by PENCIL Park·Motion Graphics
Images © PENCIL Park. Used for product review; image policy.
Earns its place in the toolfarm library by adding vector operations After Effects lacks natively, offering divide, trim, crop, and outline as one-click actions.
While After Effects' Merge Paths allow basic shape combinations, they lack options to divide, trim, or outline vector paths. AEPathfinder adds those, enabling true shape-layer processing so you can combine, split, trim, and animate vector shapes across single or multiple layers.
The plugin's behaviour depends on your selection. Select a single layer for direct access to After Effects' built-in merging options. Select multiple shape layers and AEPathfinder creates a new shape layer while preserving the sources, applying operations like Outline, Divide, Intersect, Trim, Subtract, and Exclude in one click. After processing, the split shapes feature separates results into individual elements for animation.
The workflow is non-destructive and uses no expressions: new shape layers are generated rather than altering your originals, so you can experiment freely. Alternatively, hold Shift, Alt, or Cmd/Ctrl during processing to automatically remove the original shape layers after the operation. Common uses include UI animations and logo reveals.
AEPathfinder is best for motion designers manipulating vector-based motion graphics: splitting shapes for reveals, outlining for stroke animations, and merging or exploding layers.
AEPathfinder is completely free to download and use.
AEPathfinder is compatible with After Effects 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020, and lists those same releases as its requirements. If you run one of these versions, the plugin's combine, split, trim, and outline operations are available to you. Before installing, it's worth confirming your exact After Effects version against that list on the developer's page, since compatibility is tied to these specific releases rather than an open range of versions.
AEPathfinder is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing terms can change over time, so check the developer's page for current details before relying on it for a project. Once installed, you get the vector operations, including Outline, Divide, Intersect, Trim, Subtract, and Exclude, as one-click actions that work across single or multiple shape layers. The workflow is non-destructive, generating new shape layers rather than altering your originals as you work.
AEPathfinder works non-destructively by generating new shape layers, so you can experiment without modifying the originals, and it uses no expressions. When you select multiple shape layers, it creates a new shape layer while preserving your sources. If you'd rather clean up as you go, hold Shift, Alt, or Cmd/Ctrl during processing to automatically remove the original shape layers after the operation completes.
AEPathfinder has dual functionality based on your selection. Select a single layer and you get direct access to After Effects' built-in merging options. Select multiple shape layers and it creates a new shape layer while keeping your sources intact. After processing, the split shapes feature lets you separate results into individual elements for animation, so you can move between AE's native merging and multi-layer operations without manually copying paths.
AEPathfinder can combine, split, trim, and animate vector shapes across single or multiple layers. It introduces divide, trim, crop, and outline as one-click operations, which After Effects' built-in tools do not offer. With multiple layers selected, you can apply Outline, Divide, Intersect, Trim, Subtract, and Exclude in a single click. A demo video is available if you'd like to see these operations before installing.
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