ReelSmart has scoured motion design blogs, forums, and channels across the far-flung corners of the internet to bring you an array of creative and powerful custom After Effects expressions in one convenient, alphabetical index. To the best of our knowledge this is the only alphabetically indexed expressions library out there, and the only one where widely-used classics and hidden gems from noted designers like Dan Ebberts and Rick Gerrard are archived side by side with anonymous contributions for the sake of posterity.

To make the library as accessible as possible, we’ve titled each entry in the index with an everyday term or phrase that sums up what effect the expression achieves: e.g. bounce, overshoot, dangling object, etc.

When expanded, each entry in the library contains a one or two sentence description of what the expression does and the custom code (or the basic syntax in the case of the few elemental expressions). Because the entries don’t provide walkthroughs on how to actually apply and use the expressions, they also include links to relevant tutorials and educational resources.

If you open the expressions language menu on an AE layer or effect property, you’ll find a list of submenus containing bits of expressions syntax. These bits of expressions language like linear(), valueAtTime(t), are often referred to as expressions, but they might more accurately be called “expression elements” – or the basic building blocks designers use along with Java Script elements and operators to construct more complex custom expressions. With a few exceptions, this catalog only deals with the more complex custom expressions that are ready to plug and play with minor tweaks. 

If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to all the expression elements listed in the AE expressions menu, we recommend checking out the After Effects Expressions Reference Guide.

Where the author of an expression is known, we give credit where it’s due. In some cases, the authors are unknown, but I will still provide a link to the forum, document, or site where I found them.

The library’s collection is a work in progress that relies on submissions from the AE designer community to grow. We welcome users to submit suggestions for additions. 

If you would like to submit an expression for consideration, please use the submission button below this accordion. We also welcome suggestions for additional relevant tutorials or resources to link to under each entry, as well as suggestions for clarifications or corrections.