【AE Tutorial】Dropdown Menu to Change Color in Seconds! (After Effects Expression)

This is a demo showing how to change color scheme of an animation scene with a Dropdown Menu and AE Expression.
You will learn how to link up properties of a layer or precomp to the Dropdown Menu. These properties include fill color, current frame and opacity.
Please like and subscribe if you find this tutorial useful. Please also comment and let me know what After Effects or animation problems do you have. I may consider making a video to answer that next!
00:00 Final result
00:06 Step 1: Set up a "Master Control" layer
00:56 Step 2: Link up fill color properties of the background
02:21 Step 3: Apply Expression
03:37 Expression Explained
03:57 Step 4: Link up fill color properties of the bats
05:43 Step 5: Link up current frame property of the skeleton's gift
07:24 Expression Explained
07:39 Step 6: Link up opacity property of the skeleton's ribbon
#aftereffects #ae #aftereffectsanimation #aeexpression #aeanimation #halloween #animation #2danimation #aetutorial #animationtutorial

[@wc_animation]

❗IMPORTANT❗For the AE CC2024 or later, 03:37 replace "if" with "else if", except the first "if":
if (a == 1){effect("Color Control")("Color")}
else if (a == 2){effect("Color Control 2")("Color")}
else if (a == 3){effect("Color Control 3")("Color")}

[@wc_animation]

This is the first AE tutorial in my channel. Please comment and let me know what After Effects or animation problems do you have. I may consider making a video to answer that next! Thanks for watching!

[@robertsommerlad3940]

fantastic tutorial, thank you so much Winston!

[@wc_animation]

Thank you very much! If you want any After Effects tutorial, feel free to post here!

[@martinf.torres8086]

Hi, this is what I looking for, great tutorial! I have an issue, I followed the steps several times, but it didn't work, I just keep seeing same warning (not defined value used on expression).

[@wc_animation]

Hi, could you describe a bit in details and share the whole expression?

[@wc_animation]

Hi please refer to the pinned message at the top for solution.

[@worryy]

Hi there! This tutorial is perfect for what i'm trying to do. However, i keep getting an expression error:
"Error at Line 1
Undefined value used in expression (could be an out of range array subscript?)"
My expression is written as follows:
a = comp("MAIN").layer("MASTER CONTROLLER").effect("Dropdown Menu Control")("Menu")
if (a == 1){effect("Color Control 1")("Color")}
if (a == 2){effect("Color Control 2")("Color")}
if (a == 3){effect("Color Control 3")("Color")}
if (a == 4){effect("Color Control 4")("Color")}
if (a == 5){effect("Color Control 5")("Color")}
Strangely enough, the last colour control in the expression seems to work, but the rest feedback in the above error?

[@wc_animation]

Thank you for your question. This tutorial is made in older version of AE. I just tried again in AE CC2024 and I have the same problem as you. After doing research, I figure it out the solution. Please try to replace the 2nd to 5th "if" with "else if".
if (a==1).....
else if (a==2)....
else if (a==3)....
else if (a==4)....
else if (a==5)....

[@worryy]

@@wc_animation Great thank you for the quick response! Got everything working now :)