Adobe After Effects is a powerful video editing & effects application. It includes a code expression engine, allowing you to write scripts to automate mundane and complex tasks. Discover how to use After Effects Expressions to quickly & easily create a countdown timer video.
How to Create a After Effects Expression
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Countdown Timer is an easy to use After Effects template where you can quickly create a timer of any duration. Also you can add a logo, your company name, or both. Select the timer format you need (days / hours / minutes / seconds, or hours / minutes / seconds, or minutes / seconds) and easily add an animated timer to your next video. VDODNA is a free knowledge-base for advanced and professional visual effects techniques in After Effects and 3D Softwares. VDODNA offers Free After Effects Tutorials, downloadable footage for commercial use and more. Use the techniques you learn on VDODNA to speed up your workflow and take your visual effects and animation skills to new heights. Moving our clocks in either direction changes the principal time cue - light- for setting and resetting our 24-hour natural cycle, or circadian rhythm. In doing so, our internal clock becomes.
- Create a new After Effects composition, matching the exact duration of your countdown timer
- Create an empty text layer
- Expand the ‘Text’ options
- Hold down the ‘Alt’ key, and click on the stopwatch next to the ‘Text Source’ property
- Paste your expression code (seen below) into the code editor area
That’s it! You’re done! Scrub the playhead across the composition, and see your lovely countdown.
Expression Code: 60 Seconds
Expression Code: 5 Minutes
Clock After Effects Expression
After Effects Clock Timer
Fonts
When creating a countdown, you may notice the numbers jumping around. You can try and avoid this by adjusting your text alignment. However, the best way to keep the numbers is a consistent position is to use a monospace font.
Animated Clock After Effects
One reasonable monospace font is CMG Sans Mono Digits. This font, based on Montserrat has been specifically designed to make it easier to create church countdowns.