What It Does
Cloners + Effectors is a procedural animation system that lets you animate multiple layers simultaneously without keyframing each one individually. Instead of manually setting keyframes across dozens of layers, you arrange layers using cloners, then apply effectors to create motion. The workflow mirrors tools found in 3D applications like Cinema 4D, brought directly into After Effects.
Key Features
Six cloner types generate layer patterns automatically. Linear, Radial, and Grid cloners arrange duplicates in geometric formations with parametric controls for precise spacing and orientation. The Cluster cloner leaves original layers in place, useful for animating text or illustration elements where you need to preserve the source structure. Path and Path Point cloners (After Effects 2018+) distribute layers along mask paths.
Seven effectors control animation. The Basic effector adjusts position, scale, rotation, and color. The Layer effector lets you target any numeric or color parameter on a layer, including effect properties, with a single click. Random and Step effectors create patterns across clones. Pulse and Noise effectors generate animation without keyframes. The Duplicate effector creates layered clone systems. The Audio effector syncs animation to audio spectrum data.
Falloffs determine how effectors influence clones across space. Drag a falloff across your clones to animate them progressively, creating wave-like motion or staggered timing with minimal keyframes. Combine multiple effectors on the same cloner for layered control.
Parenting and baking round out the feature set. Cloner layers can be parented to other objects for hierarchical animation. The bake function converts procedural setups into keyframes when you need to hand off projects or gain manual control.
Who It’s For
Useful for motion designers working with repeated elements: logo animations where every letter needs synchronized timing, grid layouts that animate in waves, or illustrated scenes where multiple objects share movement patterns. Works with both 2D and 3D layers. Text animators will find the character-level control particularly valuable for kinetic typography.
Pricing
$49 for a single-user license, one-time purchase. Floating server licenses available for studios. A trial version is available with no feature restrictions (the 20-clone limit from early versions has been removed).