What It Does
AnimateParallax brings visual Z-position control to After Effects for creating parallax effects. Drag layers in a depth view panel to position them in 3D space, then apply automatically generated expressions to create depth-based parallax animations. Inspired by Adobe Animate’s Layer Depth feature, it replaces the need for manual keyframing or writing expressions for each layer.
Key Features
Visual Z-position adjustment. Drag layers or numeric values in the depth view panel to set their positions in 3D space. Hold Shift for fine control, or double-click to enter values directly. Right-click a layer name to select it in your composition.
Automated expression application. Hit Apply to add parallax expressions to all loaded layers at once. The expressions automatically scale layers based on their Z-position to maintain apparent size, creating realistic depth when the camera moves. A Ctrl+Click (Windows) or Cmd+Click (macOS) on Apply sets Z-positions only without adding expressions or scale adjustments.
Layer distribution tools. Evenly distribute selected layers across a defined Z range, randomize their positions, or manually adjust individual layer values. Hold Shift while clicking Distribute to reverse the stacking order.
Multi-layer selection. Select and edit multiple layers simultaneously in the panel (added in version 1.2.0). Manual Z-value adjustments apply to selected layers only, while buttons like Distribute, Random, Apply, and Bake affect all loaded layers.
Bake to keyframes. Convert parallax expressions to first and last frame keyframes. Useful for render optimization or removing expressions, though keeping expressions active is recommended while animating cameras to ensure the parallax effect works correctly.
Z range controls. Set Near Value (forward limit) and Far Value (backward limit) to define the depth boundaries for your scene. Far value must exceed Near value, and Near value must be greater than the camera Z-position.
Who It’s For
Useful for motion designers creating title animations, transitions, or any project where camera movement needs realistic depth. Works particularly well for layered 2D elements that need to feel three-dimensional when a camera pushes through them.
For layers with existing keyframes, parent them to null objects and load those nulls into the tool instead. This preserves your animation while adding parallax control. When using pre-compositions with Collapse Transformations enabled, all layers inside must be set to 3D layers for Z-position information to transmit correctly.
Pricing
AnimateParallax costs $39 for a single user license. A trial version is available on the aescripts website. Compatible with After Effects 2022 through 2026.