What It Does
Dresser reduces the clicks needed to work with Layer Styles in After Effects. Instead of navigating through menus to apply a Drop Shadow or Gradient Overlay, you get a dedicated panel that keeps all Layer Style properties visible and accessible. The plugin claims to save over 50% of your time when styling layers, which adds up if you work with Layer Styles regularly.
It also includes a visual preset browser for .ffx files, making it easier to organize and apply saved styles than After Effects’ native Effects & Presets panel. You can create custom thumbnails for your presets, either automatically or from a frame in your current comp.
Key Features
Multi-layer editing. Apply, toggle, or remove Layer Styles across multiple selected layers at once. This is useful when you need consistent styling across text layers or shape elements.
All 11 Layer Styles supported. The panel gives you quick access to Blending Options, Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Outer Glow, Inner Glow, Bevel and Emboss, Satin, Color Overlay, Gradient Overlay, Pattern Overlay, and Stroke.
Preset library with visual thumbnails. Save single Layer Styles or combinations as presets. Dresser generates thumbnails automatically, or you can create them from your comp. This makes it faster to browse and apply saved looks compared to text-based lists.
100+ included presets. Ships with preset packs for gradients, metals, neomorphism, neon effects, and more. All license holders get access to the full library. Trial users receive a smaller sample pack plus a WordArt preset pack.
Moving thumbnails. Version 1.1.0 added support for animated preset previews, so you can see what a preset does before applying it.
Who It’s For
Motion designers and text animators who use Layer Styles frequently will get the most value here. If you’re building title sequences, kinetic typography, or graphic elements where you need consistent styling across many layers, the multi-layer controls save time. The preset browser is also helpful if you’ve built a library of custom styles and want faster visual access to them.
It’s less essential if you rarely use Layer Styles or prefer effects-based approaches to styling.
Pricing
$34 for a single user license. A trial version is available. The plugin is a one-time purchase, not a subscription.