by James Ronan·Workflow
Images © James Ronan. Used for product review; image policy.
Root stands out in the aescripts library for turning scattered files into self-contained After Effects projects, with recent updates improving asset relinking and external drive handling.
Root is an asset organizer for After Effects, built by James Ronan. It takes messy, unorganized files spread across your system and turns them into clean, self-contained projects. Root finds missing media, gathers the assets a project actually uses, and packages them into the project.
Beyond gathering, Root builds tidy, shareable asset folders and can package multiple comps into individual project packages. It pulls assets straight from your downloads, desktop, or any external drive.
Root runs with After Effects 2026 and 2025. The current release, version 1.1.3, focuses on bug fixes and workflow improvements, including case-insensitive filename matching for asset relinking, validation that keeps the local root inside the project folder hierarchy, and enhanced external drive location tag badges. A demo video is available.
Root is best for after Effects users who need to collect scattered assets, find missing media, and package projects into clean, shareable folders.
Root is completely free to download and use.
Root supports After Effects 2026 and 2025. If you're running one of those versions, the plugin can scan your system, gather the assets a project uses, find missing media, and package everything into a self-contained project. For any newer or older release, check the developer's page to confirm current compatibility before installing, since supported versions can change with updates like the current 1.1.3.
Root is listed here as free. This catalog marks the entry as free, but licensing terms can differ on the developer's own page, so it's worth checking there for the current details before you download. Once installed, Root gathers used assets, relinks missing media, builds shareable asset folders, and packages comps into individual project packages, all inside After Effects 2026 or 2025.
Root can gather assets straight from your downloads, desktop, or any external drive, not just files already sitting in the project folder. It finds the media a project uses and packages it into a clean, self-contained project. Version 1.1 added enhanced external drive location tag badges in the asset list, so items pulled from external drives are marked, and 1.1.3 is the current release.
Root version 1.1.3, released June 8, 2026, fixes an install bug. The 1.1.2 update, from the same day, fixed a drag-and-drop import issue that could leave an undo group open. Earlier in the 1.1 series, the plugin gained case-insensitive filename matching for asset relinking, validation preventing the local root from being placed outside the project folder hierarchy, enhanced external drive location tag badges, and improved error handling for ExtendScript failures and asset scan errors.
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