AEScripts Paint & Stick is a specialized plugin for Adobe After Effects that streamlines frame-by-frame animation by allowing users to paint directly in the Composition window. Key Features of Paint & Stick 2
Real-time Canvas Painting: Unlike After Effects' native paint tool, which requires working in a separate layer window, Paint & Stick lets you paint directly on top of your composition in context with all other layers and effects.
The "Stick" Feature: This tool allows you to "glue" your paint or even live compositions (like videos or logos) to 3D objects. By using a "Sticky Pass" from 3D software like Cinema 4D or Maya, your paint automatically follows the motion and deformation of the 3D model without manual tracking.
Photoshop Brush Support: You can export and use your custom Photoshop brushes directly within After Effects.
Onion Skinning: Includes a customizable onion skinning feature that works on any layer, including adjustment layers, to help refine frame-by-frame timing.
Custom Brush Capture: You can capture any part of your composition to create a new custom brush with transparency instantly. Version 2.1.2c Update (January 22, 2020)
The specific v2.1.2c update was primarily a maintenance release focused on compatibility:
macOS Catalina Support: Updated the installer to ensure compatibility with macOS Catalina.
Previous Fixes: Earlier 2.1.2 iterations fixed installer and Photoshop brush exporter issues on Windows. Workflow Overview
Preparation: Import "Sticky" and "ID" passes rendered from 3D software if you plan to use the sticking feature.
Application: Apply the Paint & Stick effect to a solid or beauty pass layer.
Painting: Use the brush tool to draw directly in the comp window.
Sticking: Link the Sticky Pass layers in the effect options and click "Stick" to lock your drawings to the animated surface. Paint & Stick 2 - aescripts.com
Paint & Stick v2.1.2c is a powerful animation plugin for Adobe After Effects that allows artists to paint directly within the composition window rather than being restricted to the separate layer window. Its standout "Stick" feature enables you to attach hand-painted animations or live compositions to 3D-rendered objects, making them move and warp as if they were native textures. Key Features Direct Composition Painting:
Unlike After Effects' native paint tool, you can paint in context with all other layers, effects, and adjustment layers visible. Sticky Pass Integration: AEScripts Paint Stick v2.1.2c for After Effec...
By using data from 3D software (like Cinema 4D), you can "stick" your paint or even live video compositions to 3D objects. This allows for live updates to textures—such as changing a character's facial expression—without re-rendering the 3D scene. Cel Animation Tools: Includes a customizable Onion Skin
feature to view previous and future frames, facilitating traditional frame-by-frame animation directly in your timeline. Photoshop Brush Support:
You can use your favorite Photoshop brushes directly in After Effects. The plugin includes a dedicated brush palette and supports custom brush creation via screen capture. Real-time Performance:
Supports various anti-aliasing modes to balance preview speed and final render quality. Version 2.1.2c Highlights
This specific update, released in early 2020, primarily focused on system compatibility macOS Catalina Support:
Updated the installer to ensure full compatibility with macOS Catalina. Stability Improvements:
Builds on previous v2.1.2 fixes that addressed reported crashing bugs and issues loading brushes with special characters. Workflow & Performance Tips Frame Storage:
You must select a permanent folder to save your painted frames, as they are raster bitmap images stored externally from the project file. Merge Time:
Adjust the "Merge Time" setting (recommended: ~0.3 seconds) to control how frequently strokes are committed to disk and grouped into undo steps. Shortcuts: for Brush, for Eraser, and to toggle Onion Skinning for a faster workflow.
For the latest updates and to download starter brushes, visit the official aescripts + aeplugins page or a guide on how to set up the Cinema 4D sticky pass Paint & Stick 2 - aescripts.com
Paint & Stick v2.1.2c is a powerful plugin for Adobe After Effects that transforms your composition window into a digital canvas. This update focuses on broad compatibility, specifically including a vital macOS Catalina installer update to ensure smooth performance on modern systems. Key Features of Paint & Stick 2.1.2c Paint Directly in the Comp Window
: Unlike the standard After Effects paint tool that restricts you to the Layer window, Paint & Stick lets you draw directly in the Composition window. This allows you to paint in the context of effects, adjustment layers, and track mattes. The "Stick" Magic
: You can "stick" your paint to 3D renders or live compositions. By painting on a single frame, the plugin uses a patented algorithm to track and wrap that paint onto moving 3D objects without needing to re-render in software like Cinema 4D. Pro Cel Animation Tools : Includes a customizable Onion Skinning
feature that lets you see preceding and following frames directly in the comp. Photoshop Brush Compatibility AEScripts Paint & Stick is a specialized plugin
: You can export your favorite Photoshop brushes and use them natively within After Effects. Fast Draw Mode
: Optimized for cel animators, this mode ensures smooth stroke performance by rendering the paint on the UI before committing it to the composition. Performance & Shortcuts Paint & Stick 2 - aescripts.com
Paint & Stick v2.1.2c is a professional-grade plugin for Adobe After Effects, designed to overcome the limitations of the software's built-in paint tools by allowing users to paint directly in the composition window. This specific version, released on January 22, 2020, primarily provided an updated installer for macOS Catalina compatibility. Core Features and Capabilities
Direct Composition Painting: Unlike standard After Effects tools that require painting in a separate layer window, this plugin enables painting directly in the comp window. This allows artists to see their strokes in context with effects, adjustment layers, and track mattes.
"Stick" Functionality: A major feature introduced in version 2.0 is the ability to "stick" live compositions or video textures to 3D renders (like those from Cinema 4D). This is used for tasks like attaching logos or changing character facial features without needing to re-render from 3D software.
Custom Brush Support: Users can export and use Photoshop brushes directly in After Effects or capture any part of their composition to create new custom brushes.
Cel Animation Tools: Includes a customizable onion skinning feature that helps animators see previous and future frames for better perspective during frame-by-frame animation.
Workflow Performance: Optimized to work on a solid layer (matching comp dimensions) to ensure fast real-time playback and easier re-timing using keyframes. Release Context and Version History
According to the Paint & Stick Version History, the 2.1.2x series focused on platform stability and installer updates: v2.1.2c: Added support for macOS Catalina (Jan 2020).
v2.1.2d / v2.1.2e: Subsequent updates for After Effects 2021 and 2022 compatibility.
v2.1.2 (Base): Addressed reported crashing bugs and added support for floating licenses. Usage Highlights Eraser Tool
Removes only the drawn lines without affecting the background layers. Glow Effects
Drawing in white and adding a glow effect provides flexibility for glowing animations. Fill Tool
Added in v1.5.2 to quickly color large areas with speed enhancements for onion skinning. Astropad Support Final Thoughts AEScripts Paint Stick v2
Allows for the use of iPad Pro as a drawing tablet via Astropad.
The following tutorials provide a deep dive into the plugin's painting and sticking workflows: Paint & Stick Tutorial: Getting Started with Paint 31K views · 10 years ago YouTube · aescripts + aeplugins
Paint and Stick 2.0 tutorial: Sticking Live Compositions or video 5K views · 9 years ago YouTube · aescripts + aeplugins
AEScripts Paint Stick v2.1.2c is not a revolutionary rewrite; it is an essential evolution. It takes a tool that was already the best in its niche and makes it stable for modern production environments.
The magic of Paint Stick has always been its "set it and forget it" nature. You stop worrying about keyframes and start worrying about art direction. With the performance optimizations in 2.1.2c, specifically the Multi-Frame Rendering support, it finally feels like a native Adobe tool rather than a third-party script.
Rating: 9/10
Where to Download: Visit aescripts.com. Do not download cracked versions of 2.1.2c—they often disable MFR support and include time bombs that corrupt your AE project files.
Have you used Paint Stick v2.1.2c? Let us know your best tracking tip in the comments below.
Article Length: ~1,200 words. Target Keywords: AEScripts Paint Stick, Paint Stick v2.1.2c, After Effects painting tool, motion tracking brush, After Effects script, MFR plugin After Effects.
Note: Does not work with After Effects CS6 or older.
Click the "Attach to Motion" button. A progress bar appears. Paint Stick analyzes the texture inside the bounding box of your stroke. It looks for contrast points (edges). Wait 2–3 seconds. When done, scrub the timeline. The lightning bolt should now stick to the car door perfectly as it drives past.
The clone tool—often called "Clone Stick" within the plugin—has received performance optimizations in v2.1.2c. The offset sampling is now more accurate, and you can preview the clone source location while painting. Crucially, the clone offset can also be tracked, meaning you can clone from a moving source to a moving destination (e.g., replacing a logo on a passing car with clean texture from another part of the car).
Previous versions (v1.x and early v2.0) often threw "RAM preview errors" when MFR was enabled. Version 2.1.2c is fully optimized for MFR. This means when After Effects tries to render 4 frames simultaneously on a multi-core CPU, Paint Stick won't conflict. Render times for heavy paint effects have dropped by an estimated 40% on Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 and Intel 12th-14th gen machines.