turn it off in Settings.

Plan

Plan Tab

Plan your video before you touch the timeline. Keep the brief, the task list and client feedback right inside After Effects, and link every note to the exact composition and moment it is about.

Open the Plan tab and start typing.

Projects and Pages

• Each project is a tab at the top. Click "+" to add a new one (up to 5).
• Each project has up to 3 pages. By default they are Brief, Tasks and Feedback. Double-click a page to rename it.
• Your first project opens with a sample Brief that shows every feature. Type over it or clear it.
• Right-click a project tab for more: Rename, Project related, Export as TXT, Import PDF and Delete.

Writing Tools

• Heading, Bold, Italic, Marker (highlight), Checklist and Quote. Use the Checklist for tasks and tick them off as you go; use Quote for client comments.
• Insert composition: adds the comps selected in the Project panel as small clickable chips. You can also drag a comp from the Project panel straight into the text. Click a chip to open that comp.
• Insert current time: adds the active comp with the playhead time. Any time you type, like 0:03 or 1:05:00, becomes clickable and jumps to that moment in the comp on the same line. Perfect for feedback like "0:03 make the logo bigger".
• Paste a link to turn it into a neat chip with the page title. Click it to open the page in your browser.
• Translate: translates the selection or the whole page with your AI Assist key. Times, links and names stay as they are.
• Reset formatting: removes styles but keeps your text and chips.

From Text To Layers

Select text on a page and click "Add as Text Layer" for one text layer, or "Per Line" for a separate layer for every line. Great for titles, captions and on-screen copy from the brief.

Keep The Plan With Your AE Project

Right-click a project tab and turn on "Project related". The plan is then saved next to your .aep file and travels with the AE project, for example when you send it to a teammate. Save the AE project first. The tab shows a small dot and appears only while that project is open. All other plans are available in every project.

Import PDF adds the text of a PDF brief to the current page. Export as TXT saves all pages as a simple text file you can share.

RESULT: A clear plan with tasks you can tick off and feedback linked to exact moments in your comps.

EDIT: Everything saves automatically as you type. Click × on the active page or project to remove it; UIAP asks first if it has text. The gear in the toolbar sets how long link titles can be.

Import

Design

Design To Motion (Beta)

Brings website UIs and Figma designs into After Effects as editable layers.

Use the free Design to Motion companion for Chrome or Figma to bring real interface designs into After Effects. Click "?" on the block for install links and step-by-step instructions.

How to use:

1. In Chrome or Figma, capture the page or frame with the companion.
2. In UIAP, drop the captured file onto 'Choose a file' or click it to browse. The file name shows in the box.
3. Click "Create Composition".

SETTINGS: "› Settings"

• Import hover states as second comp: also builds a copy of the design with hover states.
• Create precomps: groups sections into precomps.
• Include hidden dialogs & popovers: also imports hidden menus and dialogs.
• Web Scale / Figma Scale: output size (1080, 1920 or 3840 px wide, or 1x to 5x).
• Duration and Frame Rate of the new composition.
• AI Assist can help clean up more complex imports when needed.
• Convert all SVG: turns every SVG layer in your UIAP compositions into editable shape layers in one click, and removes the SVG files that are no longer used.

RESULT: A new editable composition with text, shapes and images ready to animate.

• With "Create precomps" on, page sections such as the header, content blocks, cards and footer become their own precomps, so you can animate them as groups.
• Underlined links keep their underline as a thin shape layer that follows the text.
• Videos on a website come in as their first frame with a small "video" label, so you know where to place your footage.

Import Report

If something could not be imported exactly, the Import Report opens after the import. Issues are grouped into clear blocks: Missing fonts, Unsupported SVG, Images & media, Text, Gradients, Effects and Other. Next to each missing font there is a button that opens it on Google Fonts, or a web search if it is not there. Install the fonts and import again for a perfect match.

Image Detection (Beta)

Turns a flat screenshot of an interface into separate layers.

SELECT: One image layer (a UI screenshot) in the active comp.

SETTINGS: "› Settings"

• Offset: extra padding around each detected element.
• Cutout — choose how detected interface elements are rebuilt.
• Text: text areas are always cut out as PNG images.
• Background: build the background as a Shape layer, or use the comp color.
• Font fallback: the font used when a font can't be matched.
• Smart Precomps — a disabled placeholder for a future feature.
• AI Assist — helps with more complex screenshots when needed.
• Detail — choose whether the screenshot is split into larger sections or smaller individual elements.

Click "Detect".

RESULT: The screenshot is rebuilt as separate layers (buttons, cards, icons, text blocks and so on), so you can animate each part on its own.

Lottie Import

Brings a Lottie animation into After Effects. How to use: Paste an animation link (a LottieFiles link or a direct .json link) into "Animation URL". You can also drop a .json or .lottie file onto "Choose a file". If both are filled in, the link is used.

Click "Import Lottie".

RESULT: The animation is rebuilt as editable After Effects layers so you can continue working with it.

Split Masks

Cuts one layer with several masks into separate layers.

SELECT: One layer that has several masks.

SETTINGS: "Fill Color" checkbox. Uses a plain white fill, not automatic background-color detection.

Click "Split Masks".

RESULT: Each mask becomes its own layer.

Templates

Ready-made, editable UI components and mockups.

Filters: All, User (your own templates), Inputs, Frames, Components, Data and Devices.

Adding A Template

SELECT: Open the composition you want the template in. Click a template card. For example: Apple Notification, macOS Dock, Google Chrome, macOS / Windows Folders, Search Bar, Prompt Bar, Chrome Window, Notification, Command Menu, Loading Bar, Modal Window, Data Table, Bar Chart, Pricing Card, iPhone Mockup, Circular Loader, News Stack iOS, App Icon.

RESULT: The template is added to your comp with editable text, colors and shapes.

Template Scale

Choose the size templates are created at.

Upscale Button

SELECT: A composition, either opened or selected in the Project panel.

RESULT: The whole composition is scaled up by the chosen multiplier, with all its layers.

Your Own Templates ("Drag & Drop Comp" Card)

1. Save your AE project first.
2. Drag a composition from the Project panel onto the "Drag & drop comp" card.

RESULT: The comp is saved as your own template in the User filter, and you can reuse it in any project. Delete it with its X.

Build

Scene

Composition

Open the composition you want to change. Set Size (for example 1920x1080), Frame Rate or Duration, then click the arrow beside that field to apply it. Duration uses hours:minutes:seconds:frames.

Click a saved value to apply it immediately. Use "+" on a row to save another value; X removes that preset. These controls change composition settings, not the scale of the artwork inside it.

Comp Theme

Create a light or dark version of an existing design.

1. Select a composition in the Project panel, or open it, then click "+". You can also drop the comp onto the button.
2. Choose Light or Dark and review the detected palette.
3. Open Settings if you want to change the conversion.
4. Click Convert to Light / Dark.

SETTINGS:

• Background / Text: target colors for neutral surfaces and text. Reset restores the theme defaults.
• Gray tolerance: raise it to include tinted grays; lower it to preserve more colors as accents.
• Master color null: creates Theme Colors controls linked to the converted colors, including precomps.
• Remove drop shadows: removes shadow effects and disables Drop Shadow layer styles in the converted comps.
• Include precomps: also duplicates and converts nested compositions.
• Adjust accent contrast: lightens or darkens accents while keeping their hue.
• Swap Multiply / Screen: swaps those blend modes to suit the chosen theme.

RESULT: A duplicate in a "Comp - Theme" folder. The original composition is unchanged; photos and video are not recolored. X clears the analysis, not the converted composition.

Project Health

Choose Project to scan the whole project, or Active Comp to scan the open composition and its dependencies. Click Scan Project / Scan Active Comp.

RESULT: A health score and categories for missing fonts, missing assets, broken expressions, dependencies, problem paths and unsupported effects. The score is a quick indicator, not a guarantee that every project issue has been found.

• Expand a category to see issues; click a linked issue to reveal its item in AE.
• Relink from folder searches a chosen folder for missing files by name.
• Remove unused removes unused footage from the AE project.
• Disable broken turns off expressions with errors but keeps their code.
• Scanning itself does not change the project. Fix buttons do, and can be undone in AE.
• Click the plain X to the right of the score summary to clear the analysis. It does not delete or fix anything in the project.
• If a scan stops early, try Active Comp to check a smaller part of the project.

Layers

Expressions

Keep reusable expressions in one library, without preview cards.

SAVE: Select exactly one property with an expression in AE, then click "+". You can also drop the property onto "+"; keep that property selected in AE. Give it a name and save.

APPLY: Select the destination layer(s), then click the expression name. UIAP looks for the matching property. Text expressions need text layers; expressions saved from effects need the matching effect/property to exist. Existing expressions are replaced only after confirmation.

• Each row shows the name and target property.
• Edit changes the name and code. X deletes the saved entry, not expressions already applied in AE.
• Drag rows to reorder them. The library survives a plugin restart.
• Starter examples: Gentle Wiggle (Position), Loop Rotation (requires at least two Rotation keys), and Text Counter (Source Text). Deleted examples do not return on restart.

Layer Tools

Precomp

SELECT: One or more layers.

RESULT: The layers are precomposed together.

Unprecomp

SELECT: One or more precomp layers.

RESULT: The layers come back out of the precomp, and position, scale and rotation are kept. Turn on the small checkbox to also delete the empty source comp from the Project panel.

Rasterize

SELECT: One or more layers.

RESULT: Turns selected layers into flat image layers for a simpler, lighter setup.

Clean Layer

SELECT: One or more layers.

RESULT: Removes animation and expressions from the selected layers.

Alpha Crop

Move the playhead to the frame you want.

RESULT: The composition is cropped to the visible content on that frame.

Shape / Null / Adjustment Layer / Solid

Create a new layer the size of the comp. Null with layers selected: the null is placed above them, matches their length, and the selected layers are parented to it.

Anchor & Guides

SELECT: One or more layers. Choose Anchor Point, then click a side, corner or center to move the anchor there without moving the layer on screen.

Choose Layer Guides to use the guide controls below.

Adds After Effects guides along the edges of a layer.

SELECT: One or more layers.

Click the sides you want: left, right, top, bottom, or all.

• "Add Guides": adds guides to the chosen sides.
• "Remove Layer Guides": removes the guides of the selected layers.
• "Remove All Guides": clears every guide in the comp.

Frame Border

Puts a soft, modern frame around a picture, card or screen, like the floating windows in Apple-style UI.

SELECT: One image, video, shape layer or precomp.

SETTINGS: Choose the style before you click.

• Blur: a frosted, slightly brighter frame with a thin white outline.
• Liquid Glass: a refractive glass frame.

Click "Add Frame Border".

RESULT: A frame layer is added under your layer and follows it, so it moves, scales and turns together with it. Its corners match the roundness of your shape.

EDIT: On the original layer, open Effect Controls. "Border Padding" sets how wide the frame is (10% by default) and "Border Roundness" sets the corners. Change the blur or glass effect on the frame layer itself.

Sequence Layers

Staggers layers in time, one after another.

SELECT: Two or more layers.

SETTINGS: Step (in frames), and "Trim length", which cuts each layer so it doesn't overlap the next one.

"Ignore timing" ignores Step and sequences layers using their actual durations.

"Child layers" keeps parented layers together: children start on the same frame as their parent, even if you did not select them. Handy for cards with icons and labels parented to them.

• Arrow right: moves the layers later, each one a step further.
• Arrow left: moves them earlier.
• "Reset" puts the controls back to default.

Each arrow click adds another step, so click again to make the gap bigger.

Reorder Layers

Changes the layer order in the timeline panel.

SELECT: Two or more layers.

SETTINGS:

• Position: orders layers by where they are on screen. Main Direction can be Top to Bottom, Bottom to Top, Left to Right, Right to Left or From Center. "If Same Line" decides the order for layers in the same row.
• Timeline: orders layers by when they start.

Click "Reorganize Layers".

RESULT: A clean, logical layer order, which helps a lot before sequencing or automation.

Scene Tools

3D Carousel

SELECT: One or more layers.

RESULT: The layers are arranged in a rotating 3D circle with a controller that you can animate.

Comp Guides

SELECT: One to five layers.

SETTINGS: ⚙ chooses the guide markers: Crosses (+), Circle (○) or Null.

RESULT: Animated design guide lines that follow the edges of the layers, the popular "blueprint" look.

Bake

SELECT: A 3D Carousel or Comp Guides rig.

RESULT: Converts the rig into regular keyframes for a lighter, easier-to-share setup.

Text

Text Tools

SELECT: One or more text layers.

Number

Turns the text into an animated number counter (for example $2,350) with controls in Effect Controls. Words around the number stay in place: "Users: 80M" counts only the number and keeps "Users:" and "M". Separators and decimals are taken from your text.

Time Counter

Turns the text into a running timer (for example 01:13.033).

Background

Use ⚙ to open settings. Adds a background box behind the text that resizes when the text changes.

In Shape mode, the background follows the text bounds over time. Adjust Size Multiplier on the background shape layer; the default is 110% (+10%). Default roundness is 20.

Split

Breaks one text layer into several.

SELECT: One or more text layers.

SETTINGS: "› Settings"

• Split by: Words, Lines, Characters, Word Groups or Character Groups.
• Layer Order and Custom Step.
• Anchor Point: Center, or Same as Original.
• Delete original layer.

Click "Split text".

RESULT: Each word, line or character becomes its own layer.

Value Tracking › Trim Path

Syncs an animated number with a line or progress bar.

SELECT: Exactly one shape layer (with a stroke) and one text layer.

SETTINGS: ⚙ sets Min / Max Number, Prefix, Suffix, separators, Decimal Places, Symbol ($ / %), Fixed Digits, Big Numbers and so on.

RESULT: When the path draws on, the text shows the matching value (for example 13% → 69%).

Presets (Text Animations)

SELECT: One or more text layers, then click a preset.

• Split (⚙): uses your Split settings.
• Blur In By Word: words appear one by one out of a blur.
• Slide and Pop In: text slides in with a small pop.
• Slow Fade On: gentle fade-in.
• Typewriter: letters appear as if typed.
• Code Reveal (⚙): code-style reveal, by word or by character.
• Fluorescent Light: flickering neon-light reveal.
• Reveal By: progressive reveal in the chosen mode.
• Pixelate: letters type on with a pixel effect at the typing point.
• Glowing Text: text lights up with a soft glow.
• Right Slide In: text slides in from the right.

Pixelate, Glowing Text and Right Slide In work with selected text layers, or create a new text layer when nothing is selected. Each one is placed in its own precomp, so your comp stays tidy.

Your Own Presets

Drop any .ffx text preset onto the "+" ("Select FFX Preset") card. It is saved in UIAP and appears as a new card. Delete it with its X.

Cursors

Cursors

Have a comp open.

Click a cursor card to add that cursor to the active comp. Then animate its position.

• Switchable cursor: one cursor you can switch between styles (arrow, hand and so on) from Effect Controls.
• "+" card: SELECT one shape layer and click "+" to save it, including shapes with nested groups. Saved cursors appear under All Cursors > User.
• Favorites stay above All Cursors. Hover a card to show its star and X. Use the star to move it into or out of favorites; drag favorite cards to reorder them.
• All Cursors has filters for All, User and the built-in collections, including macOS, Win and Win XP. Scroll inside the list to see more.
• X hides a built-in cursor from the library; resetting UIAP restores it. X on a user cursor removes that saved cursor.

Cursor Label

Enable Cursor Label, then choose Profile Picture or User Name. These choices are disabled while the checkbox is off. The NEXT cursor you add gets a round picture badge or a text badge. User Name defaults to Alex; edit the name before adding the cursor. This also works from All Cursors.

Auto-Orient Cursor

SELECT: A cursor layer.

RESULT: The cursor turns automatically in the direction it moves.

In Effect Controls, Auto-orient Delay (frames) controls the direction sampling delay; Return State (Frames) controls how long the cursor takes to return to its resting angle after motion stops.

Hover Cursor

Choose the normal and hover cursors. The macOS, Win and Win XP buttons select an Arrow / Pointer pair from that set. Choose a different pair manually to leave the preset. Selected names include the collection, so similarly named cursors are easy to tell apart.

Click Interaction

Adds click effects to a cursor.

SELECT: One or more cursor layers. Move the playhead to the moment of the click.

SETTINGS:

• Click: a short "press" animation of the cursor.
• Displace Wave: a ripple that distorts what's under the cursor. Wave Type is Ripple Pulse or Shape Wave.
• Visual Wave: a circle of Dots or Pixels expanding from the click.
• Duration (frames).

Click "Add Interaction".

RESULT: The interaction is added at the current time. Repeat for each click.

Hover Interactions

Makes UI elements react when the cursor passes over them.

1. Click "Add Null Trigger". It creates a trigger null. Animate it, or parent it to your cursor.
2. SELECT the layers that should react (buttons, cards and so on).
3. Choose the effects:

• Transform: move, scale or rotate on hover. "Proximity" also scales smoothly by distance.
• Light Stroke: a light sweep along the edge.
• Color: color change on hover.
• Magnetic: the layer is pulled toward the cursor.
• 3D Tilt: the layer tilts in 3D after the cursor.

1. Click "Add Hover Effect".

RESULT: The selected UI elements react automatically whenever the cursor passes over them.

Effects

Background Textures

Click a card to add a ready background to the active comp: Gradient Generator, Grid Texture or Dot Texture.

Glass Texture: select a layer and click the card to add the glass look through an adjustment layer. With nothing selected, UIAP creates a gradient first and adds the glass above it. Change Texture Size (%) on the Glass Texture controller null to adjust the pattern size.

Tip: select an existing Gradient Generator layer and click the card again to get a new random gradient.

Your Own Texture

Save the project first. Then SELECT one Shape or Solid layer in the comp, or a composition in the Project panel, and click "+". It is saved as a new texture card.

Effects

Liquid Glass

SELECT: A shape layer (for example a button or a panel).

RESULT: A frosted, refractive "liquid glass" look, like Apple's new UI style.

Screen Recording

SELECT: A layer, or nothing.

RESULT: The look of a real screen recording. If nothing is selected, it is added as an adjustment layer over the whole comp.

Adjustment Presets

Ready color and light looks for the final picture.

• Color Grade, Soft Glow: click a card. UIAP adds a new adjustment layer with that look over the whole comp.
• Save your own: SELECT one adjustment layer with the effects you like, click "+ Save Preset" and give it a name. It appears as a card. Saved looks appear as reusable cards you can apply again later.
• Remove a card with its X.

Audio

SFX Assistant (Beta)

Automatically places sound effects on your animation.

First time: Click "Download SFX Pack" and wait for it to finish.

SELECT: Depends on Scope.

SETTINGS:

• Scope: Whole Comp, Working Area, or Selected Layers.
• Density: how many sounds (Low / Balanced / High).
• Style: Mixed, Organic, Clean or Digital.
• Intensity: Soft, Medium or Bold.
• Analyse Precomp: also looks inside precomps.
• Offset: shifts all sounds a few frames earlier or later.
• Volume: manual, or quick -18 / -12 / -8 dB.
• Sound types: Wooshes, Risers, Clicks, Pops, Slides, Text, Keyboard, Success, Loading, Impacts, Camera, Texture, Foley and Glitch. Untick what you don't want.

Click "Add SFX".

RESULT: UIAP reads the motion in your scene and places matching sound effects on the timeline.

SFX Library ("Open SFX Library")

A sound browser. Search, preview, add favorites, and switch between list and grid view.

SELECT: One or more sounds in the library.

• "to Project": imports them into the Project panel.
• "to Comp": imports them and adds them to the active comp.

In the library settings you can copy files next to your .aep and choose the AE folder they go into.

Voice

Remove Silence

SELECT: One audio or video layer with speech.

SETTINGS: Padding, Threshold, Layer Order, Keep Gaps, and Keep only silence (the opposite: keeps only the pauses).

RESULT: Removes pauses and splits the voice-over into clean speech sections.

Add Markers (Phrases)

SELECT: One audio or video layer.

SETTINGS: Pause (frames). Markers to Comp or Layer.

RESULT: A marker at the start of every phrase, which helps you time the animation to the voice-over.

Music

Beat Markers

SELECT: One music layer.

SETTINGS: Intensity. Mode is Bass (low kicks), Hits (sharp accents) or Both. Colored Markers.

RESULT: Markers on the beats. "Clear Markers" removes them.

Sync to Beat

SELECT: Two or more layers (shots or scenes).

SETTINGS: Order (Up to Bottom / Bottom to Up) and Overlap.

RESULT: The layers are cut and lined up on the beat markers.

Animate

Presets

Built-in Presets

SELECT: One or more layers, then click a preset: Slide In, 3D Slide, Corner Blur, Pop Overshoot, Scale Rotate, Z Depth Fade, Flash Appear, 3D Rotate Slide In, Pixel Scan Reveal, Loading, Dot Reveal, Depth Scan Reveal. Each preset has ⚙ for its own values (direction, distance, scale and so on). "Save as default" in that window remembers them.

Duration (frames) is the first field in each preset's gear window. Save your settings to keep them after restarting UIAP or AE. Defaults: Pixel Scan Reveal 25 frames; Depth Scan Reveal and Dot Reveal 20 frames.

ASCII Reveal: select one unlocked image, text, shape or precomp layer. The preset reveals it through a distorted circular matte, with ASCII characters and displacement over the reveal. Open ⚙ to change Duration and Character Size (default 36). The reusable character comp is named ASCII Characters. The original layer and fill matte continue after the reveal; the temporary reveal elements finish with the animation.

SETTINGS: Open "› Settings" for options shared by all presets.

• Keyframes or Expressions: how the animation is built.
• Linear or Bounce motion.
• Animate In, Animate Out, or Both.
• Animation Start: start of the layer, or the current frame.
• Motion Blur.
• Add animation markers.

Preview Circle

"+ Preview Circle" adds a test circle so you can try presets without touching your design.

Bounce

Adds a springy bounce to existing animation.

SELECT: Animated layers.

SETTINGS: Position, Scale, Rotation, or "Selected" (only the properties you selected).

Click "Add Bounce".

Custom Presets

Save your own animations and reuse them.

• "+ Add": SELECT the keyframes you want to keep and give the preset a name. Mode can be Absolute (exact values) or Relative (adapts position, scale, opacity and rotation to the layer).
• Apply: SELECT layers and click the preset card.
• AI Assist — create more complex custom animation presets from a written description.
• Import / Export — share presets with others or keep a backup of your own library.

AI Assist: click Copy prompt for AI, send that prompt plus your animation idea to your AI, then import its UIAP JSON through Choose a file or paste it into Paste JSON. Click Add preset. The text field expects JSON, not a plain-language description.

Position Curves

SELECT: Position keyframes, or layers with Position animation.

Click Linear, Bezier, Continuous Bezier or Auto Bezier to change the motion path. With no individual keys selected, it applies to all Position keys of the selected layers. This changes spatial interpolation (the path), not the timing/easing curve.

Transitions › Match Cut

SELECT: Exactly two layers (the outgoing and incoming scene).

SETTINGS: ⚙ sets mode, which property to match (position, scale or rotation) and direction.

RESULT: A smooth transition where the two scenes are matched in motion.

Text Match Cut / Rotate Text Match Cut

SELECT: One layer, usually a scene or website precomp.

SETTINGS: ⚙ sets the text and when the transition starts.

RESULT: The scene shrinks (or turns, in Rotate Text Match Cut) and cuts to big typed text with a blinking cursor. Edit the text layer to change the words.

Clear Keyframes

SELECT: Layers, or properties.

SETTINGS: All Keyframes, Basic Transform, or Selected Props.

Click "Reset Keys" to remove that animation.

Automation

Animate Composition (Magic Button)

Animates the whole comp in one click.

It works on the active comp.

SETTINGS:

• Automation Preset: the style of motion (Slide Up/Down, 3D Shadow, Corner Blur, Pop Overshoot and more). Disabled cards are not available; the From Center preset is currently disabled.
• Animation Source: the order in which layers appear (Layer Order, From Center, Left to Right, Top to Bottom and so on).
• Positions Count.
• "› Settings": Duration and Step (in frames), Animate In / Out / Both, Motion Blur, Dynamic position (mirror), animation markers, and Detect repeated rows (list items animate as a group).

Click "Magic Button".

RESULT: The whole composition gets a clean first animation pass with timing automatically staggered.

Layer Type Animation

Choose how different layer types should animate, or leave specific types untouched. It is used by the Magic Button.

"Reset" removes the automation UIAP added and resets these settings.

Saved Automations

Save your favorite Automation setups and reuse them in future compositions.

Export

Overview

Choose the format at the top: Image, Storyboard, Lottie or SVG.

Image

SELECT: Source is Active Frame (the whole comp at the playhead) or Selected Layers.

SETTINGS: Upscale (1× to 4×), Resolution, and Format (Clipboard, PNG or JPG).

Click "Export Image".

Storyboard

Turns your animation into one clean image with a grid of frames. Great for client approvals, pitch decks and planning.

It uses the active comp.

SETTINGS:

• Columns and Rows: the grid size (3 × 3 by default). "Total" shows how many frames you get.
• Aspect Ratio: Fit Grid, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 4:5, 9:16 or A4.
• Width: 1920, 2560 or 3840 px.
• Frame Source: Work Area, Whole Comp, or Comp Markers (one frame per marker).
• Time Labels, Spacing, Background (Dark, Light or Transparent) and Format (Clipboard, PNG or JPG).
• Switches: Frame Numbers, Composition Title, Composition Background and Marker Notes (shows your marker comments under the frames).

Click "Export Storyboard" for an image, or "Create Composition" to get the storyboard as an editable AE comp.

Lottie

Exports the active comp as a Lottie JSON for web and apps.

SETTINGS: File name. Choose how images, text, expressions and hidden layers should be prepared for export.

Bake Expressions converts expression-driven animation into export-ready values for better compatibility.

Click "Export Lottie".

SVG

Exports the current frame of the active comp as an SVG.

SETTINGS: File name. Choose how text, precomps and hidden layers should be prepared for the SVG.

Click "Export SVG".

Settings

AI API Key

AI Assist — connect an AI provider to use optional AI-powered features in Design to Motion, Image Detection and custom animation presets.

Add your provider details in Settings to enable AI-assisted features. Sharing analysis data is optional and off by default. Your AI key stays private.

Interface

Change the panel size with - and +.

Display Style

• Mode: Dark or Light.
• Cards and Tabs: Full, Icon Only or Name Only.
• Time: show durations in gear windows in Frames or Seconds.
• Colors: pick an accent color (W? Style, Blue, Mint, Amber, Rose, Violet, Black & White) or your own Custom Color.
• Tooltips turns the hover hints on or off. Animations turns the panel's small UI animations on or off.

Light Mode

Prefer a bright interface, or work in a sunny room? Open Settings › Display and choose "Light" in Mode. The whole panel switches to a clean light look: cards, menus, windows and the Plan tab. Your accent color stays the same; Black & White becomes a soft graphite in light mode. Click "Dark" to go back. Your choice is remembered.

Daily References

Turn the daily inspiration card on or off.

Replay Quick Tour — open the introduction again whenever you need it.

Backup & Reset

Export Settings

Save a backup of your UIAP setup.

Import Settings

Restore your setup or move it to another computer.

Reset UIAP

Return the plugin to its default state.

Debug Console

In Backup & Reset, click Open Debug Console when troubleshooting. Reproduce the problem, then use Copy to send the log to support. Clear removes the visible log; Hide closes the console. This is separate from clearing Project Health results.

About

Find your UIAP version, feedback link, Discord and What? Studio links.

Need help? Use "Leave a feedback" or "Join Discord" in Settings. Created by What? Studio - 2026