What It Does
AE Sheets manages multilingual video production inside After Effects. Index every text layer in your project from a single panel, translate content with AI, swap fonts per language or script, then batch-generate localized compositions in one click. The extension is built for motion designers who localize the same spot into dozens of languages and need a repeatable, organized workflow.
Key Features
Layer indexing. Select text layers in the timeline or assign a manual index marker (e.g. ^1). Link multiple layers to the same index so they update together. Each language gets its own column for side-by-side comparison.
AI translation. Connect a Google Gemini or OpenAI API key to auto-translate indexed text without leaving After Effects. Export your text database to TSV or copy-paste into Google Sheets, edit externally, then reimport the translations.
Smart rigging. Auto Resize constrains text to a maximum width or height and scales font size down when translations overflow. Dynamic Anchor Point locks the expansion direction (center, left, right) so text doesn’t drift as content changes. Pinning creates reference points on any text layer edge or corner. Parent icons, boxes, or arrows to those pins so graphics stay attached when text grows or shrinks.
Font mapping. Create one-to-one font substitution rules: source font to target font. When you generate a Chinese version, AE Sheets replaces Helvetica-Bold with NotoSansSC-Bold, maintaining weight and style hierarchy across scripts. You can build multiple Font Map sets for different language groups or client requirements.
Language presets. Ships with 64 built-in presets covering major global markets (including regional variants for Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish). Each preset stores a shorthand code (e.g. fr-FR, ja-JP), font family override, size adjustment (absolute or relative), tracking, leading, and RTL flow for Arabic or Hebrew. Link a Font Map to any preset for per-font substitution instead of a blanket font swap.
Batch composition generation. Select multiple target languages, click create, and AE Sheets duplicates the master comp, renames it according to your scheme, applies all text updates, font maps, and presets, then organizes the new comps in folders. Turn hours of manual duplication into seconds. Only shared nested comps without changing text are duplicated once, keeping project files lean.
Who It’s For
Motion designers and studios localizing explainer videos, product spots, social ads, or e-learning content. Useful if you deliver the same animation in 10+ languages and need consistent naming, font handling, and version control. The rigging tools are practical for anyone who animates text-heavy templates where copy length varies wildly.
Pricing
AE Sheets is pay-what-you-want. The developer lists a reference price but lets you choose your own amount. A free trial is available with one restriction: you can generate up to 10 compositions before activation. All other features (rigging, presets, font mapping, layer management) work fully offline during the trial.
Requires After Effects 2024 or later on Windows or macOS.