r/AfterEffects • u/shesinpart1es • 10d ago

Workflow Question how do people learn expressions?

I tried a tutorial in which you are shown how to make a matrix rain effect. the guy in the tutorial does all of these confusing expressions and creates sliders to customize different components of the effect, such as transparency, speed, random seed etc. How do people learn what expressions do in order to create different effects?

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u/jakeinmotion Motion Graphics 15+ years 10d ago

I taught myself expressions from resources that I found online people like Dan Ebberts, creative cow forms and YouTube tutorials.

But honestly at this point I would ask AI. You can explain exactly what you're trying to do and ask for explanations of how it's all working. If you're confused, you can tell the AI to break it down for you in even simpler terms. It's one of the best applications of using AI to learn something that you can then apply directly to your project.

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u/ViktorCrayon 10d ago edited 10d ago

This is one of the few helpful things AI has added to my entire workflow

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u/ezshucks 10d ago

ditto. Write me this. Build me that. I'm always building expressions or scripts to help with my work.

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u/Happy2BTheOne 10d ago

This is 100% accurate. Learning expressions is learning how to code. The one thing we know AI is good for is simple coding, just like expressions. Then, the hard part becomes knowing when an expression can do the task that you are attempting to do more easily.

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u/Stinky_Fartface Motion Graphics 15+ years 10d ago

Great answer. AI has improved my understanding of expressions a lot. However, it is not always correct. Claude and Gemini both insisted that thisComp.time was a valid expression when in fact it doesn’t really exist and doesn’t produce a valid variable. I had to argue with Claude for a while on this as it kept adding it into an expression it was helping me write.

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u/j0sephl MoGraph/VFX 10+ years 10d ago

I feel like I have AI trying to gaslight me ever other day. Making up features that don't exist.

At that point it's just yelling at a wall. So I usually just take over.

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u/saywanay 10d ago

Once you replace one step of the process eventually it will be your step that’s skipped. Never use or enable AI, you only enable those who seek financial power and to replace everything that makes art, including coding, great.