Wiggle Expression in After Effects

Denys Bondartsov

Motion Designer & Tutor

As you may know, wiggle expression is the most popular in after effects. But there are some features that you may never know. Find out what’s exciting wiggle expression prepared for you.

How to use wiggle expression in after effects

The wiggle expression in Adobe After Effects is a powerful tool that allows you to create random movement or animation in your compositions. It can be applied to various properties such as position, rotation, scale, opacity, and more. Here’s how you can use the wiggle expression in After Effects:

1. Select the layer or property you want to apply the wiggle expression to.
2. Press the “P” key to reveal the position property, or use the appropriate keyboard shortcut for the property you want to apply the expression to.
3. Option 1: Apply the expression directly:
   • Hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Mac) and click on the stopwatch icon next to the property you want to apply the expression to. This will open the Expression Editor.
   • In the Expression Editor, type the following code: wiggle(frequency, amplitude);
   • Replace “frequency” with a number that represents how many times per second you want the property to wiggle. For example, if you want it to wiggle three times per second, use 3.
   • Replace “amplitude” with a number that represents how much you want the property to move or change. For example, if you want it to move by 50 pixels, use 50.
   • Press the Enter key to apply the expression.
   Option 2: Apply the expression using the pick whip:
   • Hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Mac) and click on the stopwatch icon next to the property you want to apply the expression to. This will open the Expression Editor.
   • Move your cursor to the timeline panel and click and drag the pick whip (the spiral icon) to the position property of a null object or another layer that you want to control the wiggle.
   • After releasing the pick whip, add wiggle(frequency, amplitude); to the end of the expression.
4. Adjust the frequency and amplitude values to achieve the desired effect. You can experiment with different values until you get the motion or animation you want.
5. Preview the animation by pressing the Spacebar or using the RAM Preview option (Ctrl/Cmd + 0).

By using the wiggle expression, you can add organic, natural-looking movement to your compositions and save time compared to manually keyframing animations. Remember to customize the frequency and amplitude values to suit your specific needs.