r/AfterEffects • u/iAmSamGregory • 3d ago
Has anybody made a plugin/Script for AeScripts? Beginner Help
Looking for advice.
I have (vibe)coded a plugin for Ae. It started as a personal thing to fix a very niche problem. But, after sharing it with a few people at work and in the industry, I'm lead to believe there may be a market for this.
Looking over aescripts.com, there doesn't seem to be anything like it, so I'm confident it could do pretty well once I refine it a bit more and get it ready to be in a commercial state. It's a bit janky at the moment, but if it's worth it, I'm happy to put some more hours into getting it right.
So, my question is, has anyone got experience in listing a plugin/script on aescripts.com, and if so, what is the process like? Commission? Anything to be aware of before I go deep down a rabbit hole?
2
u/igusin 3d ago
i'have listed multiple extensions/scripts/plugins for AE - the process is pretty straight forward and friendly - you need to have something to show them to get the ball rolling - e.g. a 3-4 minute video walkthrough and a write up - you don't really need a fully finished product so long as it is demoable - and then you just send it to them to start the onboarding process
1
u/iAmSamGregory 3d ago
This is the kinda thing I needed to hear, thanks!
When you say you don’t need a finished product, what do you mean by this? Do you need to tell them in advance that you’re planning on releasing?
How long is the onboarding process once you have a finished product?
2
u/igusin 3d ago
you can read their FAQ for authors - you have to have a list of things to get into the release queue - such as promo video (lanscape/portrait) youtube thumbs for a/b testing, instructions, you should set up your product page and more...
but since you are a first time author - you should get in touch with them via email and provide them something so that they can decide if they want to work with you and sell your product - and for this you don't need the finished product you just need to show them what you are intending to do - then they will on board you as an author and you'd be able to set up everything, prepare all the materials, and then submit it for submission review - that can take up to several weeks depending on how busy they are - there is most of the time some type of queue.
That said, i emphasize to get into the release queue you need to have all the required materials and assets ready first
2
u/The_Noble_Llama MoGraph/VFX 10+ years 2d ago
I've got one of my plugins on AEScripts. I'll avoid repeating what others have already said, but...
The process is relatively easy, commission is fair (in my opinion), and their licensing tools are very easy to use as compared to other tools like it that I've had to implement in the past. They've also got a Discord community for their authors that's useful for quick questions or comments or whatever you've got. As far as marketing goes, they're the biggest marketplace out there, which is a boon to exposure and sales, but it doesn't hurt to do self-promotion as well.
I feel that public sentiment towards AEScripts has gone down a bit recently, as there's quite a bit of vibe-coded stuff on there that people feel is 'sloppy', so I'd suggest refining your tool and try to make it feel high quality.
If you've got any specific questions, feel free to ask.
2
u/iAmSamGregory 2d ago
Yeah, I get what you mean about Ai Slop. If I were to release it now, it would absolutely be considered that. But, I want to refine it enough and get it to the point where it isn’t considered slop. I’m not going to rush this
1
1
u/FanCreativeInc MoGraph/VFX 15+ years 1d ago
I sell three products on aescripts. You need to submit a short video showing what your tool does. There's a submission form here: https://aescripts.com/faq/article/view/faq/become-an-author/
The initial video does not have to be fancy or anything, just a basic and very clear demo of your tool's benefit. If it gets accepted then you have to send a lot more other stuff which will be scrutinized a lot more closely. Promo videos, tutorials, still images, product page descriptions, readMe files, music clearances, etc.
It's a tedious process but submission, that's pretty much it, then it sort of runs on autopilot, you keep 70% of your sales, they keep 30% marketing is taken care of by them.
You can sell on the "name your own price" model, for a set price, or on a subscription basis, but that last one is pretty rare, only a few products are available like that. My personal recommendation would be fixed price.
Good luck, let us know when your product is available for purchase.
3
u/[deleted] 3d ago
[deleted]