Effects

Apply native After Effects effects to layers with static or animated properties.

Schema

Property	Type	Required	Description
name	string	yes	Effect display name
matchName	string	no	AE internal match name
enabled	boolean	no	Enable/disable (default: true)
properties	object	no	Property values
expressions	object	no	Property expressions

Basic usage

layers:
  - name: blurred background
    type: solid
    color: 1a1a2e
    effects:
      - name: Gaussian Blur
        properties:
          Blurriness: 20

Using matchName

For portability across languages, use matchName:

effects:
  - name: Gaussian Blur
    matchName: ADBE Gaussian Blur 2
    properties:
      Blurriness: 20

The matchName is AE's internal identifier that stays consistent regardless of UI language.

Finding matchNames

You can find effect matchNames in the After Effects Scripting Guide or by examining exported YAML from Compdown.

Property value types

Type	Example	Description
number	10	Scalar value
boolean	true	Checkbox (1/0)
array	[960, 540]	Point, color, etc.
keyframe array	[{time: 0, value: 10}, ...]	Animated

Animating properties

Use keyframe arrays for animated effect properties:

effects:
  - name: CC Radial Fast Blur
    properties:
      Amount:
        - time: 0
          value: 0
        - time: 1
          value: 100
        - time: 2
          value: 0
      Center:
        - time: 0
          value: [960, 540]
        - time: 2
          value: [0, 0]

Disabling effects

Set enabled: false to add an effect but keep it disabled:

effects:
  - name: Glow
    enabled: false
    properties:
      Glow Radius: 50

Multiple effects

Effects are applied in order (top to bottom):

effects:
  - name: Curves
    matchName: ADBE CurvesCustom

  - name: Gaussian Blur
    properties:
      Blurriness: 5

  - name: Glow
    properties:
      Glow Threshold: 60
      Glow Radius: 25

Expressions on effect properties

Add expressions to effect properties:

effects:
  - name: Gaussian Blur
    properties:
      Blurriness: 10
    expressions:
      Blurriness: "wiggle(2, 5)"

Common effects reference

Gaussian Blur

- name: Gaussian Blur
  matchName: ADBE Gaussian Blur 2
  properties:
    Blurriness: 20
    Repeat Edge Pixels: true

Drop Shadow

- name: Drop Shadow
  matchName: ADBE Drop Shadow
  properties:
    Opacity: 75
    Direction: 135
    Distance: 10
    Softness: 15

Glow

- name: Glow
  matchName: ADBE Glo2
  properties:
    Glow Threshold: 60
    Glow Radius: 25
    Glow Intensity: 1

Fill

- name: Fill
  matchName: ADBE Fill
  properties:
    Color: [1, 0, 0]  # RGB 0-1 range

Tint

- name: Tint
  matchName: ADBE Tint
  properties:
    Map Black To: [0, 0, 0]
    Map White To: [1, 1, 1]
    Amount to Tint: 100

Complete example

layers:
  - name: Styled Element
    type: solid
    color: 3498db
    width: 400
    height: 400
    effects:
      - name: Gaussian Blur
        matchName: ADBE Gaussian Blur 2
        properties:
          Blurriness:
            - time: 0
              value: 0
            - time: 1
              value: 20
            - time: 2
              value: 0

      - name: Drop Shadow
        properties:
          Opacity: 50
          Distance: 20
          Softness: 30

      - name: Glow
        enabled: false
        properties:
          Glow Radius: 50