Video tutorial
How to install Speed
Step 1 - Install script
Move the Speed.jsxbin file to the After Effects Scripts UI Panels folder.
After Effects (2023) > Scripts > Script UI Panels
Step 2 - Allow scripts
In After Effects, make sure “Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network” is on.
Preferences > Scripting & Expressions > “Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network”
Step 3 - Open Speed
In After Effects, open the Speed script.
Window > Speed.jsxbin
Step 4 - Activate license
Upon purchase of Speed, you will receive a license code.
You can retrieve your license code from your Gumroad account.
Step 5 - Dock Speed panel
Now you can dock Speed anywhere in your workspace. Speed features a responsive layout, to help it fit any workspace.
Speed Controls
Speed lets you adjust the speed of anything within After Effects. You can warp any selection of layers, keyframes, or an entire comp at once.
Slider
Speed is controlled with a slider a the center of the panel.
Amount indicator
As you drag the slider, you will see the amount in real time in the upper left. You can use the dropdown menu here to change between frames, seconds, length %, and speed %.
Time indicator
As you drag the slider, you will also see a time preview in real time in the upper center. This will show the current length of the selection and what the length will become once the warp takes place.
Slider range
On each side of the slider you will see the minimum and maximum range. You can increase or decrease the range using the + and - buttons in the upper right.
Auto warp
When the auto warp toggle is turned on, the script will automatically execute as soon as you release the slider. This option also includes a live preview in the timeline of the comp to help visualize the change before it is made.
After you perform a speed warp, the slider will automatically snap back to its neutral position.
Manual warp
The warp button can be used when the auto warp toggle is turned off. This will warp your selection whatever amount you have the slider set to.
Reverse
The reverse button can be used to reverse the speed of your selection 100%.
Note: Reverse ignores the slider.
Direction
The direction button lets you specify the direction you would like to extend or retract your selection. You can choose to the right, from the middle, or to the left.
Snap to frame
When the snap to frame toggle is turned on, the in/out points and keyframes of your selection will automatically snap to the nearest frame.
Note: This can cause certain keyframes to disappear if they are too close together. You can also snap everything to the nearest keyframe, without warping the speed, by pressing the warp button when the slider is at a neutral position.
Nudge
When the nudge toggle is turned on, other layers or keyframes outside of your selection will automatically shift based on the speed warp, without warping themselves.
Note: This is dictated by the direction selected. When warping an entire comp, this has no effect.
Adjust duration
When the adjust duration toggle is turned on, the comp duration will automatically update as layers are warped. If you are warping a keyframe selection, this toggle will instead affect the duration of the keyframe’s layer.
Note: When warping a pre-comp (with adjust contents selected), the duration of the pre-comp will automatically be adjusted whether or not this is toggled on.
Settings
The settings button will open a separate panel with additional settings.
Preview
This lets you specify how you would like to preview the warp within the timeline.
Current time indicator - The CTI will automatically scrub to the end of wherever your warp will end up. This is the default option since it is safe, fast, and reliable. Main downside is that it does not show both sides of the warp.
Preview layer - This will create a temporary shape layer that shows you the in/out points of wherever your warp will end up. Once you let go of the slider, the preview layer is automatically remove and the selection is warped. This provides a great visual reference, but will add a lot of actions to your history panel, making it hard to undo changes.
Preview layer (beta) - This creates the same temporary shape layer, but (sometimes) makes it easier to undo the entire warp action. However it comes with the following warning when you undo: After Effects warning: Undo group mismatch, will attempt to fix.
None - No preview other than the indicators in the panel.
Layers
Choose how you want to process layer selections.
Adjust timing - This is the default. This will manipulate the actual in/out point and keyframes.
Time stretch - This will adjust After Effects’ native time stretch property.
Pre-comps
Choose how you want to process pre-comps (layers that are comps).
Adjust contents - This is the default. This will go inside of the comp and adjust the layers as well as that comp’s duration. If the pre-comp has pre-comps it will just keep going deeper and continue to adjust what’s inside. If you are using the same pre-comp multiple times, it will only adjust the contents once per main comp.
Time stretch - This will adjust After Effects’ native time stretch property.
Time remap - This will add time remap keys to the layer, and manipulate the actual in/out points and keyframes.
Shift - This will just move the layer instead of adjusting it. By default it will adjust based on the in point, but if there is a marker it will based the adjustment on that.
Footage
Time stretch - This is the default. This will adjust After Effects’ native time stretch property.
Time remap - This will add time remap keys to the layer, and manipulate the actual in/out points and keyframes.
Shift - This will just move the layer instead of adjusting it. By default it will adjust based on the in point, but if there is a marker it will based the adjustment on that.
Audio
Time stretch - This will adjust After Effects’ native time stretch property.
Time remap - This will add time remap keys to the layer, and manipulate the actual in/out points and keyframes.
Shift - This is the default. This will just move the layer instead of adjusting it. By default it will adjust based on the in point, but if there is a marker it will based the adjustment on that.
Smart reverse
When toggled on, it will shift keyframes by one frame if necessary. For example, when a keyframe is on the out point of a layer it is not actually visible. Therefore when it is reversed, it will start one frame before the in point so that it is still not visible.
This will also add extra hold keyframes if necessary to properly reverse the existing animation.
