by Casey Baker·Workflow
Illustrative cover generated by AnyPlugins — no product screenshot available.
Smart Selector earns its place in the aescripts library for turning layer selection into a direct click on the composition.
Smart Selector adds a point-and-click way to select layers in After Effects. Instead of hunting through the timeline, you click directly on the layer you can see in the composition, and Smart Selector picks it out using its layer selection algorithm.
The plugin looks past bounding boxes, adjustment layers, precomps and layer transparency to reach the layer you actually clicked on. It runs across a wide span of After Effects releases, from CS3 through the 2026 version, covering nearly every edition in between.
Version 1.3 moved license activation, deactivation and trial mode into a new help panel opened with the ? button, and brought the tool onto the latest aescripts + aeplugins licensing framework. Existing licenses keep working with no action needed for current customers. Earlier updates added support for Catalina, following the initial 2017 release. A demo video is available.
Smart Selector is best for after Effects users who want to select layers by clicking on them in the composition rather than searching the timeline.
Smart Selector is completely free to download and use.
Smart Selector supports a broad range of After Effects versions, from the 2026 release back through 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and the CC line down to CS3. That span covers nearly every edition Adobe has shipped over the years, so most installations should be able to run it. If you move between older and newer projects, the same plugin fits both. Check the developer's page to confirm the match for your exact build before installing.
Smart Selector lets you click directly on the layer you can see in the composition and picks it out for you. It looks through bounding boxes, adjustment layers, precomps and layer transparency to reach the layer under your cursor rather than stopping at whatever sits on top. The selection is handled by its layer selection algorithm, so you point at what you want instead of scanning the timeline stack to find the right item by name or index.
Smart Selector manages license activation, deactivation and trial mode through a help panel that opens when you click the ? button. Version 1.3 moved these controls into that panel and brought the plugin onto the latest aescripts + aeplugins licensing framework. Existing licenses continue to work with no action needed for current customers. If you need to move your license between machines or start a trial, the help panel is where those options live.
Smart Selector is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing for the plugin is handled through the aescripts + aeplugins framework, with activation, deactivation and trial mode available from the help panel opened by the ? button. Existing licenses continue to work with no action needed for current customers. For current licensing terms and to download the plugin, head to the developer's page on aescripts.
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