What It Does
Parental Controls changes how parent-child relationships work in After Effects. Instead of attaching a child layer to the parent layer’s anchor point, it attaches to the actual path, shape, or text. When you resize or animate the parent, the child layer follows automatically without manual repositioning.
The script uses expression-driven masks to create dynamic constraints. Select a child layer that already has a parent, add horizontal or vertical constraints (or both), then animate the parent freely. The child adjusts its position in real time.
Key Features
Bezier path tracking. Keyframe the actual path of a shape layer and child layers follow the curve, not just the parent’s transform properties.
Shape size animation. Works with standard shapes like rectangles, ellipses, and polygons. Resize them with keyframes and child layers adjust to the new boundaries.
Text path support. Attach layers to text, including source text keyframes or animations created with Typewriter+. Useful for underlines, highlights, or decorative elements that need to scale with changing text.
Batch processing. Apply constraints to multiple child layers at once. Version 2.0 added support for separate dimensions, letting you constrain horizontal and vertical movement independently.
Remove controls button. Clean up the script’s expressions when you’re done, leaving only the baked animation.
The interface uses retina icons and a responsive UI. Compatible with After Effects 2020 through 2025.
Who It’s For
Motion designers working with kinetic typography, shape-based animations, or any project where child layers need to stay locked to parent geometry rather than just transform values. Helpful for creating responsive layouts where multiple elements adjust together.
Pricing
Pay-what-you-want model with a suggested minimum of $10. Individual users can pay any amount. Businesses and teams must pay the suggested price for a valid license. This is a one-time purchase, no subscription.
