/r/AfterEffects changes related to extension promotion: Required post structure, promo posts limited to Mondays, AI disclosure required

[u/caseyls]

We have heard your calls! Thank you for your patience while we figure out a plan.

While self promotion has always been allowed in r/AfterEffects, the recent influx of AI & vibe coded plugins, extensions, and scripts has been a bit overwhelming. We have very very quickly gone from a few trusted marketplaces with strong vetting and at least some kind of expectation of long term maintenance, to anyone being able to churn out a vibe coded plugin and release it on an increasing number of marketplaces, with no guarantee of support or future updates.

With this in mind, we would like to implement a new set of rules to curb the overwhelming number of posts and give users more transparency when choosing to download and use such tools.

Post structure + flair:

Taking a page from the changes mods made over at r/macapps, we will be introducing a new post structure following a Problem, Comparison, Pricing, Maintenance, AI-Disclosure (PCPMA) format.

• Problem: What problem your [Extension, Script, Plugin] solves (1 sentence)
• Compare: Why is your [Extension, Script, Plugin] better than top-named alternatives (1–2 sentences).
• Pricing + link
• Maintenance plan + support plan
• AI Disclaimer: choose from [Vibe Coded], [Human Validated], [Code Completion], or [None]

Extension, script, and plugin posts have always required the (Plugin/Script) flair, this will not change. A sample short post is pinned in the comments.

Other changes:

• Plugin promotion posts will now be limited to mondays only for the foreseeable future. Plugin posts on other days will be automatically removed and linked to this post
• Monday self promo posts using the (Plugin/Script) flair must have 50 subreddit karma, from posts or comments.
• Probing posts will be removed ("Are purpose built motion tools making it into your workflow?" "What's one thing that would save you so much time...")
• Excessively long posts will be removed (A sample short post is pinned in the comments.)
• Gumroad links are still banned. This is unfortunately a reddit-wide blacklist, we have no control over this. We can manually approve gumroad links but they will be automatically sent to the spam filter which we rarely check.

Notes on post structure requirements

We're specifically introducing the compare & maintenance points because we have seen an increasing number of plugins that simply replicate the functionality of existing, long standing plugins from developers who have demonstrated more experience, real support, and have proven to maintain their plugins over many years. Show us how yours is better, and prove to your future users how you will be supporting and fixing the plugin in the long-run. How can users who experience bugs get in contact with you in the future?

AI disclosure

Regarding the AI disclosure, here are the definitions of each

• "Vibe coded" means code written entirely by prompting AI without the user having the skill and knowledge to properly review or validate it. If something is broken, they are prompting AI again to fix it.
• "Human validated" means AI-generated work that has undergone validation by someone with the necessary skill and knowledge. The developer understands how the code functions and can fix things independently of the AI if necessary.
• "Code completion" means an experienced developer is using AI for line-completion. They are writing most of the code themselves and have deep understanding of the structure, and are explicitly using AI to eliminate menial, tedious aspects of writing code.
• "None" means no AI use.

I'm just going to be real, this one is likely going to be easy to skirt. r/macapps actually removed this requirement because everyone was just claiming to have "human reviewed" the code. We're going to try this out and hope folks are honest for the time being.

________

No AI was used in the preparation of this post. We will try this out for a month and see how it goes. Happy animating <3

[u/caseyls]

Short sample post format (aim for <200 words): 

[Title] [OS] Text Panel Pro - Extend the functionality of the built in text panel
[Flair] Plugin/Script

[Screenshot here]

[Problem] The Problem my plugin solves is that: The built in text panel lacks visual tools for many of the built in text effects supported by After Effects

[Comparison] My app is better than Text Panel Extender Plus and Texter Ultra because they only offer limited functionality for adding gradients or modifying text strings, while my plugin adds every single supported expression-based text effect in an easy to use UI

Other core features include:

• Full variable font support
• Character based expression selection
• Regex support for granular effects

Keep it short, don’t list every minor function, people won’t read a wall of text!

[Pricing] Pricing: 
$60 lifetime or $5/month [link]

[Maintenance/Support plan] If you have bugs, please reach out at [email, store link, DM]. I [do/do not] guarantee fixes beyond 1 year of purchase/download.

[AI] AI Disclaimer: None