A clearer view of your projects
aep QuickView generator
Real After Effects thumbnails in Finder.
Coming soon
Know what is inside. Keep creating.
- See a real frame of every After Effects project as its icon in Finder’s icon, column and gallery views.
- Press Space for a large Quick Look preview without opening After Effects.
- Choose the frame: the first one, after one second, the middle, or any time you set. Blank frames are skipped automatically.
- The preview is stored inside the project file, so it travels with it: copies, renames, network drives and Dropbox.
- Your projects stay on your Mac. No cloud uploads.
Three steps. A clearer Finder.
- 01
Open aep QuickView generator, add a folder with your projects and click Generate missing.
- 02
After Effects renders one frame from each project and closes it without saving. Allow the app to control After Effects when macOS asks.
- 03
In System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions › Quick Look, enable both aep QuickView generator extensions (Thumbnails and Preview).
Need a little help?
Do I need After Effects?
Only to generate previews. Previews already stored in your projects show up on any Mac with aep QuickView generator installed, even without After Effects.
Why did a preview disappear after I saved the project?
After Effects writes a new file each time you save, which removes the stored preview. Click Generate missing again to create a fresh one.
Does it change my projects?
No. The preview is stored in the file’s extended attributes and the project content stays untouched. Only the modification date moves by one second, so Finder refreshes the icon.
Can I choose which composition is shown?
Yes. Put “thumb” in a composition’s name or add a marker with the comment “thumb”. Otherwise the app uses the first composition in the Render Queue or the main composition.
Let’s work it out.
Questions, problems or ideas? Please include your macOS and After Effects versions, and describe the project.
support@robiapps.comAdobe and After Effects are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe in the United States and/or other countries. aep QuickView generator is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe.