What It Does
Squash & Stretch Pro lets you apply professionally animated behaviors to layers and text in After Effects without keyframing manually. Select a behavior from the built-in gallery (bounces, jumps, slides, etc.), click apply, and the plugin generates editable keyframes, matching sound effects, and auto-adjusted deformation using Bézier Warp. Everything stays as standard keyframes, not expressions, so you keep full control over the final result.
Version 2 adds multi-behavior randomness (apply different behaviors across multiple layers or text characters at once), improved text handling, and an expanded library that now includes 171 handcrafted behaviors.
Key Features
171 handcrafted behaviors. Version 2 ships with nearly triple the library of V1, covering bounces, slides, jumps, spins, glitches, and more. Every behavior is designed by professional animators for a natural feel.
Smart adaptation to existing animation. The plugin analyzes your layer’s size, position, and any existing keyframes, then adjusts timing and intensity to blend the behavior naturally into your comp. No manual tweaking required in most cases.
Built-in sound effects library. Many behaviors include matching sound effects (349 total in the Pro version). Apply them automatically with the animation or use them separately as stock audio. Free version includes 135 sounds.
Text Exploder. Split text into characters, words, or lines and apply behaviors per-element. V2 preserves per-character styling (fonts, colors) and lets you randomize animations across text with a single click.
Manual controls. Four sliders control the animation style: Oomph adjusts speed and distance, Squash & Stretch controls deformation intensity, Flip mirrors the motion, Rotate adds spin. Simple adjustments, immediate visual feedback.
Multi-behavior randomness (new in V2). Select multiple behaviors and apply them all at once. The plugin randomly assigns one behavior per layer (or per character/word in text), creating varied animations in one step instead of manually applying each.
Workflow tools. Built-in utilities include Transitions (crossfade or swap behaviors), Stagger Layers (offset animation timing), Precompose & Crop (auto-crop precomps to layer bounds), and Create Parent Null (add control nulls for grouped movement).
Extendable with bundles. Separate add-on packs available (Cartoon Bundle, Broadcast Bundle, Glitch Bundle) add more behaviors and sounds. V1 bundles work in V2 without repurchasing.
Who It’s For
Motion designers animating UI, titles, logo reveals, or any repetitive keyframe work. Useful for creating varied motion across multiple elements (social media packs, title sequences, broadcast graphics) where manual keyframing would be tedious. Text animators benefit from the character-level randomization.
Pricing
Squash & Stretch Pro: $99.99 one-time purchase. Includes 171 behaviors, 349 sound effects, all workflow tools, and support for add-on bundles.
Free version available: Squash & Stretch Free includes 40 behaviors and 135 sound effects. Lacks manual controls, gallery, text exploder, and workflow tools, but lets you test the core concept.
Upgrade pricing: If you bought V1 after July 1, 2025, the V2 upgrade is free. Earlier purchases get V2 for $39.99 (upgrade discount auto-applies at checkout when logged in).
Add-on bundles (Pro only):
- Glitch Bundle: Free, 18 behaviors with 69 variations, 53 sounds
- Cartoon Bundle: $19.99, 37 behaviors, 242 sounds
- Broadcast Bundle: $39.99, 130 behaviors, 208 sounds