How After Effects always should have worked

Browse, preview, and drop .aep assets straight onto your timeline. No importing, no digging through folders.

Download for macOS Install guide
Walkthrough
Features

Everything you need, built in.

DropComp turns a folder of .aep assets into a browseable, searchable library right inside After Effects.
⚡

Instant Preview

Hover over any asset to see an animated preview without importing anything into your project.

📂

Organized Categories

Assets are sorted into transitions, text animators, title cards, logos, and more — all browsable from the sidebar.

⭐

Favorites

Star the assets you use most and access them from a dedicated favorites panel for quick workflows.

🔄

Multi-Library

Switch between multiple asset folders using the library dropdown. Different projects, different clients.

🎛️

Adjustable Grid

Toggle between S, M, and L grid sizes to see more assets at once or get larger previews.

🛠️

Admin Tools

Generate hover previews for your assets individually or in batch with the built-in admin panel.

Installation

Up and running in 2 minutes.

No terminal. No complicated setup.

Install the Extension

Double-click DropComp.zxp or drag it onto the ZXP Installer app.

Restart After Effects

Quit and relaunch After Effects so it registers the new extension.

Open DropComp

Go to Window → Extensions → Drop Comp to open the panel.

Set the Kit Location

Click Kit Location in the sidebar and point it to your asset folder.

~/Desktop/My Motion Assets

Start Creating

Browse assets, hover to preview, double-click to apply. That's it.

Creating assets

Build your own library.

DropComp reads standard .aep files from numbered folders. No special format, nothing proprietary.
Read the guide →
FAQ

Common questions.

Everything else you might need to know.
DropComp works with After Effects CC 2020 and later on both macOS and Windows.
Download the free ZXP Installer from aescripts.com, then drag DropComp.zxp onto it. Or just double-click the .zxp file.
Yes. Drop .aep files into the appropriate numbered folder inside your Motion Kit directory, then hit Refresh Library in the panel.
Select an asset in the panel, then use Admin Tools → Gen Preview. Use Gen All to batch-generate previews for everything.
Yes — use the Library dropdown in the panel to switch between different asset folders. Great for managing per-client or per-project libraries.
Yes, completely free.