After Effects: How To Convert Audio To Keyframes (Audio React)

by | Jul 26, 2022 | Adobe After Effects, Tutorials

After Effects CC 2022: How To Convert Audio To Keyframes (Audio React)

Description:
This tutorial will show you how to convert audio layers to keyframes in Adobe After Effects CC 2022 and how to make layers such as graphics or text react to the beats of the audio layer.

Software Used:
Adobe After Effects CC 2022 (Click To Try or Buy)

How To Convert Audio To Keyframes in Adobe After Effects CC 2022:

  1. Create a New Composition (Cmd + N) 
  2. Drag a background layer on the Comp Window such as an image, video, or solid color layer.
  3. Drag a graphic such as a logo that you want to react to audio on the Comp Window
  4. Drag an audio file (music) on the layers panel 
  5. Select the audio layer
  6. Right-click and go to ‘Keyframe Assistant’
  7. Click ‘Convert audio to keyframes’ and AE will create a new layer called ‘Audio Amplitude’
  8. Select the new ‘‘Audio Amplitude’ layer and tap UU to reveal keyframes (this is only for you to review’ 
  9. With the ‘Audio Amplitude’ layer selected twirl open and delete the Left & Right Channel and keep only ‘Both Channels’

How To make the graphic or logo layer react to audio Adobe After Effects CC 2022:

  1. Twirl open the ‘Audio Amplitude’ layer so the ‘Both Channels’ is visible
  2.  Select the logo layer you want to react to audio and twirl it open
  3. Twirl open the Transform Properties
  4. Press the Option or Alt Key and click on the stopwatch for ‘Scale’ (or the property you want to animate
  5. Click on the Expression Pick-whip
  6. Drag the pick-whip to the ‘Both Channels’ slider and let go
  7. The logo or graphic will look smaller, but if you tap the spacebar it should be reacting to audio (😎)
  8. To fix the ‘Scale’ issue, click inside the Expression for ‘Scale’ and place the cursor before [temp, temp]
  9. Type in value+ immediately before [temp,temp]
  10. Repeat the process to animate other properties such as ‘Rotation’ by pressing Opting/Alt and dragging the Expression pick-whip to ‘Both Channels’

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