by aescripts + aeplugins·Workflow
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Immigration earns its place in the toolfarm library for tackling a specific chore: importing and batch replacing file sequences and nested hierarchies in After Effects. Its custom scanning algorithm and Auto-Match Replace are the features that set it apart.
Immigration is a smart import and batch replace tool for After Effects, aimed at the workflow of importing and replacing files, especially file sequences and highly nested hierarchies. While browsing for import, it displays a file sequence as a single line item rather than a long list of individual frames. It scans the file system with a custom algorithm that the developer reports runs dramatically faster than the OS; in their testing, a server folder of 30,000 files that took over five minutes to open in the finder opened in twelve seconds, including file-sequence detection.
You can select more than one file or sequence and either import them all at once or batch replace files already in your project, and you can assign a frame rate to all imported files in a single step. The Auto-Match Replace algorithm matches files with similar names automatically, shows a preview of the matches, and color codes each one by how close it is.
If your files are already organized in folders, Immigration duplicates and maintains that hierarchy inside the After Effects project. You can limit it to specific file extensions and file ages, and include or ignore folders by name.
aescripts + aeplugins Immigration is best for after Effects artists who regularly import and batch replace file sequences or work with deeply nested folder hierarchies.
aescripts + aeplugins Immigration is completely free to download and use.
Immigration supports a wide range of After Effects versions, from CS6 through the CC, 2014, 2015, 2015.3, 2017, 2018 and 2019 releases and up to 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. That span covers both older Creative Suite installs and current Creative Cloud versions, so most After Effects setups can run it. If you work across multiple machines with different releases, the plugin's broad compatibility means you can keep the same import workflow on each one. Check the developer's page to confirm the details for your specific version.
Immigration's Auto-Match Replace algorithm automatically matches files with similar names, so you don't have to pair them by hand when batch replacing. It shows a preview so you can confirm the matches are what you expect, and it color codes each match according to how close it is. That color coding is handy when you name revised files with a new version number or date, since you can see which pairings are strong. You select the files or sequences you want and then either import them or replace files already in your project.
Immigration can be customized to search only for certain file extensions and file ages. For example, you can tell it to display only .exr files that are less than an hour old, narrowing a busy folder down to just the files you care about. You can also include or ignore folders by name, so if you want it to skip an archives folder inside your hierarchy, you can set that up easily. When your files are already organized in folders, Immigration duplicates and maintains that folder hierarchy inside the After Effects project.
Immigration is listed as free here in our catalog. Pricing and licensing can change over time, so for the current terms it's best to check the developer's page directly before you download. The plugin covers importing and batch replacing files in After Effects, including file-sequence detection, folder-hierarchy duplication and its Auto-Match Replace algorithm. Since it runs across After Effects versions from CS6 up to 2025, most users can try the full import and replace workflow without worrying about a specific release. Confirm the latest details with the developer.
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