COMP-O-RAMA User Guide
User Guide
Batch create and bulk edit compositions.
v1.2.0What's New in v1.2
Map CSV columns to text and footage layers in a master comp, and every duplicate is filled from its row. One master + one CSV = every variant populated, in one undo step. Everything from v1.1 (render audit, multi-output, bundles, computed Smart Naming, matrix preview) is still here in its own section.
Fill from CSV
Select master comps on the Project tab, load a CSV file or paste rows, and create one filled duplicate per row per master. Runs land in their own dated folder; source masters are never changed.
Column mapping
Each column targets a root text layer, a footage layer, or Ignore (naming only). Columns auto-match layers by name, and Save Mapping remembers the setup per project, master, and header set.
Footage by path
Absolute paths or paths relative to your saved .aep. Each unique file is imported once per run.
Validation first
Missing layers, missing files, duplicate targets, and blank required cells show per row in the preview. Nothing is created while a row blocks.
Row report
Green, yellow, and red rows in CSV order with the comp name, fill count, and folder. Export CSV writes the report to Downloads. Runs above 100 outputs ask first, capped at 1,000.
Windows drive-letter and network path validation is corrected. Clearer CSV mapping, expandable long values and common-variable grouping improve readability. Windows host testing remains outstanding.
Installation & Setup
COMP-O-RAMA batch-creates After Effects compositions. Instead of clicking through the New Composition dialog over and over, you queue up everything you need and create it all in one click.
Includes 30 built-in presets across 6 categories, covering pretty much every format you'll run into.
Requirements
- After Effects 2022 or later
- macOS or Windows
Installation
Launch
Window > Extensions > COMP-O-RAMA. Dock it anywhere in your workspace or keep it floating.
Tested on AE 2024 (24.3) and AE 2026 on macOS. AE 2025, AE 2022–2023, and Windows were not tested for this release.
Quick Start
Let's say you need 20 Instagram Square comps. Here's the whole process:
20That's it. 20 perfectly named comps (Instagram_Square_001, 002, 003...) now live in your project. If something's off, undo reverses the entire batch in one step.
Power Moves
Mix Formats
Add multiple presets to one queue. 10 Instagram Square + 5 YouTube + 3 TikTok, all created at once.
Save Templates
Got a deliverable package you use every week? Save it as a queue template and reload it with one click.
Custom Naming
Set up patterns like ClientName_{preset}_{index}. Never name a comp manually again.
Folders
Add folders to your queue so comps get organized into the right places automatically.
Features
Queue Tab
This is where you build your batch. Add presets, set quantities, organize into folders by dragging. When everything looks right, hit Create Queue and let it rip.
Queue Templates
Save entire queue setups for recurring projects. One click to reload next time.
Drag to Organize
Drop onto a folder to nest. Drop in empty space to un-nest. Multi-select moves the whole batch in one undo.
Bulk Edit
Select multiple items (Shift+Click) and change their settings all at once.
Search & Filter
Type in the search bar to find queue items by name. Stays clean even with large batches.
Folders
Organize queue items into folders. Keep social cuts separate from broadcast deliverables.
Context Menu
Right-click or use the More button for additional actions on any item.
Tab Menu (Kebab)
Top-right of every tab — Select all, Clear selection, Expand/Collapse all folders. Queue tab adds Clear queue; Presets tab adds a Show Recently Used toggle.
Presets Tab
30 built-in presets across 6 categories, covering pretty much every format you'll run into. And if something's missing, create your own.
Working with Presets
Favorites
Star any preset to pin it to the top. Click the star icon to mark or unmark a favorite.
Search
Type in the search bar to filter presets by name instantly.
Sort
Sort by name, category, width, height, fps, or arrange them manually.
Hover Previews
Hover over any preset to see its full dimensions, frame rate, and duration.
Recently Used
Your last-used presets appear at the top of the list for fast repeat jobs.
My Presets
Click New Preset to set dimensions, fps, duration, and color — or use Match Current Comp. Your saved presets land in the My Presets folder, pinned at the top of the list.
Project Tab
A quick way to manage comps that already exist in your project:
- Batch rename multiple comps
- Duplicate comps
- Create project folders
- Search and filter by name
Fill from CSV (v1.2)
Duplicate from List names each copy from your CSV. Fill from CSV goes one step further: it also fills the text and footage layers inside each copy from that row. Select one or more master comps in the Project tab, press the Fill from CSV button (the spreadsheet icon), and load a CSV file or paste rows.
Map columns
Each CSV column picks a target in the master: a root text layer (sets its text), a footage layer (swaps its source to the file at that row's path), or Ignore (naming tokens only). Columns auto-match layers with the same name.
Footage paths
Absolute paths, or paths relative to your saved .aep. Each unique file is imported once per run into the run folder.
Save Mapping
Remembers the setup for that project, master, and header set, and reloads it the next time you run the same CSV shape.
Validation before create
Missing layers, missing files, duplicate targets, and blank required cells show per row in the preview. A blank optional cell warns (text is cleared, footage is left unchanged). Nothing is created while a row blocks.
Result report
Green, yellow, and red rows in CSV order with the comp name, fill count, and run folder. Export CSV writes the report to Downloads.
Scale and safety
Runs above 100 outputs ask first and cap at 1,000. Source masters are never changed, and one AE undo removes the whole run, folder and imports included.
CSV support
UTF-8 (with or without BOM), comma, tab, and semicolon delimiters, quoted commas and newlines. UTF-16 files are refused with a clear message.
Add to Render Queue (v1.1)
The render side of v1.1. Open Add to Render Queue from the Queue tab to configure outputs, audit them, and hand a clean batch to AE.
Render queue audit
Five error classes get caught before anything reaches AE, each with a one-click fix: filename collision in the batch, file already on disk, folder missing or unwritable, output module not installed, and a sequence template missing [####].
Multi-output per comp
Click + Add output to attach PNG + MP4 + ProRes (or any installed output modules) to the same comp. One queue item, multiple deliverables, all sharing the Smart Naming pattern — or override per output with the Link toggle.
Render preset bundles
Save the current outputs as a named bundle ("Social deliverables", "Client review"). Apply in one click later. Bundles can be global or scoped to a specific .aep, and are managed — rename, delete, scope-toggle — from the bundle popover's Manage bundles… entry.
Per-project defaults
Tick Use as default for this project and the whole outputs configuration auto-loads next time you open Add to Render Queue in the same .aep.
Per-template aliases
Rename any AE output module for display (e.g. ProRes 4444 → "Master"). Bundles still store the canonical AE template name, so they travel cleanly between machines.
Matrix preview
Toggle List ↔ Matrix in the queue preview. Matrix shows comps as rows, outputs as columns, a status dot + resolved filename per cell, with a sticky comp-name column at narrow widths.
AE Render Queue management
From the Project tab, remove COMP-O-RAMA-tagged queue items or reveal their output folder in Finder without leaving the panel. Each item carries a short [COR-XXXXXX] marker, so the panel only ever touches its own work.
Smart Naming
By default, comps are named using the pattern {preset}_{index}, which gives you names like "Instagram_Square_001". But you can build whatever pattern you want.
Available Tokens
{preset}— The preset name{index}— Auto-incrementing number{amount}— Total quantity in the batch- Custom tokens — Define your own for project-specific patterns
Example Patterns
ClientName_{preset}_{index}2026_Campaign_{index}_{preset}{preset}_Final_{index}Batch{amount}_{preset}_{index}
Computed / formula tokens (v1.1)
Smart Naming patterns now do math and string filters. Compose any token with operators or pipes:
- Math:
{width/2},{height-50},{width+100*2}— PEMDAS-correct precedence (`+`, `-`, `*`, `/`) - Filters:
{project|upper},{comp-name|truncate:8},{index|pad:4},{project|slug}— available:upper,lower,round,floor,ceil,truncate:N,pad:N,trim,slug - Chainable:
{height/2|round}— math first, then filter - Composite:
{comp-name|upper}_{width/2}x{height/2}resolves to e.g.HEROPROMO_960x540 - Fails open: a broken expression (e.g. `{height/0}`) stays as a literal you can debug — nothing else in the pattern breaks
Naming Options
- Zero-Padding: Control digit count (01 vs 001 vs 0001)
- Index Start Number: Begin numbering from any value
- Global Prefix/Suffix: Prepend or append text to every comp name
- Number Single Items: Choose whether solo comps get an index
- Fill Gaps in Sequence: Reuse skipped numbers instead of always incrementing
More Features
Smart Replace
Changed your mind about a format? Swap a preset in your queue without losing the quantity or other settings.
Bulk Update
Select multiple queue items and change their settings all at once. No clicking through them one by one.
Group Resize
Need to resize a batch of existing comps? Select them and change dimensions together.
Export to CSV
Export your queue data for documentation, client reports, or keeping a record of what you created.
Import Presets
Share presets between projects and team members. Export from one machine, import on another.
Settings
Hit the gear icon in the bottom-right corner to customize how COMP-O-RAMA works.
- Show Toasts — Display notification messages for actions (default: on)
- Show Tooltips — Display helpful tooltips on hover (default: on)
- Auto-Refresh Project — Keep the project browser in sync with After Effects (default: on)
- Auto-Save Interval — How often settings and queue data are saved (default: 5 minutes)
- Show Hover Previews — Display preset specs on hover (default: on)
- Show Recently Used — Display recently used presets at the top (default: on)
- Show Hidden Folders — Reveal preset folders you've hidden via right-click (default: off)
- Default Quantity — Starting quantity when adding presets (default: 1)
- Default Destination Folder — Auto-assign new comps to a project folder (default: none)
Common Questions
Good to Know
Quick scope clarification before you dig in:
What it does
Creates standard After Effects compositions in batch. You pick presets (resolution, frame rate, duration), build a queue, and hit Create. Everything is named and organized automatically.
What it doesn't do
It doesn't create design templates with layers, effects, or animations. It creates blank compositions to the exact specs you need — the starting point for your work, not a template marketplace.
Presets vs. templates
Presets define technical specs (1080×1920, 30fps, 15s). They're not visual templates. Think of them as saved "New Composition" dialogs you never have to fill in again.
Custom presets are local
Your custom presets live on your machine. To move them to another machine, use the Export/Import feature in the panel.
Troubleshooting
FAQ
Licensing & Activation
One licence covers one machine. Activate when you install, deactivate when you move. That's the whole model.
Activating
When you first open COMP-O-RAMA, paste your licence key into the activation screen. Your key arrives via email right after purchase. Activation requires an internet connection — after that, the plugin works offline.
Moving to a New Machine
You can also deactivate from account.jonhanlan.me — log in, find your licence, click Manage, then Deactivate next to the machine you want to free up. Handy if the old machine isn't reachable.
Lost Access to Your Old Machine?
If the computer broke, was wiped, or you just can't get to it, email hello@jonhanlan.me and it gets reset manually. No hassle.
Lost Your Licence Key?
Log into account.jonhanlan.me — all your purchased licences are listed in the dashboard. You can also re-send the licence email from there.
Multiple Machines
One licence = one active machine. Freelancer with a desktop and a laptop? Either buy two licences or move a single one back and forth. Studios needing 5+ licences get volume pricing — email hello@jonhanlan.me.
For the complete policy (updates, transfers, pricing), see jonhanlan.me/help/license.
Support
Questions, bugs, or just want to say hey? Email hello@jonhanlan.me
Current Version
v1.2.0
License Help
Refund Policy
Feature Requests
Got an idea? Send it over. Real feedback from real users shapes every update.
I built COMP-O-RAMA because I was spending more time setting up comps than actually animating. Clicking through the same dialog 50 times a day is nobody's idea of creative work. This tool exists so you can skip the busywork and get to the part you actually enjoy. Hope it saves you as much time as it saves me.