by Creative Impatience·Workflow
Images © Creative Impatience. Used for product review; image policy.
Broad compatibility from CS6 through After Effects 2025 makes CI Layer Stripper a durable pick for cleaning up projects across a wide range of AE versions.
CI Layer Stripper is a script for After Effects that removes invisible and unnecessary layers from a project. It targets guide layers, unreferenced visible nulls, and locked unreferenced layers, with a note to watch out for plug-ins such as Trapcode Particular when clearing locked unreferenced layers.
Beyond layers, the script can also remove disabled effects, a capability that was added in an earlier release. It recognises expression references written in forms including thisComp.layer(index) or .layer by name, comp("name").layer references, and comp('name').layer references, so referenced layers are accounted for during scanning.
Creative Impatience maintains broad host coverage, with support spanning After Effects CS6 through the 2025 release. The current version is 1.5.2, published on January 29, 2021, which fixed an error when scanning for disabled effects. A demo video is available on the developer's page for those who want to see the tool before installing it into their own workflow.
CI Layer Stripper is best for after Effects artists who want to clear invisible and unnecessary layers from their projects.
CI Layer Stripper is completely free to download and use.
CI Layer Stripper supports a wide span of After Effects releases, from CS6 up through the 2025 version. That range includes CC, CS6, CC 2014, CC 2015, CC 2015.3, CC 2017, CC 2018, CC 2019, and the 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 releases. This broad coverage means the script can be used across older and current installations of After Effects without needing a version-specific build.
CI Layer Stripper recognises several forms of expression references when it scans a project. These include thisComp.layer(index) and layer-by-name references, as well as comp("name").layer and comp('name').layer references written with either index or name. It removes guide layers, unreferenced visible nulls, locked unreferenced layers, and disabled effects, with a caution to watch out for plug-ins like Trapcode Particular when clearing locked unreferenced layers.
CI Layer Stripper is listed as free in this catalog. For current licensing details, check the developer's page at Creative Impatience. The script has been through a licensing framework update in version 1.5 and a licensing fix in a later release, so confirming the latest terms directly with the developer is the most reliable way to know exactly how it is distributed today. Because listings can change over time, treating the developer's page as the authoritative source for licensing and distribution is the safest approach.
CI Layer Stripper version 1.5.2, published on January 29, 2021, fixed an error that occurred when scanning for disabled effects. Earlier updates in the changelog added support for Catalina and a new licensing framework in version 1.5, introduced removal of disabled effects in version 1.2, and addressed a case where a disabled invalid expression could cause the script to fail in version 1.1.
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