by a + a plugins·Workflow
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Paint Link earns its place in the aescripts library for connecting After Effects and Photoshop into a single frame-by-frame animation workflow, with compatibility maintained through After Effects 2026 and Photoshop 2025.
Paint Link is a plugin from a + a plugins that creates a dynamic connection between After Effects and Photoshop for frame-by-frame animation. It runs across current releases of both hosts, supporting After Effects 2022 through 2026 and Photoshop 2022 through 2025.
The connection relies on Photoshop's remote connections, so setup includes enabling Remote Connections and setting the password to "aescripts", along with disabling the profile-mismatch and missing-profile prompts under Color Settings. The plugin can also detect some incomplete or incorrect installations and tells the user how to fix them.
The current build, version 1.0.8, removed the Add VFX keyframe button and added a VFX mode checkbox. A demo video is available, and the plugin is listed here as free — check the developer's page for current licensing.
Paint Link is best for frame-by-frame animators who work across After Effects and Photoshop.
Paint Link is completely free to download and use.
Paint Link supports After Effects 2026, along with 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2022, so it covers current and several recent releases. On the Photoshop side it works with 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2022. Because the connection runs between the two applications, you'll want both a supported After Effects version and a supported Photoshop version installed for the link to function. If you're on a release outside these ranges, check the developer's page to confirm compatibility before relying on it.
Paint Link works with Photoshop 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2022 on the Photoshop side of the connection. It pairs these with After Effects 2022 through 2026, and the link depends on Photoshop's remote connections being enabled. During setup you turn on Enable Remote Connections in Photoshop's Plugins preferences and set the password to "aescripts". If your Photoshop version falls outside this range, the connection may not behave as expected, so the developer's page is the place to confirm the latest supported releases.
Paint Link's connection depends on a few Photoshop settings. In Color Settings, disable "Ask When Opening" and "Ask When Pasting" under Profile Mismatches, and disable "Ask When Opening" under Missing Profiles. Then open the Plugins preferences — Preferences on Windows, Settings on Mac — turn on Enable Remote Connections, and set the password to "aescripts". With those in place, After Effects and Photoshop can communicate. The plugin can also detect some incomplete or incorrect installations and tell you how to fix them.
Paint Link is listed here as free, so there's no price shown for it in this catalog. Licensing terms can change over time, so the developer's page on aescripts is the best place to confirm current pricing, license type and any usage conditions before you download. The plugin's most recent build is version 1.0.8, released on January 2, 2024, which removed the Add VFX keyframe button and added a VFX mode checkbox.
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