Claude and After Effects
There are two ways to bring Claude into an After Effects workflow: as a coding assistant inside AE, or as a replacement for the parts of AE that are repetitive. This page covers both, honestly.
Can Claude use After Effects?
Claude cannot operate After Effects directly, but it writes AE expressions and ExtendScript very well, which you paste into your project. If you would rather skip the timeline entirely, Claude Video lets Claude direct a motion engine that renders the finished video with no After Effects needed.
How it works
From prompt to finished video.
- 01
Describe it or paste a URL
Tell Claude what the video is for, or paste your site so it can read the product, grab screenshots and detect your brand colors.
- 02
Claude directs
Claude writes a storyboard: scenes, copy, timing, easing, camera moves and transitions, as structured data you can edit.
- 03
The engine animates
Kinetik renders it frame by frame in React and headless Chrome: springs, motion blur, 3D, particles and physics, with music cut to the beat.
- 04
Refine and export
Change anything by hand or in plain English, then export an MP4 in 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1, up to 4K at 60 fps.
What you get
Where Claude fits in an AE workflow.
- 01
Expressions on demand
Ask Claude for a wiggle that settles, an inertial bounce, a counter tied to a slider or a loop. Paste it on the property.
- 02
ExtendScript automation
Batch-rename layers, build comps from a CSV, swap text across versions: Claude writes the script, you run it from File → Scripts.
- 03
Lottie bridge
Export an animation from After Effects with Bodymovin and use it inside a Claude Video; it plays frame-accurately.
- 04
Or skip the timeline
For product videos and ads, Claude Video produces the whole film from a URL, so AE stays for bespoke brand work.
Prompts to try
Just ask.
- › Write an After Effects expression for a scale bounce with overshoot that settles after 0.6 seconds.
- › Write an ExtendScript that creates one comp per row of this CSV and fills the title layer.
- › Skip AE: make a 30-second launch film for acme.app in the Apple keynote style.
Prefer to work inside Claude? Add our MCP server:
{
"mcpServers": {
"claude-video": {
"url": "https://claudevideo.io/api/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer cv_live_…" }
}
}
}Compare models
Which Claude model should direct your video?
| Model | Role in Claude Video | Best for | Speed | Context | API price / 1M tok |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 5.5 claude-opus-5-5 | Default AI director | Launch films, product videos, multi-scene storyboards | Balanced | 1M tokens | $4 / $20 |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 claude-sonnet-5-5 | Fast director for high volume | Social ads, hook variations, changelog videos at volume | Fast | 1M tokens | $2 / $10 |
| Claude Fable 5.1 claude-fable-5-1 | Premium director for hard briefs | Complex narratives, long explainers, custom React scenes | Deliberate | 1M tokens | $10 / $50 |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 claude-haiku-4-5 | Lightweight director for quick edits | Quick copy edits, captions, short teasers | Fastest | 200K tokens | $1 / $5 |
Anthropic API list prices (input / output) and context windows as of October 2026. Your Claude Video plan price does not change with the model.
Claude and After Effects and video: FAQ
Can Claude open or edit .aep files?
No. Claude does not operate After Effects. It writes expressions and scripts you run in AE, and Claude Video does not export After Effects projects.
Is Claude good at After Effects expressions?
Yes. Expressions are JavaScript, a language Claude writes well. Describe the behavior, the property and the layer setup for the best results.
Can I bring After Effects animations into Claude Video?
Yes, through Lottie. Export it with Bodymovin and the Lottie scene plays it frame by frame inside your video.
When should I still use After Effects?
For bespoke illustration, character work, compositing live footage and one-of-a-kind brand films. For SaaS launch films, demos and ads, Claude Video is much faster.
Is Claude Video affiliated with Adobe or Anthropic?
No. After Effects is a trademark of Adobe and Claude is a trademark of Anthropic. Claude Video is independent.
Keep exploring
More on Claude and motion design.
Claude Video is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic PBC. “Claude” is a trademark of Anthropic PBC. Model facts as of October 2026.
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