What It Does
easyRulers 2 generates numbered text layers arranged as graphical rulers. Point it at a range (0–100, 1–12, any sequence), set your spacing and styling, and it builds all the shape and text layers with effect controls for real-time adjustment. Works for circular dials, linear sliders, speedometers, timeline markers, or anything requiring evenly spaced numeric labels.
The plugin creates clean shape layers with proper alignment and spacing. No manual positioning or expression wrangling. You get immediate control over text size, color, stepping intervals, and optional prefixes or suffixes (units like “km/h” or ”$”). Change settings after creation through built-in effect controls.
Key Features
Full text control. Adjust starting number, step interval, font size, alignment, and color. Add prefixes and suffixes with independent size, offset, and tracking. Useful for currency symbols, units of measurement, or contextual labels.
Pointer effectors. A pointer layer can affect nearby text based on proximity. Text scales, shifts position, changes color, or fades in relation to the pointer’s location. Six falloff curves (linear, easeInQuint, easeOutQuad, others) control the effect range. Practical for interactive-looking dashboards where highlighted values respond to a needle or slider.
Date and weekday loops. Beyond numbers, generate sequences like Monday through Sunday (full or abbreviated) or January through December. Formats include 31/12/2022, 12-31-2022, and other date styles. Good for calendar graphics or timeline overlays.
Wiggle function. Add random variation to number display with speed, range (from/to), and seed controls. Creates the look of fluctuating readings for meters or live data feeds.
Secondary color and gradients. Apply a second color to a percentage of the ruler (like the red zone on a tachometer). Or use start and end colors for a simple gradient across the range. The secondary color can follow the pointer for dynamic highlighting.
Pointer customization. The pointer layer has controls for fill opacity, stroke color, stroke width, roundness, and independent X/Y sizing when using line-shaped pointers. The latest version adds a blink function and a pointer-lock option to freeze it in place while testing other settings.
Auto-gap calculation. Spacing between ruler marks is calculated automatically by the plugin component, not expressions, for reliable results across different project setups.
Apple Silicon and multithreading support. Optimized for M-series Macs and faster rendering on multi-core systems. Works in 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit color depth.
Who It’s For
Designers building user interfaces, vehicle dashboards, audio equipment panels, HUDs, sci-fi instrumentation, or broadcast graphics with data readouts. Also useful for infographic timelines, progress meters, and any project where numbered scales need to look polished without manual layer duplication.
Works well when you need to iterate, since changing a ruler’s range or styling is faster than rebuilding layers by hand. The effector system suits projects where the interface needs to feel responsive or highlight specific ranges.
Pricing
$39.99 for a single-user license. Free upgrade if you purchased after January 1, 2020; otherwise, upgrade pricing is $32 (visible when logged in). A trial version is available. Compatible with After Effects CS6 through 2024 on Windows and macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon).