Find, compare, and batch-edit effect parameters in Adobe After Effects.
I developed FXHX (FX Exchanger) as a panel for After Effects on Windows, built with ExtendScript and ScriptUI. You select the effect instances you want to change, review their current values, and prepare several edits to apply in one batch.
Choose a scope and use Search or Scan to find the effects. Select the instances you want, using Ctrl to toggle individual ones and Shift to select a range, then open Edit Parameters. There you can search for parameters and enter only the values you want to change. Before anything is applied, the editor shows the previous values, the pending changes, and the targets, so you confirm the whole batch at once.
When the selected effects have different values, the editor shows Mixed Values and lists each previous value with the number of effects that use it. For example, 200 (1 effect) and 100 (1 effect) can both become 150. Every pending change must cover all selected effects. When it can’t, Apply is disabled and the editor explains why.
Available features include:
- Search and scan to find effects within the scope you choose.
- Batch editing of only the parameters you enter, applied to every selected effect at once.
- Mixed Values reporting, so you can see what is about to be replaced.
- Comparison and copying of settings, including selected static parameters.
- Presets and toggles to save presets for an individual effect and to enable or disable selected effects.
- Protected keyframes and expressions. Keyframes are preserved by default, and you can remove them from a parameter by choosing Remove keyframes and confirming. Expressions and unsupported controls stay protected.
To install it, download the latest release from GitHub, extract FX Exchanger.jsx from the ZIP, and copy it to the Scripts/ScriptUI Panels folder in your After Effects installation. Then open the panel from the Window menu. If you download the JSX file on its own, GitHub names it FX.Exchanger.jsx, so rename it to FX Exchanger.jsx before installing. You don’t need Node.js or npm to use the panel, and the installed version is shown under Help.
Under Help, Check for updates looks at the latest stable release in the repository. It runs only when you ask, sends no project data, and never installs anything automatically.
This is the first public release, version 0.1.15, with 253 passing automated tests. Visual and functional validation inside After Effects is still pending. If a host API failure interrupts an operation, some changes may already have been applied, so review Results before repeating it. The panel doesn’t retry uncertain writes automatically, and compatibility with private third-party plugin controls depends on what each effect exposes.
FXHX is free and was developed by Juliano Oliveira / DATACG.
